the boys room - before photos

The paint swatches are out and rooms are being prepped for the painters who are arriving tomorrow.

With the baby arriving in six weeks, we needed to get our bedrooms ready. Our home has three bedrooms - two upstairs and one downstairs. Currently, all three boys are sharing the bedroom upstairs and using the downstairs bedroom (this one in the photos) as their playroom. Surprisingly, this has worked out perfectly for the past few years. Though I have to admit, they are all good sleepers, which helps. However, trying to add a newborn (eventually) into the same room is just too cramped.

So we've decided that the two older boys will move downstairs, and the two littles will stay upstairs. I feel like the two oldest boys are big enough for this move now, which I wasn't comfortable with when we first moved in. The bedrooms upstairs are in the original house, and the playroom is in the furthest addition, as far away from the other bedrooms as you can get. 

So here is the room, exactly as it was when we moved in. We haven't done anything with it in the 3 years we've been here. It's their playroom and it does take a beating.

We also don't plan to do anything major in this room except freshen it up with some paint, add window treatments, new light fixtures, maybe some built ins and make it a functional bedroom and playroom for the older boys.

I've branched out from my usual Simply White by Benjamin Moore, and decided on a pretty neutral Edgecomb Gray by Benjamin Moore. It's part of their Historical Collection of colours, so I feel like it still fits the age and character of the house.

The floors are already painted, so I need to figure out what I'm going to do with them. I'm thinking I will give them a fresh coat of paint to freshen them up.

Once I draw up a design layout for this room I will share it, as well as my inspirations for the decor. For now, I'm just happy to not have to be painting.

Hudson's Bedroom

The next room that I have been busy working through is Hudson's room. Originally, this was a guest room. It then became our nursery when Willen was born. When Hudson came along, Willen was moved into the second upstairs bedroom, formerly our office.

Half a year ago, on Hudson's second birthday, I purchased a pair of the beautiful four poster single beds. I wanted them to match because I loved the look of matching beds in a shared room.

When Hudson graduated out of our crib, we moved the boys into the same room. This allowed for a smooth transition into a proper bed, and it also freed up the second room for a play room for toys.

Now that Hudson is settled in his "big boy bed" though, we felt it was time to move him back. Willen has many little toys that are a little small for Hudson to play gently with. And at times, Willen would prefer to read a bit before bed and that doesn't make for the smoothest of bedtimes for Hudson.

So, this week the rooms were once again rearranged, and this is the result.

This trunk is a family heirloom that's quite special to us, if one can be more special than another. This was the boys' great grandfather's trunk (Ryan's Papa). It's stamped with his address on it because it was what his entire life travelled in as he toured around during the second World War. I can't imagine the places this trunk and been and how precious all of it's contents must have been at that time.

This old buffet has been used as a change table for both boys and now houses baskets with toys. It's very worn, but I have a hard time parting with it. I found it before we were married and kept it in my parent's garage. It was the first piece of furniture that I hauled home, abandoned at the side of the road by a neighbor.

Not much changed with the room other than some rearranging and cleaning, but here is what the room looked like the first time we did it.

It was a chartreuse green colour and it had carpet. After countless times of trying to carpet clean these carpets (we actually have one!), and seeing how disgusting the water was every time, we ripped it all out.

A New Painting and Our Master Bedroom

 

I finally received a purchase in the mail the other day.

 

Rather, finally bundled the boys, braved the cold, climbed in a frigid car and went to pick up the post that had been waiting for quite some time.

 

Luckily the post man knows me quite well and is very understanding.

 

I purchased this beautiful little antique watercolour painting from Giorgios Alexandridis' shop Retro-Deco Shop on Etsy. It came all the way from Greece.

 

I think it's so charming. It's very small, and fits the corner space between a window and closet in our master bedroom perfectly. It's a painting of a simple, little white house near a lake at sunset.

 

It's the perfect addition to my collection. I also loved the gesso frame. It compliments our mirror and stands out beautifully on the white walls.

 

 

 

 

I can't actually read the back with the exception of the date 1967.

 

 

I realized I've never really shown our bedroom. It's very simple.

When we bought the house it was red. Like red, red. I lived with it for 2 years before painting it. There were more important painting projects for me to do before I could get to this room.

 

It was a wonderful day when the red was gone.

 

Ryan had purchased this bedroom set before we were married and though I would love a beautiful antique bed frame, this one is in perfectly good condition. It's nice and high and is quite comfortable. I have a habit of mentioning how much I love my bed before I fall asleep, particularly after a long day.

The window to the right of this picture faces the woods in the back, and the window to the left, on the side wall faces our neighbors. Their house is white and there are no windows on that side of the house so it isn't so bad. Plus, in the Spring, that entire side of the house is mature Lilac bushes in bloom, smelling beautifully, and full of chirping birds. It was actually a selling feature of the house for us! They were in bloom when we toured the house and the owner had the window open. We just kept saying how wonderful it would be to wake up to birds chirping and the smell of lilacs right outside your window.

 

I recently purchased these white Euro covers for $1.47 at the Superstore! It's the only place that you can pick up pillow covers and groceries at the same time.

 

The wreath was something I picked up at Christmas from Vermeers (a local garden center) for $14.

 

I also found this little clock radio for $4.99. I'm still on the look out for an antique clock for on our night stand, as well as an antique light fixture, but I just haven't found anything I love yet. In the mean time, these are functional and simple.

 

Fresh Hydrangeas are lovely to wake up to. The whole room smell like Spring.

 

And then there's this beautiful little baby boy who snuggled so peacefully while I snapped some pictures. It's a nice change of pace as he's really grown up a lot in this past week! He's managed to start crawling, has got his third tooth in (top front) and can balance himself to sit up and play and then fall over softly.

Inspirations - Beautiful Bedrooms

 [Country Living]

I love the shelving that flanks this beautifully dressed bed.

I have some free time tomorrow, thanks to my mother-in-law needing some "grandson time". I plan on spending it in my bedroom.

No, not sleeping the day away... cleaning.

I noticed some cobwebbs up in one corner while dressing this morning and that's always good motivation to break out the cleaning bucket. This weekend I spent a couple hours (yes, hours) cleaning out my dresser and closet. It felt great to edit my wardrobe, especially now that I can start putting away some winter items.

So, while I'm "fluffing my nest" (calling it this makes the task seem like less work), enjoy these lovely bedrooms.

 [Country Living]

This bed is gorgeous. The colour is similar to the one I painted my guest room set. I love the wide plank floors too.

 [Country Living]

This is a really simple room with lovely wainscotting detail.

 [Southern Living]

Talk about bright and airy! This is divine. It's simple and clean. I love the netting.

[Coastal Living]

Now this is a room with a view. How amazing would it be to wake up to that? It's amazingly bright and crisp and clean.