A Beachy Big Boy Bedroom

A happy boy in his new bedroom, playing with hand made wooden pirates.

Our little Conor turned two last Thursday. He, actually, hasn’t been a baby for quite a while. He really thinks he is 5 trapped in a toddler’s body. For some time he hasn’t been happy in his crib; wanting to sleep in his 5 year old brother’s bed or nap on the couch. We decided it was time to transition him to a big boy bed. We spent this weekend redoing his bedroom.

Here is what Conor’s room looked like when we first moved in:

Before: cream walls with cracking paint.

After: Conor’s new room!

The ‘guest room’ which became Conor’s room had plain cream walls. This was the first room we painted in the house (the first room I’d ever painted) and we opted for Pale Powder by Farrow and Ball. It is a beautiful sea glass green with hints of gray and blue. It really goes with any color and is so restful.

Since Conor’s room is so tiny, we decided to get him a day bed from Ikea. It is fantastic! It is a twin bed with three storage drawers underneath and can also pull out to become a king size bed, perfect in case Conor is sick and we need to go and sleep with him. Also, great if John wants to have a slumber party in Conor’s room! My husband is so great at building things! Putting together this day bed was a labor of love – 5 hours, dripping with sweat and a broken back later the bed was assembled.

Step 1 of daybed done – 35 to go!

We paired the day bed with Pottery Barn Kids‘ shark bedding, assorted Ikea pillows and a hand made pillow I picked up in Hingham. I also found some great wooden beach swallows down at Flowers and Festivities in the Scituate Harbor and fell in love with them! I thought they would be whimsical hanging above the daybed. I really wanted to get a large branch of driftwood to hang them from, but thought better of it. Didn’t want Conor to get knocked on the noggin by driftwood!

Wooden Swallow from Flowers and Festivities

I also picked up some old postcards from the Quarter Deck in the harbor. One with people mossing and one with an image of the harbor (the inscription said it was sent in 1908 to Roxbury). The Quarter Deck is a great place to pick up shells, photographs and other fun items.

The bird flying above Conor’s bed

Conor was so excited by all the activity in his room. He kept saying, “Mine!” and pointing at his new bed and exclaiming, “Oh, wow!” He really loves watching the birds from his bed. He was such a big help all day on Sunday – sweeping the floors, helping bring bits of wood and working with the drill. He even brought up his little tool set from the playroom. When it was finally done, he climbed into bed and snuggled up to read books and play with the pirates. It is so nice that Conor really, really loves his new room and big boy bed.

Here are some more images of his bedroom:

A wreath made by mom with shells and starfish she collected on the shore.

Conor’s name – I love the font! Also, some great black and whites by Katina Bentley.

An old shelf and chest of drawers I painted with leftover paint and paired with crystal knobs. You may remember the buoy I found shopping at Salvage Chic Antiques last week. The sand castle was one my dad bought me in Florida when I was a little girl.

On the shelf is an illustration of a dolphin swimming with a mermaid boy – it looks like Conor with the blonde curls.

A fun lamp from Christmas Tree Shop that Conor picked out. I think the crab reminded him of the ones we find at Minot Beach. His bedside table is a beach themed mosaic I bought a couple of years ago at Home Goods.