4 Men 1 Lady

a lifestyle blog about the persuit of bringing beauty to a house full of men.

Boy Bedroom Reveal.

by |

It’s the oldest boy’s bedroom reveal day!
Let us all sigh a breath of relief.
I had this dream that my boys would grow up best of buddies, never fight, love sharing a room (obviously I have only-child-syndrome).
Ehem, I stand corrected.
Best to give them their own rooms.
Without further adieu…

Room-before

I embarrassed to show that this is what we started with.
Kind of like that junk drawer everyone has but ours was a whole room.  (Please tell me we’re not the only one who had one of these).

Mid-process looked like this:

IMG_7048

I fell in love with the gorgeous reclaimed New York brick from Brick-It but once we put it up but it just felt like too much going on and made the room feel too dark.  See previous post here.
So one coat of Silent White by Clark + Kensington later…

Today’s view:

IMG_7206

IMG_7272

(Yes that is the “BANE-OF-MY-EXISTENCE-METAL-DRESSER”…well sort of.  I’m actually still working on it.  I found another one that was slightly bigger and thought…”Meh, why not really try and kill myself and tackle another one?”  That was a train wreck so I sent it off to a miracle worker named Amy of Distressed By Design who sanded it down BY HAND to reveal the beauty under the paint.  I’m just about ready to send the first one off to her next.  More about her soon).

The wall opposite had not been painted in at least 10 years.

IMG_6177

Up went some planks, on went some paint and down came that 1970’s light.

IMG_6229

IMG_7346

Then there was the issue of this wall.  The room is long and narrow.  The boy wanted to whole room to be painted blue.  I tried to explain to him about being too dark and lighting so in the end we compromised on just one wall.

IMG_6937

After the wall was painted it was definitely blue…A LOT OF BLUE (Blue Fedora by Valspar).
In attempt to break things up and add some personality I was inspired by this room and decided to try out my hand at a similar treatment.

IMG_7154 graffiti

Now I have to admit I’m no artist.  My ability is limited to stick figures and things I can draw with a ruler.  No problem.  I downloaded a ton of images from Etsy and my new favorite site for images and fonts called Creative Market (you can see the images on my Pinterest page).  Next I pulled out my trusty overhead projector , shot them on to the wall and traced them with a paint pen.

IMG_7259

IMG_6181

After.

IMG_7340

IMG_7404

This nook was so akward.  Putting corner shelves in was the best move ever.

IMG_6175

IMG_7383

IMG_7287

IMG_7252

IMG_7247

IMG_7333

IMG_7241

I’m in love with the new bedding especially the wool blanket from Faribault Woolen Mills.  My dad used to have several of these heavy wool blankets.  When he moved I urged him to sell them at our garage sale.  I now cringe that they’re gone.  Oh the follies of youth.

IMG_7237

IMG_7292

IMG_7154

IMG_7225

Sources:

Bed: Vintage, painted two-tone Smoke Gray, Oil-based by Rustoleum from ACE Hardware.
Stripe sheets: West Elm.
Gray sheets: Ikea
Yellow and gray wool stripe blanket: Faribault Woolen Mills.
Pillow: Etsy.
White paint: Silent White, Clark + Kensington, ACE Hardware.
Blue wall: Blue Fedora, Valspar, ACE Hardware.
Bedside wall light: School House Electric.
Ceiling Light: School House Electric.
Brick Wall: Brick-It.
Pull down Map and Blue Stool: School auction on Public Surplus.
Radio on shelf: Dot&Bo.
Wall clock: Alice Lane.
Wall hooks: Pottery Barn.
Joshua tree art: Joss & Main.
Wall planks and shelves built and installed by Springer Builders found on HomeAdvisor.

Corner shelf tutorial here.
Plank wall post.
Brick wall post.

More on the room here:

*Some affiliate links present.  I received some items for use in this post.*

Comments

  1. Well my friend, you’ve done it AGAIN. Amazing job and what a lucky boy. I would be pleased to have that as MY bedroom! Mine looks a little like your “before” shot right now…..but just like you, I’ve got big plans! I love everything you did in this room! BRAVO! xoxo

  4. This room is fantastic! It has inspired me to finally start putting together all my boys rooms. Thanks for all your hard work!

  7. Wow! It turned out great! I thought the blue wall was a chalkboard wall at first. I love the graphics on it. I bet he is thrilled with his new room. And hey, even twins need their own space (I’m a twin and my sister was so messy, I’m not, she drove.me.crazy.)! Lol. It was a grand day when my oldest sister got married and I got her room! 🙂

  8. INCREDIBLE!!!!! I have been following you for a few years and AMAZED at your talent. WONDERFUL. Are your aloe cacti and other cacti real or fake? I am from Tucson and recently moved to CO and need a some cacti to feel at home. But not a fan of live. What’s the best place for fake?

    • Aww, thanks Emily. Now that I’ve left the desert I’m surprised how much I miss and think about it. Tucson really is a special place. My plants are real but I once ordered on off Joss and Main that was a good faux. Hope that helps! Best, Michelle

  9. I have a pull down map for my son’s room also. How did you hang yours? My son is 6 and I want to make sure I hang it securely.

    • It took some pretty fancy retro-fitting. For one map in the bunk room we used washers just big enough to side back and forth in the track that is attached to the map. For the latest we used a metal U-bracket, cut the two “u’s” off so it was just a large square washer then fit it in to the track. Hope that helps.

  11. I like this room because its both stylish and practical for a boy – I could actually see my son using this space. I love the brick wall application and the corner shelving. Nicely done!

  12. Hi… Adorable room- he’s a lucky boy! Question: where did you get the bifold closet door? (Sorry if you’ve already given the source- I may have missed it.) Was it somewhere local here in SLC?

    Thanks!

  14. Ok, I did the same plank treatment in my bathroom, and hung them before they were painted like you did. However, I had so much trouble getting paint between the planks, so it looks way more rustic than I wanted! What’s your secret for painting them?

    • Yes, that was my mistake too. I really have to use a stiff brush and jam it between the planks to get them good an coated. It was SO time consuming. Lesson learned. Paint first. 🙂

  15. Hi,
    That plant on the shelf- is it alive? and if so will it survive there? I’m looking for some abuse-tolerant-low-light plants.

  16. I am loving this room makeover! Those dark stained corner shelves are beautiful, and a great use of that little nook of space. I also love the painted brick. I was just having a discussion with someone about painting brick, I am all for it and the other person would have nothing to do with it. I love the bright feeling it gives the room!

    • We had the same debate going on over here at our house. My husband and son were against it, I was all for it. The original brick was beautiful but just to dark for that room. Thanks Emily!

  17. love those corner shelves….great way to maximize space. and i’ve just spend too much time staring at that wall…what a unique and fantastic idea to personalize a space.

  19. Hi there, love your sons new room! Question for ya? What kind of plants are those and where did you get them? I am in utah.
    Kylie

  21. WOW this bedroom was fantastic. Good to open a door and say this is my son’s room and great for a boy’s room to relax. Great job!

Trackbacks

It is nice to meet you!

Hey there! I’m Michelle; I’m an Passionate DIY’er and in constant pursuit of how to bring beauty to my house full of men (3 boys + 1 hubby). Stick around and see what I’ve got up my hard-working sleaves!

read more