The Big Reveal

When I decided to redecorate my kids' room this past winter, a friend immediately started emailing me links to matched sets from places like Pottery Barn Kids. The stuff was all really cute, but it was also really expensive. My goals for the room were simple. One, to find a color scheme and/or theme that worked for both my 6 year old boy and 4 year old girl. Two, to make use of as much existing furniture as possible. And three, not spend too much money doing it.

In the end, I ditched the idea of a formal theme and went with a vague red-white-and-blue color scheme. This is partly because red is my favorite color and also partly because when I went into the room and looked at what was already there, there were splashes of red throughout that would be easy to incorporate.

First, I decided to paint the walls blue. I went to Home Depot, not realizing exactly how many shades of blue there are in the world and came home with a pile of paint chips. Sticking them up on the wall so I could see them in natural light helped a lot. I eliminated a lot of them right away. Just because I liked it in the store didn't mean it would be right in the room. When I narrowed it down to two colors, I bought a sample of each color. I would highly recommend doing this if you're painting a bright, bold color. I was leaning towards the darker color, but once I saw it up on the wall, especially at night, I realized I needed to use the lighter version.



I also installed roman shades. We had a party in April and one of the kids managed to break the miniblinds on one window. This was not a huge deal though, because I wanted to replace the blinds with something that would make the room darker at night. At first, I planned to make my own custom roman shades, but then I spotted these on super halfprice sale at JC Penney. I couldn't make them for cheaper than this, and I also bought a blue one for another room. They were easy to mount, and I like that they darken the room without blocking out every tiny bit of light.

In between the windows is a custom made quilt rack shelf from Robinson's Wood Crafts. I chose the double rack because eventually Maureen will have a quilt to display too. The one in this photo was made by my mom for Johnny and I wanted to have it front and center. The shelf holds a canvas print from EasyCanvasPrints.com and Johnny's softball trophies.



I also incorporated a lot of red as an accent color. This collapsible bin is from Ikea and holds stuffed animals. We've had it for several years and have a blue one in another part of the house for sports gear.


Maureen chose a red and white themed bedding set (ladybugs on one side and polka dots on the other). I used the leftover darker paint sample to paint picture frames and hung some of their artwork. The frames were scored for free off Freecycle.


Each kid has a small bin on their dresser to hold smaller toys or books.


We also bought this red bookshelf from Ikea to help corral the Lego collection. Before, all of Johnny's Lego creations were jammed together on his dresser top. It was impossible to dust and pieces kept getting knocked into the drawers or behind the dresser. This bookshelf is the single most important thing in getting the room organized and under control.


I mounted these cork tiles (super cheap, from AC Moore) for current artwork and photos. They came with adhesive, but it refused to stick, so I used small nails.


And finally, an underbed storage box (also Ikea) holds remaining larger toys.


We had planned on putting up hooks for the kids to hang their jammies and Johnny's uniform, but at this point I might look into the more decorative 3M hooks. I've been using them on pictures in the kitchen, on brick, and so far so good.

The woodwork needs some sanding and restaining, but the majority of the work is done and I'm thrilled with the way it turned out!