The Dorm Reveal

You are probably wondering what the heck is a dorm doing in your house?  Well, we have a dorm because that’s the name I gave to the large bedroom on the third floor that is “kid central” when the grandchildren visit.  This room is one of the reasons we bought this house when we had no intention of ever moving again.  We came to a Sunday open house after seeing in the newspaper that the price had been reduced.  Despite all of the work that was needed, we liked the fact that there was a third floor that had one large and one small bedroom along with a full bath.  Plus, the house was in the neighborhood around the corner from our former home.  So, today I am happy to show you the dorm reveal.

I knew right away that this room could easily handle three twin beds.  That’s one for Little Miss, one for Google, who will come home from Thailand in May, and one for Baby Girl when she outgrows the nursery.

We needed big art for the big room, and big art usually comes with a big price tag.  I spent months and months looking for reproduction vintage style posters and just couldn’t find some that had a common theme, common colors, and would appeal to a young audience.Then I decided to see if there were some cute posters featuring my favorite European countries.   The Netherlands is my all-time favorite country in the world for so many reasons.  When I saw this sweet girl in the tulip field, I knew it was going on our wall.

I liked this French poster because it has a bicycle in it, has a boy, and has the right colors.  We have ridden our bicycles all over France, so this poster has some meaning to us.

Finally, we decided to represent England, which we have visited many times and where we have done hiking trips and bicycling trips.  The posters each measure 24 x 36 inches, and they were around $85.00 each here.  Then I bought the frames at Michael’s, and they were on sale for 40 percent off.  So, for just over $100 each, I found some big art that makes a big impact in the room.

I found these wonderful headboards here, and they were the perfect starting point.  I wanted each bed to have a reading light so that the grands can read their books and not disturb their roommates too much.  These little lamps are so cute, and they just slip over the headboard.  I found them here.

The furnishings had to be kid friendly and somewhat unisex.  I purchased chambray sheet sets here, and white blankets here.  Then when I saw these bedspreads, I knew they would work.  They are reversible to a blue stripe. I got them here.   So, for a summer look, I can easily reverse them, add some cute red and white pillows, and have a fresh patriotic look.  The bed skirts, which are loaded with fabric, came from here.

We purchased two dressers at Ikea.  Since we don’t have a linen closet in this house, the dresser drawers provide plenty of room to store our seasonal blankets and sheets.  We had the large closet customized with drawers and shelves so there is plenty of room for the kids to unpack their luggage when they are visiting.

Bucky is right at home in the dorm and awaits the action.  Little Miss was not so crazy about him at first, and now she loves to rock on him.

My 96 year old father’s childhood rocker has a spot in the dorm, too.  This chair is still very solid and has seen a lot of use.

And finally, there’s a bench for looks and for lounging if adults want to hang out in the dorm while the kids are playing.

I am sure there will be lots of game playing, puzzle working, and shenanigans to take place in this room, and that is just what it’s for.  Sleeping will also take place from time to time.  There will always be adults sleeping in the adjoining guest room so things don’t get too crazy.

I hope you enjoyed our dorm reveal.

 

Take care.

 

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