Feb 21

Feb 21 Home Tour: The Boys Room

My home seems to be a slow, never-ending work in progress… not that I mind that as an aspiring designer. We have big renovations in store in the next year or so with an addition [adding a garage, mudroom, upstairs master bedroom and ensuite with walk-in closets] as well as transforming our mid-70’s closed-concept main level into an open kitchen and great room.

To date, we have lived in our home for five years and in the meantime, have still managed to make our house a home, doing practical transformations here and there. One area of focus has been the kids’ rooms as aside from flooring, there won’t be much change to those rooms. Today, I am showing one near completed room, which is shared by the boys. I am pleased with how it turned out and the boys love it! Eventually with completed renovations, each child will have their own bedroom, but this boys’ room will hold dear memories of my sweet little roommate buddies.

A few tips I have for designing children’s rooms would be:

Practical Storage
We have a couple large baskets that house assorted blankets and stuffed animals. My son Kyler in particular loves his little '“treasures” so it was necessary for us to find a practical, no-fuss, sanity-saving storage solution. Their closet also has accessible bins for extra hidden toy storage. I prefer smaller to mid-size bins as opposed to one large toy chest to allow for organization and assortment.
Avoid Gimmicky Themes
Kids can be fickle and their tastes change. I wanted to design a room that would be relevant for a few years so I avoided Paw Patrol, Lego and PJ Masks at all costs. Then again, I remember my childhood friend had a Beauty and the Beast room and I was super jealous haha! [It looked like Disney threw up all over the walls, bedding, curtains and floor]!! My kids still do have some cartoon-related toys, but I won’t design a concept around that.
Have Fun
Generally I am drawn to neutrals and my kids’ rooms all feature white walls including the wallpaper feature wall [Bouclair], however; I infused lots of pops of colour throughout the space. The boys have a black-and-white colour palette with splashes of neon yellow, fluorescent oranges and vibrant minty-hued blues. I would never incorporate this colour scheme into the main-living space, but here it is FUN! I was concerned I would tire of it, but so far think it is great!
Have Designated Zones
In order to serve its purpose, I have divided the room into three zones. The first being the sleeping zone with the bed which is obvious. The second is the play area with the tent. Lastly, the third is the work space for homework with the table and stool.
Mix Unique Pieces With Big-Box Store Items
I decorated my children’s rooms on a budget, but that doesn’t mean I had to sacrifice style. The “bunk” bed is an IKEA hack, the sheets and blankets are from Walmart [because why spend money on something that gets puked on?!], the large black-and-white lumbar pillows and laundry basket [similar one linked here] are from IKEA and the little table and stool were $40 total on clearance from Walmart yet again [Mainstay brand- currently out of stock]. The rug is from H&M Home [no longer sold]. The wicker basket is from Winners. Everything else is either DIY’ed, gifted or curated from little Etsy shops such as the cushions, pom-poms on the antlers [which were gifted by my uncle], banner and even the tee-pee. I took my time collecting these pieces and I like how it all came together.