Before Ryan was born I didn’t go crazy decorating the nursery. I used the same bedding and furniture as last time, only adding a new glider and rug, and since he won’t be sleeping in there exclusively for a few months, I figured I had some time to personalize it with artwork. (I want to do something with his name, but didn’t want to reveal it before he was born.) (Also, I’m lazy.)

No, what was most important to me was getting Owen settled in his Big! Boy! Room! I wanted him to have a place that was just his where he really enjoyed spending time. I wanted it to be kid-friendly, but still have enough sophistication that it could grow with him over the next few years.

I’m really happy with how it turned out. Sure, it’s no swoon-worthy Pinterest bedroom, but it makes me happy, and more importantly, Owen LOVES it. If you come over, expect him to give you a full tour of his new favorite room.

The hardest part of this room was picking the right blue for the walls. When we finally got around to painting it, I came into the room the next morning and hated it. We had spent two nights working on it while Owen slept and Michael despises painting, so I was hesitant to admit that it wasn’t exactly what I had in mind. I sat on it a day, though, and I’m glad I did, because once I put everything in the room it turned out to be exactly right.

I’m pretty sure the rug is my favorite accessory. I found it at Marshalls for $60, originally priced at $150. I love that store! I bought it long before I had anything else for the room, so it served as the main design inspiration. The bed is the top half of a bunk bed set. We plan to have the boys room together eventually, so we stored the bottom piece for now and Owen gets the feel of a big bed, with the safety of the railings. The beds can be bunked, or used as two individual twins.

Oops! This one came out blurry. I bought two sets of sheets at Target; one is plain red and the other is covered in construction equipment. Cement mixers! Bulldozers! I bet you can guess which one Owen is obsessed with. The navy quilt and pillows are from HomeGoods. They are red and white stripes, and lobsters and crabs. That black blob is a stuffed Newfoundland who Owen calls Baby Kodiak.

I really wanted an alphabet poster for his room. I had one as a kid and I remember enjoying it. I found this one on Amazon.com and while it was a little more than I wanted to spend on a poster, I just knew it was the one. The letter ‘Q’ is for quahog, (a type of clam native to Rhode Island), and it just seemed like a perfect fit. This wall/corner is the only spot that feels unfinished to me,  but I didn’t want to hang anything that could possibly fall on him while he slept (i.e. – something framed). Eventually I’ll add something else.

I already had the framed sailboat print, and the tropical fish mobile was a gift when he was born. The photo of me holding Owen the day he was born was taken by my friend.

The framed photos are of Kodiak, the three of us (well, four — I was pregnant), and Michael and Owen asleep in bed when Owen was an infant. The art table was mine as a child — a gift from my grandmother that I’m so happy to pass on — and the glider was the one Michael’s mom used when he was a baby. At some point I may add bookshelves to this wall. Currently, he has books in that basket. As for toys, our living room and family room are full of them, so I didn’t allocate space for them in the room right now, although not surprisingly, there are usually some trucks in there!

There you have it! Owen’s room.

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