I FINALLY FINISHED! It’s quite the triumph to be able to say that these days what with a two year old and an eight month old. In all honesty I probably only spent a month putting his room together, it was the planning phase that took me much longer. I wanted to really have his room be just perfect. I think we did achieved that! After we moved into this house I immediately had an idea for Caidoc’s room which was similar to the color scheme of his old room, and boy, did that come in handy! In planning out his room I had three goals in mind;
1. It had to grow with him.
I was so very tempted to go all out “cars and trucks” because I knew he would just love it! Not to mention I could find the cutest ideas all over Pinterest for a toddler boy cars themed room. But, in the end, I knew that it was impractical to set a theme since could very easily he outgrow it in a few months, or a year. So, rather than go with a set theme, I focused on timeless features, and a set up that fit his needs now and leaves ample room for tinkering as different phases come and go.
2. Bright colors.
Our new house has so much natural light which makes decorating much easier. Caidoc’s room is no exception, although in the winter there is significantly less light. I wanted his room to reflect his sweet nature and be bright, happy, and full of life. So I went with a color scheme that is quite cheery. Actually, colors can be rather hard to pick for a boys room if you don’t have a theme, because most of them are very dark and it is easy to end up with the traditional, and rather ho-hum, blue and red, OR you get stuck with “baby” colors- baby blue, whites, sage.. less “manly” looking. Since I wanted this room to grow with him, I wanted to stay away from softer colors that would make the room feel like a nursery.
3. Montessori aspects.
Caidoc responds so well to the Montessori lifestyle and I attribute that to his very strong-willed, confident, and curious nature. Since this is his room after all, I made sure to make it a place that he can ultilize on his own. I ditched the dresser since he can’t reach most of the drawers (and freed up tons of space!), and put all his clothes in small bins under his bed rolled neatly so he can easily see his choices. The bins are labeled to encourage word recognition as well as illustrations to show him what to wear in various types of weather. We upgraded his bed to twin that was really low to the ground so that he can easily get in and out by himself. My goal was that his room was a place where he could learn to help himself- and wow, has it worked!
I also did a bunch of research about Feng Shui for kids rooms (don’t laugh, I totally believe that stuff! Plus anything to harness good vibes 😉 And that is why the bed is “grounded” as much as possible and why there are pictures of himself in his room. It is important for them to be reminded that he is loved and that the space is “his”. Green is also a dominant color because it promotes calming feelings and orange promotes the bright and happy vibe I was going for.
If you are curious where I got certain items I’ll have them all listed at the end. If you are interested in anything homemade I will be posting a couple tutorials in the weeks to come. I apologize in advance for some of the cruddy pictures. I had “help” while I was trying to set this up 😉
Ready?! TA-DA!!!
Alright folks, that’s it!
Here is a break down of where I got everything and how much is cost ( I round up). See it’s possible to have a Pinterest worthy adorable toddler room on a very small budget!
Bed and linens: Ikea $50 (bed was on clearance)
Mattress: hand-me-down from Chris’s dad (it is such a comfy mattress!!!)
Crate: Fred Meyer $1
Fabric for pennants, crate upholstery, and cushion cover: Amazon $20
Shelves: handmade, with scrap wood, paint we already had
Dirty clothes bin: Fred Meyer $5
Garbage can: already had from my college days, decorated with tape that we already had
Picture frames: Target $1 each
“Until the very end” sign: hand made by my friend Courtney Cucchiara (who takes orders by the way! Let me know if you’d like her info)
Mirror: Fred Meyer $5
Curtains: Target ~$15 (with coupon and clearance)
Tree wall decals: Amazon ~$20 after tax (we have Amazon Prime to shipping is free for everything)
Canopy frame: Amazon ~$15
Cushion: Pier 1 $40
Orange bin: Ikea ~$10
Pillows in nook: Fred Meyer $5 (clearance baby!)
Faux Fur: Ikea $12
Green clothes bins: Ikea ~$3 each
Monkey bin in closet: gift
Nightlight: Amazon ~ $8
Wooden wall letters: We already had these from our old place but I got them from craftcuts.com I think it was about $30 including shipping
