This blog post has been a long time coming! I have certainly put not only my Instagram page on the back burner, but I’ve especially put my website to the way side. I have worked my butt off for this site. Completely self taught when it comes to the whole website creator gig- but, hey! It’s a new year and year one of my five year plan is complete. I feel incredibly motivated to make blogging a full time career and pursue this passion. With that being said, let’s get to the original point of this post, Crue’s room!
Let’s take things back to the beginning. When we first bought our home (four years ago) I was pregnant with Crue. So, naturally, the nursery (Crue’s room) was the first completed room in the house. You can find all the sources and some gender neutral nursery inspo here! Well, fast forward four years and we have a little human who has outgrown his crib, has his own collection of toys, a budding personality all his own, and a love for all things books, dinosaurs, and trains! …and animals and cars and superheroes.
When I started envisioning his big boy room I knew right away that I wanted to use wallpaper. Now, I’m no fan of accent walls, but in this case I felt it necessary. His room is directly off our living room and I feared an entire wallpapered room would make things look too busy. As soon as I saw Rylee + Cru did a collab with Lulu and Georgia I had to take a look! And that’s when I found it. The sparrow wallpaper. I love it so so much and really designed the whole feel for the room around it. I wanted a print that could grow with him. Maybe not until high school , but this print can easily transition with him through grade school years.
I knew I wasn’t going to be the one installing this, so I called my local Sherwin Williams store and asked for installation recs. They were so helpful and after getting a couple quotes I found an installer to work with us.
Once the wallpaper was installed it was go time. Originally I planned on replacing his dresser with a vintage dresser that wasn’t painted, but decided to keep what we had for a pop of color. We also assembled his bed. That was a whole other ordeal. I posted a reel to my Instagram page (theheartathome_) on the bed makeover, boy that was not fun! Basically it came with a clear coat on it when the wood was supposed to be completely natural. After some sanding and paint the bed looked exactly how I pictured it to!
So at this point in the room makeover we now have the wallpaper, bed, dresser, and now to fill it with details of things Crue loves and that matches his outgoing, loving, and fun personality! I found THE most adorable acorn bed sheet from H&M Home & purchased them right away.
Around the time of the makeover planning process, Studio McGee was coming out with their Target line. I immediately fell in love with the plaid area rug that they dropped. I love plaid for a pattern in a boys room. It adds a little masculinity without being overwhelming. The neutral color also worked great against the green of his dresser and the wallpaper pattern. This is probably the first time I’ve experimented with mixing patterns and I had so much fun doing it!
Crue’s room is on the smaller side so I needed to get creative with storage. I truly do not like cube storage, but sometimes there’s just no other option. Part of the reason we went with a “loft” bed style for him was so he could make use of the space under his bed- to read books, build Legos, make forts, and play! I found a cube storage bench fitted with a cushioned top and three spaces for storage. It fits perfectly under his bed and I reupholstered the top with some fabric that I purchased off Etsy. Etsy is a fantastic source for items you wouldn’t be able to find in stores. I love shopping small and supporting small businesses and I always find things on Etsy that are different and unique.
For Crue’s bedding I went super simple. A nice heavy quilted blanket, some buffalo check pillows, and those cute acorn sheets I mentioned earlier.
Above his bed I thrifted the absolute sweetest framed painting. It’s a little boy with his horse. This reminds me of Crue so much. He loves animals so much and usually you see a little girl with a horse so the fact that this was a little boy around Crue’s age, I had to have it. It adds the sweetest touch to his “big boy” room.
Now, that little bit of storage under his bed is cute, but I needed another option. A good way to make cube storage not look so, I don’t know, dorm or office like? is to splurge a bit on the baskets you use for the actual storage. I love the woven baskets and the natural texture they add to the room. They’re a bit more expensive that the usual collapsible bins, but completely worth it. I also like the look of keeping a couple shelves empty for actual toys that are aesthetically pleasing to look at.
I love all the colors in this cute little corner of his room. I found that vintage looking poster in Charleston, SC for $5! It ties into the earth tones of his dresser, bed, and wallpaper. Our boys are very into books and this was a perfect spot to store some. I found clear acrylic book ends on Amazon to keep them tidy.
The remainder of his room came together very easily. It’s been some time now and I can say the best part of his room is his bed. He is under it all the time on his bean bag, or we drape a big blanket over it and the boys use it as a fort. It’s not a high loft bed either, which I love because Crue is still little. It is up to my chest while standing so it’s great for children who are transitioning out of a toddler bed.
To cozy up his space and make him feel like he can be creative and play and be imaginative, I wanted to adorn the top of his dresser with toys that double as décor. I also used items that aren’t meant to look perfect and could handle being rearranged (by a four year old).
I am so glad we finished this room and it turned out BETTER than I had imagined. Crue is one happy boy with his new, incredibly functional, and fun space! The only thing now? Daniel wants to know when his room gets a makeover. He will be 7 soon and I think now is a good time to start gaining inspo for his room. He deserves it! Below is a list of sources for everything I can think of that contributed to this room makeover. If I’m missing something feel free to comment a question and I will respond, or for faster responses reach out to me on my Instagram (theheartathome_).
