When you’re updating a house one room at a time, finishing a project is so satisfying! Our house has a lot of work in progress right now, but I’m happy to report that my tween son’s bedroom is finished. Fortunately, we didn’t have to do any construction in this room. It just needed some paint, furniture, and accessories. Here’s how it looked when we moved in:
We started by painting the walls with Benjamin Moore’s Revere Pewter, which seemed appropriate since my son requested an Americana theme. Once I had a fresh “canvas” to work with, I decorated with three goals in mind:
1. Keep it minimal.
With plenty of space in this 12′ x 14′ room, I was tempted to add furniture and accessories until the room was full. Instead, I talked with my son about how the space might function best. In addition to the bed, we decided on a nightstand, a desk & chair, a dresser, and a cozy armchair for reading and relaxing (two things my son loves to do!). The accessories in the room are items my son has collected over the years that are meaningful to him. The artwork on the walls reflects his interest in American military history.
2. Keep it frugal.
This bedroom is a mix of a few new items together with older pieces – many of which were used in other rooms in our last house. The only piece of furniture I purchased was the headboard from Ballard Designs. The nightstand came from our previous home’s guest room. The armchair was originally purchased for our living room when Derek and I married in 2001. The dresser has been with my son since we completed his nursery in 2007. The desk is an old farm table I rescued from my mom’s basement back in 2008. Aside from furniture, I bought new pillow shams, added the bed skirt, and found the two airplane paintings at a local consignment shop.
3. Keep it fun!
When we’re outfitting a kid’s room, it’s easy to get carried away with the decorating process and forget who the room is for – the kid! Nothing in this room is too precious to use or too expensive to replace. Everything we included is there because it’s meaningful and/or functional for my son. His room is a place where he can retreat to read, play, and rest.
I hope you enjoyed taking a peek at my son’s new room. Thanks for stopping by!