Are you looking for big boy bedroom ideas?! I am finally revealing Oliver’s big boy room that we finished early this year. If you are like me and had way too many big boy room ideas saved on Pinterest, you may not know where to start. I was in design paralysis for about 6 months before I decided to take the plunge and go with my gut with what way I wanted to go with his room, and I am so happy I did!
Prioritizing Space For The New Room
Over the few years we have lived in our home, I have slightly refreshed Oliver’s room 3-4 times, and within those refreshes, I never fully completed it. Now, his room used to be on the main floor. It was the smallest room in the house. Big enough for a twin bed or toddler bed, small dresser and a desk (the desk was pushing it). I always found it difficult to create a functional layout and storage solution. No matter how much I decluttered, his room was always hard to keep clean and felt too full.
Our room was in the loft area, and it is a huge space. So large, that I couldn’t get myself to find enough pieces to make it feel cozy. It wasn’t until late last year that I realized, switching our rooms would make the most sense. He needed MORE space for his toys and big boy activities, while we needed to downsize, and it would be nice to not have to use the stairs to use the washroom in the evenings.
Eventually we did the swap – We moved to the guest room, Oliver moved to our room and his old room became the new guest room. Swapping rooms is no easy feat. It is time consuming and required a bit of logistics to move without making it look like a bomb went off. Eventually, once he was settled in his new space, I was ready to design Oliver’s new big kid room and put my big boy bedroom ideas to use!
Budgeting for a Big Boy Bedroom
I knew the style I wanted to go with for Oliver’s new bedroom, but I needed a budget. I have quite expensive taste, and always seem to gravitate towards the most expensive items. I wanted his room to look designer, but not on a designer budget.
Why I Love Design Boards (For Big Boy Bedroom Ideas)
In order to stay on budget and not splurge too much, I created a pinterest board full of inspiration. I like to take one specific image as my main source of inspiration and piece the other images as I go. If I get set on too many design photos, I fall into the trap of feeling like I need to spend a lot of money to obtain the look I am going for. But by using one image as a foundation, I can source a variety of options to fit my budget.
Once I have my sources, I start by creating a few design boards to see how the ideas in my head work together. I try a variety of combinations until I get the look that I want. This helps me stay on track when sourcing items for his bedroom makeover.
Thrifting Kids’ Bedrooms
One way to stay on track with a budget is to thrift before buying brand new. We thrifted his new big bed and were lucky enough to partner with Juno for his new mattress. We thrifted the frames on the wall, and took to Etsy for unique handmade and vintage items such as his Boy’s Rule bunting.
A good start is to look for second hand items are your local thrift store, Etsy, and Facebook marketplace! The key is to have patience and always look.
Reuse What You Have
Furniture – Our new room has built-in storage, so we were able to leave our old IKEA dresser and side tables for Oliver’s room. I changes the hardware and gave them a fresh coat of paint to flow with the vintage feel of the room.
Paint – The wall color was already a neutral tone, so I didn’t want to spend more time and money to change it. I used paint we already had from previous projects to paint the bedside table this sage green, and the dresser this beautiful beige tone. The only paint I purchased was for the trim and doors, I found an EXACT PAINT COLOR in the mis-tint section at our local Home Depot for $15!
Big Boy Bedroom Ideas For Walls
I chose this beautiful plaid wallpaper to go with the color scheme. It is the perfect accent wall for a boys’ room. My second choice was a gallery wall, but my love for wallpaper outweighed a good gallery wall!
Children’s Room Storage Solutions
I’m not one for large shelving units or cube storage. I even try to avoid plastic storage as much as possible as well. To achieve functional storage, while staying true to the vintage feel of the whole room, I had to think out of the box for storage solutions. I had the great idea to use your typical baskets!
I used large jute baskets for his building toys and even purchased a lightweight basket that could hang on his hooks to store his plush toys. The upholstered ottoman at the food of his bed holds his nerf gun arsenal.
Boys’ Room Paint Color Combo Ideas
My favorite color in his whole room is the deep Cushing Green from Benjamin Moore. Using it as contrasting trim on the baseboards, window casings, and doors is a great way to add a punch of color without dedicating to an entire wall.
Trim and windows – Cushing Green (Benjamin Moore)
Side tables – Saybrook Green (Benjamin Moore)
Dresser – Inukshuk (Benjamin Moore)
Walls – Fog Mist (Benjamin Moore)
Designing a Kid’s Room That Grows With Your Child
The thing I love most about this redesign, is that I didn’t have to splurge to get the look that I wanted. By staying true to one style throughout all of your child’s rooms, you can resuse a lot of what you already have. Maybe you just need to swap out a toddler bed for a full-size bed or add a new window treatment. Simple changes that allows the room feel like it is growing with your child. There is absolutely no need to change the entire room to a new theme if you still love the bones.
More Design Inspiration for Big Boy Bedroom Ideas
Did you enjoy this post? Want more home decor ideas on a budget? I post more about my home and design ideas over on my Instagram. I would love it if you followed along!
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