Today I did some house cleaning. It really needed to be done. I’ve always loved a clean house and used to clean at least twice a week when we lived in a tiny townhouse. Between a bigger house, kids and a business, my tolerance of a messy home has increased. I just don’t always have time to do a thorough deep cleaning. So, I run the vacuum and pick up and clean the toilets, so everything looks nice, but I must admit I neglect the areas that are out of sight and out of mind. We have some special guests coming tomorrow, so that was a good excuse to get some good cleaning done.
I got the guest room all fluffed and ready to go…
I started out tidying up the boys’ room and that turned into a deep clean. It needed to be done and it felt good to do it. I moved the furniture, got up all of the fuzz balls hiding under the beds and found stray Legos. While I had the room all clean, I thought I would share pictures of it here. Every once in a while I get an e-mail from a reader asking about my sons’ room. Is it full of French provincial furniture, chippy finishes and grain sacks? No, it’s just a little boy’s room and I haven’t done much to it, which is why I haven’t shared it. It’s also usually a borderline disaster.
We’re hoping to work on it this year, so I thought it was time…
Their room is a pretty nice size, but it has low ceilings (I can touch them with my arm extended and I’m 5’5″.) The ceiling also slopes and there are two little doors that lead into attic space under the eaves. Those all pose a challenge when decorating and arranging furniture.
Here’s what we have done – painted the walls blue, made the window treatments and added the trim up top to define the ceiling. My parents bought the bunk beds for the boys a few years ago, but the ceilings are so low, we decided to not bunk them. The furniture is all second hand, leftover, hand-me-down stuff. The white dresser was actually mine when I was a girl. My mom made the quilts for my brother’s twin beds when she was a young mom.
Behind the white curtain? Yeah…that’s the closet. Storage in the old part of the house kind of stinks. We’d like to put some built-ins in this space to maximize the storage in the room and work in ways that traditional furniture doesn’t.
There’s “my” dresser and the felt banner on top belonged to my Opa and is from the 1940’s. He was a UVA grad and Jeff and I have adopted them as our college football team, since we both went to schools without a football team. I spotted this folded up in his office and he offered it to me a few years before he passed away.
This dresser is just begging for a coat of Boxwood.
See how great those Ikea duvet covers I bought yesterday will work with the quilts?
So, here’s the loose plan for the room –
Custom bunk beds in the shape of an “L” instead of one directly on top of the other. This configuration will work better with the low ceilings. Something along these lines…
The bottom bed will face the other way, though, so head room won’t be an issue and there will be some built-in storage.
Obviously artwork is missing from the walls. One night my oldest son got the idea that all of the pictures on the wall would fall on his head, so he convinced his younger brother of that and they removed almost all of the pictures and bent the nails. I’ve just left it that way, but some bent nails on the walls looks sad. My youngest agreed and took matters in his own hands, taping maps, bible verses and a behavior chart to his wall.
The loose theme will be a vintage sports theme and I’m taking the color cues from the quilts my mom made and the UVA banner. I’ve been collecting old tennis rackets, baseballs and old photos of football teams, etc. to use as things come together.
We also need to address the lighting. When we moved in, there was the original 1940’s builder grade light, which sounds charming, but it was one of those square frosted glass pieces that just ended up being a resting place for bug carcasses. We replaced it with a free fixture a friend gave me until I figured out something better. Because the walls are plaster and there isn’t access to the ceiling, we have to work with what we have. I found a lighting fixture at Ikea that has five lights on a track and I hope will work well.
We won’t get to these projects for a few months, but for now, it’s nice to have the room squeaky clean and to be able to share it here.
I have the same Fisher-Price castle from when I was little and it has been one of my son’s favorite things.
Me, too! I loved that castle & all three of my boys have enjoyed it, as well.
Though your bunk beds are really cute. It is important for people to know that in case of a fire, the child sleeping in the top bunk has a much higher risk of dying from smoke inhalation. My husband sold fire alarms for years, and I found this a quite convincing reason not to ever use bunk beds.
Love the plans you have for your boy’s room.
We have 3 boys who share a room. We have bunks and a twin right now. The room is good size. We are looking to do built in bunks in what is now their closet. We have a storage closet in the hall next to their room that we will be opening up to the room and using for hang up clothes. We will probably start the process this summer. It’s a rowdy room, but oh so fun!
Marian, I was hoping to see your “mini me” boys in the pics! I am always delighted to see them as they appear so charming 🙂 This room looks especially challenging – I’m really excited to see what you do!!
Ahhh, cleaning…so therapeutic (or maybe I’m just weird!).
I love that dresser though Boxwood would be a prefect choice if you plan to paint it.
I am suggesting thinking about the bunk beds long and hard. We did a similar thing in our girls room once and we had it for about a year only. They are the worst for putting the sheets on, let alone if you have thoughts of having the beds made everyday!! The girls were so excited but the excitement quickly dwindled, they didn’t enjoy them the way they envisioned either. I was so glad we had gotten them used. I also realized they were not going to last very long as they got older and bigger. They looked cool but were not user friendly. Just want to encourage you to consider all angles, even though it’s hard to know until you actually use them.
I second that. I despise making the beds, my aunt suggested sleeping bags so they don’t need to be made. And she is a great one for home décor!
Absolutely every little boys dream room.
Ramon
Rowhouseblogg.blogspot.com
I spy Bob the tomato ! I have a special needs adult daughter ,so we have been watching Veggie tales since their first video so I have them memorized! I do like the layout of the bunk beds in the picture! My twin nephews used their bunk beds until they were teenagers. We have men’s recovery residences and they are in bunk beds. They are very well made ,not store bought, we had long drawers on caster wheels made for storage underneath . Four drawers will fit under one bed.
Love the real life of this post including all the legos, thank you. I have a bookshelf in the office/junk room/studio I want to paint, but it just keeps moving down the list. Coming from a gal who’s son’s first room also had a curtain for the closet door (seriously, just the same size!) it’s nice to see rooms with kids pictures taped on the wall and that before and afters really don’t happen over night for most of us. Also hope your son and family are doing well/adjusting with new T1DM diagnosis.
Love the Hess truck collection. They are the best. Is it a mid Atlantic thing? Because we have them too. And my baby is 32. 🙂
Nope, New England boys collect them, too! I don’t get the appeal, being a girly girl.
Kate
It’s such a sweet room with lots of charactern not unlike my daughters room. She has announced she wants me to turn it into a forest with ladybirds, squirrels and hedgehogs. And real trees. ”You can do that can’t you mummy?”
Er, yes, but do I want that in my house? Not so much…
I’ve just been approached by a home magazine who want to feature my home and I’m sure they aren’t after bedrooms like forests!
I like the room a lot. The color and the window treatments. It has the boys identity in it and playing with hat and enhancing it will look great. That one piece in boxwood would be so fun!
Loved seeing your sons’ room! Can’t wait to see what you do with the space. x
I too would rethink the bunks. I have two boys, 24 and 25…they had bunks for a time. I agree that changing the sheets can be a real challenge. And, no, rarely will they get made. As a matter of fact, all my kids slept with a fitted sheet, pillow and a blanket…something that can be folded and stacked and tossed in the wash once a week. Because “fancy bedding” is not a “kid thing.”
But the worst about the bunk situation is the potential for falls. I remember one of my brothers going to the ER, and I treated many bumps and bruises over the years. MOST of it was not malicious but just typical roudy boy behavior…seriously, how many times do you have to “fail” at jumping from the top bunk to the bean bag chair before you get it…it hurts! Especially if there is a tonka truck under the bean bag! I would opt for singles with a trundle and/or storage under each and maybe awesome shelving above both for additional storage…and skip the froo-froo bedding except for magazine shoots!
And they grow up SOOOOO fast…6’3′ and 230# didn’t do bunks well!
BTW, for my daughter’s room, I made a large “drawer” on wheels with a cabinet front panel…it slid under her bed and was the trundle with a mattress….great for sleep overs and guest! Just a suggestion!
I love their room! It is so cute. Vintage sports theme sounds cool. Can’t wait to see it. I LOVE the Virginia banner!! That is “our” team!! 😀 You need to make it your all sports team instead of just football though because quite frankly their football team stinks. 😉 Their basketball team is ranked #17 and the preseason baseball rankings have them #1!! 😀
Love seeing your boys’ room. It brings back so many sweet memories of my now 32 year old little boy and having to step over “He-Men”, Lego’s and Lincoln Logs when trying to get into his bedroom.
BTW… The PB outlet in Lancaster usually has a nice selection of kids and tweens bed furniture and linens. It might be worth the short drive over to check out their inventory. We are planning a spring trip to Lancaster to see “Moses” which premieres in March at the Sight and Sound theatre so I will definitely be getting my PB fix on! Also, in honor of your OPA “GO CAV’s”.
Marian, that’s so funny to see this post….I was just “helping” my son clean his room yesterday and what started out as him picking up things so I could see his floor…turned into a whole…”keep” “throw” garbage bag kind of day! He was not thrilled but definitely liked the help!
Love those log cabin quilts! And the Hess trucks, WOW, great collection.
Where did you get the bed?. I want them!
Thanks!
I love the window treatments! Really nice look, I think!
The dark wood dresser is gorgeous! Seems like you have a great overall plan for this bedroom. Can’t wait to see the finished product. Curtain for closet is fab. We do that in our house also. Doors are often too clunky. Love all the toys! They definitely add tons of personality.
A good start always feels like more than half-way there, to me, Marian! I hope your efforts made you feel that good!
We have an old croquet set and I believe there’s an old badminton set still left at the “new” house. If you want them let me know! I classify them more games than sports but you’re still welcome to them and they could be fun!
I love the custom bunk bed idea for the room remodel. Are you planning to keep them in medium wood color, or are you also planning to paint them white?
I love IKEA. Your boys’ room looks like a really fun project. Check out the IKEA Expedit Shelving units that could be used in your available spaces that can be made to look like built-ins depending on the vertical wall height where the ceiling slopes down. Comes in several colors. Have a whole wall of them in my office/work room.
Enjoy.
I concur on the above comments regarding bunk beds. I have two sons, two daughters, and can tell you from experience that boys will jump off the top bunk and get hurt. Repeatedly. My boys are now 17 and 13, and the stories I’ve heard from them about all the things I didn’t know about them doing on those bunks are enough to turn my hair white very quickly! 😉
They never would make their beds either because it was too difficult. We eventually started using only a fitted sheet and blanket also like the readers above.
Just a little insight…
Other than that, I want to say a huge THANK YOU for all the inspiration you give on a regular basis! I love your blog and have been reading it for a while now. I found out about Lucketts through also – what a find!
Many blessings to you and yours. I’m sure your boys’ room will be wonderful!
I’ve done bunk beds for my boys and the happiest day was taking them down. Impossible to make the bed and they outgrow them fast! I felt the room was opened up with them down. Your boys room looks so cute to me already though! So cozy and all boy:)
(Marian, love your blog and just painted with MMS milk paint for the first time this past week!) Would love to know how you did the curtain panels in your boys room. I am looking for a valance type look for my twin boys room so the long panels dont take up so much space. We have three boys under the age of four and they tend to all play together in the twins room so the more free space the better!
those dormer attic eves can make remarkable storage areas…..closets, built in bookcases, drawers, etc, all flush with the wall, or behind closed doors. lots of possibilities there. I have to agree with the consensus on the bunks. They’re really a safety hazard in addition to the hassle of changing/making them. Then how would the bed skirts and quilts fit, and look?
Oh, it’s always something….isn’t it! Good luck with all that.
Thanks for sharing!
Thank you so much for sharing. Always appreciate your sense of humor, honesty and the real life postings. I only wish I had half your energy! 🙂 It seems that it is us “older” moms chipping in here, but I have three 20 somethings – all above 6′ – who shared a room and yes we had bunk beds too. The boys liked it for more floor space (lego’s, trucks, building, jumping off etc.) and I too went to the fitted sheet, duvet, pillow. They worked, for a season. The boys quickly outgrew them. I too was thrilled the day they went away. That being said, the day they go away, is the day your boys aren’t needing the room for building lego’s, playing with their trucks, etc. So enjoy every moment, because it will zip by like light speed. By the way, I think their room looks great right now, so I can only imagine once you are underway. I wish you well, and enjoy those boys.
I work another job a few mornings a week, live with fibromyalgia so I don’t have the energy I would love to have plus I run a household and my design business. With two kids a husband and 2 hairy dogs I have learned to live with a “not up to my expectations” house too. There is just not enough time in the day to do it all and I do not have the luxury of hiring a maid.
I am getting ready to redecorate both of my children’s rooms within the next few months and can’t wait to get started. I love the color you have on the boys’ walls. That new bed looks really neat!
OMG! I have that same FISHER PRICE CASTLE from when I was a kid. I am so glad I still have that, & the airport!!!!! Hope ya all survive the latest ice/snow storm ………guess that means more snow days and more messes and……… heavy sigh…more cleaning .
I’ve totally been wanting to ask about your sons’ room! I have two little boys and I’m currently trying work on their rooms, actually, I’m always tweaking their rooms. So thanks for posting. I look forward to seeing any updates. I love that bunk bed-Pottery Barn right? I remember seeing it in the catalog and loving that setup. We have that Bruder crane truck too! My boys like to attach that hook to everything and drag things around including each other;-)
Love the room and the plans you have. I see you guys got the Hess trucks that come out every year too.The Ikea covers are really cute.
WAHOO-WAH!!!
Go HOOS!
WAHOO-WAH!!!
Go HOOS!
Good luck deciding who gets to sleep on the top bunk!!!!! :o)
I had bunk bed for my son for 3 days…on the third day he hung from the top bunk to get down, not using the attached ladder fell just right and broke both yes I said both, wrists in 3 places… he was 5 and only drop 14 inches are so..but enough to do alot of damage….He had full arm cast for 2 weeks I had to feed him and help him with EVERYTHING….they cut the casts down after that and then he used them as weapons and hit every door way he went through….he is 29 now. lived to retell this story..he was agile and just drop enough to lose his balance….I hate bunk beds….as a young mother with a child with two broken arms I got some really nasty looks..luckily it was in the fall not springs or summer….he was dangerous o n the playground at school, had to tell him not to use them as bats….Now it is a fond memory. but as I walked through it…..not so much…Boys will be boys….Boo to the bunk beds!
What an adorable boys’ room! I like the mix of wood furniture with the blue paint and gorgeous floors. Can’t wait to see how you improve it!
Forget the bunk beds! The boys will like them at first, but later they will see them as an embarrassment They are growing up faster than you think.