Ben’s bedroom reveal has been months in the making, partly because I had so many other projects underway, and partly because I couldn’t make up mind with what I wanted! However, I put in the finishing touches this week, for now. I know this room will be ever evolving like the rest of our home. Which I think is totally okay. Both Ben & I love his new room so much! It’s a vibe and I’m here for it.

Before

An actual blank slate with decent bones. Neutral carpet to ground the room and a great bed to set the tone. Never mind the hand me down curtains that are two feet too short. Definitely don’t recommend that look. And here’s a look at my design board and where I hoped to take the space.

After

Ben and I are both thrilled with how it turned out. Every night before bed he still says, “Thank you for my room, Mama!” And my heart just about explodes. I can fully recognize that his room isn’t going to be everyone’s cup of tea. I wanted to really get outside my comfort zone and incorporate as many patterns as possible. And you know what, I think it works!

We started with adding the bead board wall treatment. Ben requested green, but that’s all I had to go off of. We used the color ‘Haven’ by Miller Paint. It’s moody, and dusty and perfect. Designer tip: When you’re creating kid’s spaces ask them what color they want! Yes, you read that right. Let them pick the color, then within that color family pick 3-5 colors that they can grow into and that flow with the rest of your home. Let them choose the final color from those. They feel involved and you won’t be repainting their room in a year because they decided they didn’t like bubble gum pink anymore. Win-win.

I found these amazing curtains (similar, similar) and knew they’d be perfect for this pattern packed space. From there there room still wasn’t feeling finished. It looked ok, but there wasn’t the wow factor I wanted. I agonized over wallpaper samples for actual months. I obviously wanted a pattern, but it needed to be neutral, masculine, something that could easily transition from the toddler years into boyhood and beyond. Then I found this subtle stripe, ordered a sample, and still wasn’t sure it was the one until after I pulled the trigger and got it on the wall.

Once it was up it was love and I decided I needed to continue the wallpaper behind his shelving (you can see the bedroom reveal on Instagram here and here). Nothing transforms a space like wallpaper.

My Instagram stories have been full of progress updates and sneak peeks of Ben’s bedroom, so if you follow along you’ve seen so much already. As soon as I saw this rug I knew it was the missing piece to pull all of the tones and patterns together and ground his bed. In fact, whenever I design a space I usually try to start with the rug, but in this case I was very lucky to find the actual perfect piece to complete the space.

I also just want to take a second to say that it’s ok that we all have different styles and tastes! Ben and I love his room. A kid’s room doesn’t have to be primary colors and cartoon characters for them to love their space and feel like its theirs. It can have bones they can grow into while incorporating whimsy patterns and fun decor. Remember you can use age appropriate toys and arts & crafts they’ve created themselves to double as decor, too!

Ben’s bedroom reveal makes me so excited to start on Jack’s room and stretch my creativity there, too. To make it fun and special and collected. I hope this inspires you to get outside your comfort zone and create something new.

Sources

Wallpaper (similar)
Rug
Curtains (similar, similar)
Bed
Nightstands (similar)
Wall sconces (similar)
Shelving
Fringed pillow
Brown pillow
Textured pillow
Wool blanket
Striped quilt
Wall art (similar, similar)
Pennant
Woven baskets
Wooden baskets
Table clock
Faux topiary

Don’t forget to check out my other recent wallpaper adventure here!