Ta-da! I’m finally ready to start posting photos of my recent Reno-cation! I’ve decided to literally go from room to room – divulging details on what steps were taken, items I love, and where you can grab ’em. Then, don’t forget to tune in next month, when you’ll have a chance to win some of the goodies!
Disclaimer: The rooms aren’t “finished”, per se. There are instances where I’d like to change a piece of furniture, add a new picture or photo frame, or eliminate a style element… but don’t have the time or finances to do so at the moment. However, on the whole I’m very pleased with the small changes we’ve made, and am happy to present you with our recent mini-makeovers.
BEFORE
Since we’ve got four bedrooms and only two children, we have the benefit of having a home office upstairs. Pretty crucial when there’s a blogger in the house! Until recently, we used what the builder termed “Bedroom 4” as our study – its quite large and spacious, and we were able to create a work space, an area for me to scrapbook (a now defunct hobby – there’s just no time!) plus more than enough room for the kids to hang out so I can keep an eye on them. Trouble is, with Ryder growing and requiring more space for his personal effects, we felt it was time to move him into a “big boy’s room”. Before the move, he was in the bedroom beside our own, so having him relocate to the other side of the house has actually been tougher on mommy than him!
Ahem, did I mention that the room needed a healthy dose of spring cleaning? The closet was packed with literally every form of paper junk imaginable – wrapping paper, books, notepads, stickers, etc. etc. Here’s a shot of the room from the opposite angle, deep into the purge:
As you can see, the garbage bag was FULL. See the blue storage bin full of books on the left? All chick lit, my friends. Time to put the works of Sophie Kinsella to sleep.
AFTER
Ryder’s new bedroom…
Framed photos – DIY project I whipped together, displayed in NEXXT Suspense Frames
“LACK” wall shelf, purchased from IKEA Furniture: Denali, purchased from The Baby’s Palace NOTES I wanted Ryder’s room to be a happy, carefree place that would make him smile. His bright blue room is a far cry from the paint swatches I first considered – muted, mellow and “meh” colours. Somewhere along the way I decided to abandon what others would like… and paint for what Ryder would like! Great news – he LOVES his new room, and says goodnight to the Ludo sticker every night! The furniture certainly doesn’t fill the room, but once Reid outgrows his crib, it will convert to a double bed which will be Ryder’s to enjoy (Reid will inherit the toddler bed pictured above). So in a few short months, what looks like a huge bedroom will actually be balanced a little more effectively with the right mix of furniture. PARA Paints generously provided the paint for my entire home, and let me just say that I couldn’t be happier with the selection of colours and finishes. My father-in-law, who is a professional painter, commented that the paint (PARA’s Ultra latex interior) provided superior coverage with mess-free application. More on PARA Paints to come! One room down, lots more to go! Stay tuned…
I'm glad you went with a non-bleh color! I think it looks great. We painted every single room in our house when we moved in (wait, that should say "I", with the exception of the stairwell) and I'm so glad we did. My craft room is PINK!!!!
Love it! what a fun room!
love it! can't believe how much bigger the room is now!…mind you it is a mini-bed…
Great job Char – the room is night and day! Sniff sniff I loved your command centre on the 2nd floor..It will be missed.Ryder's room is HUGE! Lucky kid :)
Looks great – perfect for a little boy! The colour is identical to Aidan's room at our old house. A perfect boy blue. The "Ludo Tells A Story" decals are adorable! Good job!
Wow the room looks great, it is good you have pictures to remember when it was this clean. I am sure the floor will be full of trucks and trains in no time!
What an awesome room! And the little bed is just too cute :)
what a fab color!! Love the renocation
What a cute boy's room, love the colour!! Can't wait to get my own house this summer & get painting. Will definitely look into PARA paints.Also, love the windows.
Wow the room looks great!!! It is good you have pictures to remember when it was this clean. I am sure the floor will be full of trucks and trains in no time!
WOW…I really mean WOW…Ryder is a lucky boy – love his windows and sweet bed.Now I want to paint my kids room this colour (they'll be sharing)…but I think I'll have to stick to cream, since they'll have pink and blue bedding (which may clash with a blue wall)…but your blue paint is so darn cheerful – I love it!
Your so talented! I love the color and the decor is modern but appropriate for a child too. Can't wait to see more photos. Good job!
Looks great – perfect for a little boy! The colour is identical to Aidan's room at our old house. A perfect boy blue. The "Ludo Tells A Story" decals are adorable! Good job!
Love it! what a great room! as a mom to 3 boys I am always looking for fun ideas for boys
First of all, I'm sorry all your comments got lost when Blogger got all messed up the other day.I'm glad you went with a non-bleh color! I think it looks great. We painted every single room in our house when we moved in (wait, that should say "I", with the exception of the stairwell) and I'm so glad we did. My craft room is PINK!!!! I really like the blue you used in his room.
Wow! What a difference the paint makes!!!!! I love the colour, it's the perfect blue – classic and subtle for your decor can really stand out! Lucky roonie!!!
Thanks so much ladies!@Farah – I love, love, love happy blues.@BeautyParler – I think you'll really like PARA. The colours are fab and my FIL couldn't stop raving about the application and coverage.@Little Miss Kate – Um, the room was super messy about 30 minutes after the pictures were taken ;)@Ella Pretty – I can't believe I just realized recently that you have TWINS! OMG! Hmmm… blue and pink you say? Yeah, a tan or beige seems like a safe bet…@Kendra – why thank you darling!@Shauna – I fell in love with that decal when I saw it too! Was a bit of a pain to put up but the end result is worth it ;)@MVTB – always happy to inspire!@dannyscotland – you have a pink craft room? I'm totally jealous!!! I am so anti-bleh colours!@trola – coming from someone who has such a fabulous eye for decor, it really means a lot! Thank you!
so cute! I love the decals on his walls, that is such a great idea!
LOVE his room! Wow!!!What a difference!I love the blue color and your choices for wall decoration are fabulous! What a great job, Lena!!:)
Awesome room Char~ The room looks huge compared to before! Love the color and the decals :)
Looks good :) Love the colour.
@Tracy and Tammi – thanks! And they're so easy to apply!@Rubes and Kailin – I'm in love with the colour too :)
What a great room. Ryder is a lucky lad. I love the blue paint – my favourite colour! It's so awesome how changing the colour of the walls can give a room a totally new look.
@Rakhstar – absolutely! And thank you!
On what website did you find those photos? I'm about to move my little guy (almost 3) into the larger room like you so I can redecorate the nursery for our little princess (14 weeks old)Thx
@Diane – Deserres http://www.deserres.ca/en-CA/Congrats on the new addition!