I realized just before I left for Germany that I finished a few updates in Whit’s room earlier in the spring and never shared the final look. For posterity’s sake, here’s a little reminder of the “before before”…
Here’s the “before” – the sweet nursery where the baby spent his first three years on earth…
Here’s the “in between” while I was figuring out what on earth to do with the space (I know, it IS worse than the before before.)…
Here’s the official “big boy room” …
And here is the look today! You know, after I finished the “big boy” look above, he never once slept a night in there for years. When John started middle school last August, we updated his room and moved Whit out. Well, once this room was lived in we realized it could stand for a few tweaks. We swapped some furniture and decor, added a new rug and updated the art over the bed.
Sources:
Paint – Benjamin Moore Pale Oak (walls) and Benjamin Moore Alabaster (trim)
Floor – unstained white oak
Rug – FLOR (Finer Things)
Carriage House Chandelier – Ballard Designs
Curtains- Ikea Berta Ruta (buffalo check)
Curtain rods – Target
Back when we did the original big boy room update, Mother and Daddy-O hauled up the vintage Ethan Allen canopy bed from Sister’s childhood room. We left the top rails off and shortened the posts on the foot board. I made the duvet in the earlier version of the room with Ikea fabric, but they since launched actual bedding in the fabric so I bought that a few years ago to hold on to. I finally put it on the bed and the size of the duvet is much more functional. The sheet set is from Pottery Barn in Sandalwood, the diamond matelasse spread was from Target about fifteen years ago, and the Pottery Barn Kids monogrammed quilt was a baby shower gift!
I moved the velvet bolster down to the living room settee a few months ago. It was too dressy and stuffy for Whit’s personality. I also ditched the burlap euro shams – too scratchy according to the guy of the hour. In their place, Mother made euro shames in this cute Mini Star in the White / Canal colorway fabric trimmed in Jackson in the Canal colorway. I’ve had the other blue and white patterned pillows in the attic ever since a sweet friend passed them along to me a few years ago! The new look is lighter, brighter and much more fun/
When Whit first moved in here, he proclaimed the original gorgeous crab painting too scary. (Are you seeing a trend here? He’s quite particular.) John was happy to take it for his room so we moved it in there. In its place, and for Whit’s 9th birthday gift, we now have a whimsical and absolutely adorable painting of his beloved Elsa by Buckhead Art Studio.
When we updated the bedside tables in the master, we replaced the original bedside tables in here with those. These are much nicer and I love the dark wood. The lamps were Ballard Outlet finds – Suzanne Kasler large gourd lamps in gray green – from years ago. The table decor was picked up here and there over time. The Hey Y’all print is by Stephanie Creekmur and was a gift from bloggy friend Krystine Edwards. The Mickey cross stitch was a gift from Daddy-O. Mother gave him the brass turtles to keep his “treasures”. The white basket was a recent addition to store books from Target.
The dresser wall is probably my favorite in the room. The dresser was Honey’s as a child and I made it over by stripping and staining the top, painting the base in Annie Sloan’s duck egg blue chalk paint. I purchased the mirror many years ago from G. Scott Interiors in Smyrna but Restoration Hardware carries an almost identical version (at at least double what I paid). The chippy corbels are the same us under the bar in the den. The W is done in a map of the Savannah River (see how here) and sits atop a collection of favorite books. The jar is from Target (I spray painted the lid in oil rubbed bronze to look like a pricey set I loved in New Orleans) and holds my own set of Beatrix Potter books and his monogrammed baby shoes, among other things he has added.
I moved the original velvet covered antique chair down to the living room when I took the bolster. I tell you, this is one great thing about using similar colors throughout your home! This chair was in John’s room, but we swapped it for a sleeper love seat when we updated his room. Mother and Daddy-O gave the Whit the linen pillow for Christmas one year. I purchased the blanket before he was born on a shopping trip to New Orleans with Sister and Uptown Acorn. The darling white basket is current from Target.
The antique secretary has been in the Whit’s room since the beginning of Whit himself! I used glue dots to adhere a copy of the Savannah River and Wassaw Sound nautical chart (procured from River Services in Savannah) to the inside and we keep all sorts of treasures in here.
Last but not least, the final change was the FLOR rug. After John got his, Whit was itching to get one in his room. Quite literally. He said the other one was awful to step on, and I had to agree. These FLOR tiles are called Finer Things and I chose them in the Cream colorway. The faux cowhide rug from World Market was the perfect thing to layer over the carpet tiles.
That pretty much covers the space. Whit has been very happy in here! Writing this post made me a little teary – time flies. It seems like yesterday that I was sharing his nursery with you.
DIXIE DELIGHTS DELIVERED
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