Our family of four will be home Wednesday, and so far, so good. We wanted you to see the toddler boy’s camping themed bedroom we created for our new son before he moves in and loads it up with things that little boys love. There’s nothing like waiting till the last minute to put the finishing touches on a space! You do not see it in these pictures, but we were installing the bed rail the night before we left. I put the sources for everything at the end of the post, so if you see something you like or want, just click the link.
As I mentioned in a previous post, these framed Boy Scout badges that Charles earned on his way to becoming an Eagle Scout were the inspiration for Google’s room. (Google will be his nickname here on the blog because that is what his Thai foster mother called him. We will not be revealing the name we chose for him, and we hope you understand.)
Here was the direction I was planning to go. When it came to actually purchasing items, I did take a different direction in some areas, but I did stay pretty close.
(Before)
When mom came to town a few weeks before we left for Thailand, the two of us went to town on his room. For good measure, I thought I would show you how it looked. It was used as our guest room. We basically sold or donated everything in this room, except for the two family quilts. One was made by my grandmother and the other by my great grandmother. I love both of these quilts, and now I am trying to figure out how to incorporate them in my house. Any suggestions? The twin beds were perfect for a guest room, but I wanted floor space for Google to play on the floor. He loves toy cars and trucks, and he needs space for them.
Before my mom came, I repainted to room and used the color Stucco with 50 percent pigment from Sherwin Williams. It is what Mom has in her entire home, and she swears it is the perfect neutral. Doesn’t it look so different? The room is small for a bedroom in today’s standards, but we made it work. With this layout, it doesn’t feel small. The bed is the Hemnes daybed from Ikea. We have this bed for Little Miss in white, and we are really pleased with it. Since our littles never slept in cribs, we didn’t want to do a crib or deal with a toddler bed. We went straight to this twin sized bed. Adding a handrail really makes it feel safe and cozy. Plus, the best part is the two deep storage drawers underneath, and it pulls out into a king sized bed. When we have had lots of family here before, we were able to pull out Little Miss’s bed and offer a bed for our guests. Now we can do that times two, and the children will be happy in their sleeping bags, which will be a treat.
Decals
This room has the most blank wall space of any rooms in our house. I was struggling on what to put on this wall. I found some great prints but didn’t really want a framed picture above the bed at this time in his toddler life. Mom suggested adding tree decals. These vinyl trees were the perfect filler for this wall. They were not that hard at all to stick up, and we are thrilled with how it turned out. The rug is an indoor/outdoor rug that has a smooth nap so that it won’t interfere with his playing. We thought the design looks like arrows. We love a ceiling fan in a bedroom, but the old one was not working. This new one with the wire cage looks campy.
Colorful Pillows
I was struggling to find a yellow pillow. Thanks to Amazon, I was able to get this pillow cover. I took my silhouette cameo and cut out this design to add.
Jellycat is our favorite stuffed animal brand. This little monkey is with us here in Thailand, and it has provided a lot of comfort to our little guy when he was grieving. We have also learned that he likes bright colors, so the primary colors in his new room should get two thumbs up.
Cuddling Spot
The Hudson bay blanket was not in my budget for the room, so Mom suggested copying the stripes by painting curtains. We used Ikea curtains and then I painted the stripes. I am so happy with how they turned out. We have the look without the hefty price tag. This will be our reading corner. The chair is basic and from Target. The reading lamp is also from Target. When more stuffed animals and toys fill the room, we have this great canvas storage basket.
Gallery Wall
On the other side of the room we added a gallery wall. I bought the oar at Home Goods and repainted it with the colors we were using. You can find similar ones here. The bear, arrows, and Explore mountain sign were from Hobby Lobby. Hobby Lobby had the most adorable branch looking letters. I took the branch letters that spell his name and attached them to the red board that Little Miss painted for him. The flame icon is covering his name. The small bookshelf was from Home Goods. It is a perfect size for that area, and looks like a tree limb that has been sawed.
Dresser
This side of the room is very basic. This dresser was in my room as a child. I was hoping to update the handles but didn’t get around to it. I wanted to add rope or arrow pulls but couldn’t find any that were the correct width. If you know where some three inch wide ones are, please let me know. I am also debating about painting this dresser black. It was in our master bedroom, and when we did the Marie Kondo method, it became empty. We bought a sauna and then moved the dresser in this spot. We might not keep it because it is basically empty right now. I did find the cute wood mirror at Home Goods. I had the yellow light from our Syracuse days, and then I added a pop of red with this lantern.
I hope you enjoyed the room tour. Below are all the sources.
We can’t wait to see his face when he sees his new camping themed bedroom. It will be quite a change from what he had in Thailand.
Cheers!
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Rita C at Panoply says
Love every detail, as well as your son’s nickname, Google!
Best wishes for a smooth transition!
Pam says
Very cute. I think you should paint the dresser red. It would emphasize the red in other parts of the room.
Jordan says
Great idea, Pam.
Richella J Parham says
Jordan! I am so happy for you. Hope the trip home goes off without a hitch. And how glad I am for another child to join your wonderful family! Bless you all.
I have to say that those curtains are absolutely genius. I love the look of the Hudson’s Bay stripes, and we have a few things from there, but the price tag. . . ! How smart of Janette to think of painting the stripes! Brilliant!
jan says
What a great room for your little guy! I especially love the idea to paint the stripes on his curtains! I’ve got the perfect spot to try this idea! Blessings to your family!
Jordan says
Jan, it takes some patience, but painting curtains is a great way to have what you want.
Amber Elliott says
The room looks really cute! I love the curtains – where can I find them?
Jordan says
Amber,
I painted them. They were super easy to do. I took Ikea curtains and paint from the craft store. Measured out and painted the lines. It was very easy.