The Boy's Bedroom

If I were to own a business I think it would be interior styling. It's fun, relaxing, my creative space, my escape from the day-to-day of corporate America.

One of the benefits of my corporate America job is that I get the whole week between Christmas and New Years off as a holiday! IT'S AWESOME! So naturally this was the perfect time re-decorate Colton's room and turn it into Colton + Hank's bedroom!  Let's be honest though, I'd been bringing this decorating plan together for months. Package by (hidden from my husband) package!  It's not that I spend a lot of money, I just get a lot of why questions. Dude, trust me!

The good news is, the boys were beyond excited to share a room! They are only 21-months apart in age so not only are they brothers, they are buddies so sharing a room was a big deal to them.    I had documented the room coming together on my Insta-stories so they watched the room take shape while they were at daycare. They were ready to go to bed at 7:00pm.

I've had the vision for their room for quite a while and stored my wants on this Pinterest board.  It all started with the striped IKEA duvets - loved them, had to have them. I knew I wanted the room to say "Boys sleep here!" so I went with the natural boy colors - blue and green.  The only new things I purchased for the room were the duvet covers, navy blue fitted sheets, the green throw pillows, a rug, and the dresser.  It was tempting to buy matching sheets but I reasoned with myself - no one sees the sheets when the beds are made, no one cares, I don't need more stuff!  (Yep hun, I'm saving us some money!)  Everything else was already in their rooms.  Full source list below.  I also knew that I wasn't going to paint - I like the current color, Sherwin Williams Repose Gray.

The whole process went smoothly, except for the dresser.  I thought I had ordered something that would fit their clothes, and was reasonably priced.  However, there were 3 things wrong with it - it was too small (even though I had measured, some things just look different in the space), it was made of cheap material, and my husband had to assemble it.  Cost savings are not worth it to him if he has to assemble it.  I think he said something along the lines of "Don't ever buy furniture again that I have to assemble, just buy something alreaassembled that's quality." Done.

We were pretty practical when we got beds for the boys.  We just got a standard box spring and metal frame.  So, if you need a quick fix idea for covering your box springs put a fitted sheet over them, that's what I used the navy blue fitted sheets for. Smart, simple, and inexpensive

The bedroom is pretty small overall, but then again so is our whole house.  Two beds and a dresser fill the room up pretty quickly.  Fortunately we are not bedroom people.  We sleep in our bedrooms, that's it - same for the boys.  A bedroom just isn't my sanctuary.  The boys don't have any toys in their room so there isn't any reason to spend time there.  I think this is what has helped them become really good sleepers - no distractions.  Our bedrooms are for sleeping.

You're likely curious how the transition went.  I was only slightly nervous about it, here's why.  The boys sleep a little differently.  Colton is an early riser.  As soon as his eyes open, he's out of bed and ready to take on the day (like his mom dad). Hank is a lounger that will open his eyes for the first time around 6:45, lounge in bed and if you open the door too early, he'll get up to shut the door and crawl back under the covers. So we had to employ a couple of new habits.

1. Abide by the ok-to-wake.  When the clock turns green, it's ok to get out of bed  Get one, you wont regret it.
2. Pick out Colton's school clothes the night before and put them in the bathroom.

As for the first night together in their new room.  There was a lot of running around, giggling, the typical stuff when you're excited.  Night two and on has gone well.  Hopefully this doesn't change when we bring home a new baby!

SOURCES
Rug
Metal Wall Letters
IKEA duvets
OK to Wake Clock
Throw Pillow
Buffalo Print
Moose Head (old)
"ADVENTURE" Letters (DIY Project)
Dresser
Fitted Sheets
"Ladies Love a Gentleman" Print