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/ March 31, 2020

Frankie’s “big kid” bedroom makeover

Being the “littlest” of a family of six isn’t always easy.  Coming up last on all the family bike rides, being left behind as the big kid’s run off to play, and the never-ending hand me downs.  Being the youngest isn’t always the greatest.

So to treat our littlest of the crew, Frankie, and make him feel extra special, we thought it was time our “littlest big kid” (as he likes to be called) got his own “Big Kid” room.  A  room all of his own, just for him.

Although Frankie is the youngest in this home, his personality is anything but little.  He’s outgoing and silly, loud and oh so funny.  He loves big colors, “rock and roll” (epically Eminem’s “lose yourself”).  He loves to go super fast on his scooter and is always telling me “don’t worry mom, I’ll be fine” as he goes flying down our stairs jumping off the landing with a loud thud.

I knew Frankie’s room had to have personality.  It had to be playful and fun, but with just a little bit of an edge.  It had to say, “yeah I’m four, but I love Eminem, I wish my tricycle was a skateboard, and I’m not afraid of anything (except for the dark and my Dad leaving for work)”.

Frankie’s favorite color is red.  So I wanted to make sure I gave him big bright pops of red that played off of a neutral, but playful and fun backdrop.  This was the original vision for his room, and I couldn’t be happier with how it turned out.

Wayfair, Forsyth floating shelf set of two (48.99) 2. Ikea, MALM dresser ($129) 3. Wayfair, Carolos leather pouf (156.99) 4. Crate & Kids, Wanderer throw pillow ($29) 5. Wayfair, Evangeline 20″ pouf ($73.99) 6.  Minted, Beach Bus print ($21) 7. Minted, Braver Stronger Smarter print ($21) 8. Minted, Unique Fishy ($21) 9. CB2, Ada II white table lamp ($89.99) 10. Ikea, Hemnes 2 drawer chest (79.99)  11. CB2, Hex matte black 10″ handle ($14.95) 12. CB2, Hex matte black knob ($4.95) 13. Wayfair, cube solid fabric bin ($16.49) 14. Wayfair, traditional wicker basket ($47.99) 15. Ikea, fladis seagrass basket ($9.99) 16. Rugs USA, Moroccan trellis rug gray ($100) 17. Wayfair, Kira platform bed ($219)

His little room has come along way from when we first moved in almost a year ago.  We pulled up the old worn-out green carpet, refinished the floors, gave the walls, ceiling, and moldings all a fresh coat of paint, cleaned-up the closest, updated window treatments, and the lighting.   It ALL got a refresh.

When I originally planned out Frankie’s room, I had a certain vision for the walls.  I had a wallpaper picked out that I was obsessed with.  It was a super chic, cool, black and white pattern.  I had the whole room planned out around this paper.

But you guys, it ended up being on backorder.  Ugh.  I waited patiently for a month for his wallpaper, constantly checking my e-mail and the front door waiting to see that beautiful little package.  When I finally realized his wallpaper was NEVER coming, I decided to take matters into my own hands and PAINT his room myself.  I’ll share a full tutorial next week, but I essentially painted this geometric pattern on his walls freehand.  All of his walls, ceiling, and moldings are Benjamin Moore Simply White (you can read a full post here about my favorite “white” paints).  I then painted his “stripes” and closet in Benjamin Moore’s Black Panther.  I couldn’t be happier with how his walls turned out and actually love it more than the wallpaper.  Sometimes when things don’t go “according to plan”, they turn out even better.  

The next big decision was picking out the perfect bed for this “big kid”.  I wanted something that could handle a lot of jumping, was sleek and modern, but still felt “warm”.  And most importantly, could handle all of Frankie’s running and jumping without getting hurt (him or the bed).

I found the perfect bed at Wayfair.  I am beyond in love with this gorgeous Kira platform bed.  It arrived in great shape in just a few days, was simple to put together and is extremely sturdy.  Plus, it’s hard to tell from these photos, but the wood grain detail is gorgeous.  It almost matches our wood floors perfectly and adds just the right amount of texture and warmth to this space.  I couldn’t be happier with what we picked out (and more importantly, it handles all of this kid’s flips and summersaults as he’s “going to bed” perfectly).  

Next up, a dresser and nightstand.  Since we were working on a budget, we decided to reuse this Ikea dresser and nightstand we already owned and just repurpose them with some new hardware.  I found these gorgeous hexagon-shaped pulls from CB2 and am crazy about them.  They’re sleek, heavy and give the furniture a more polished, chic feel.

It was also really important to me that this room be functional and playful for Frankie.  I wanted his room to be a place he loved going to and just PLAYING and being a little boy.  I wanted it to be filled with blocks and books and superheroes.  Cozy nooks to sit and build legos in and soft poufs to pull up and read.  It had to feel warm and inviting.  So I decided to turn his closet into a play nook.  I filled his closet with these great black cube baskets from Wayfair along with this grey cable pouf and this white leather one.  Then for all of his “animal friends,” I added this gorgeous seagrass basket just outside his closet.  I love the added black stripe detail around the bottom and the texture of the seagrass.  All of these extra bins for storage, and the chic poufs for seating, help make his room feel playful and inviting while also being really functional.

To pull the whole room together I ordered a few prints from one of my places to find children’s art, Minted.  They always have such a great selection.  I ordered the prints, and then to save on costs, I framed them on my own with frames from Target.  I love how the three pieces pull the whole room together.

All in all, I couldn’t be happier with how Frankie’s room came together.  It’s fun and playful and captures his personality perfectly.  And more importantly, I’m pretty sure my little guy loves it too.

**Disclaimer.  Thank you to Wayfair for sponsoring this post.  As always, all opinions still remain 100% my own**

 

 

XO,

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  1. Katy: I love what you did to his room. You have such great taste and everything flows together. You are a great mother and have a wonderful family. Your momma and dad raised you well. I Love your blog.

    • OH, thank you, Cheryl. That is so sweet of you and means so much. I’m just so happy little Frankie loves his room as much as me. xoxo