Before: Remember this serene guest room? Totally gone.

After: Now it’s a fun blue room with lots to do and lots of space to play.
The bunks, complete with trundle space underneath. I love how the bedding turned out with those adorable fish sheets. We put the top bunk rails on the bottom bunk for now to keep our kiddo from falling out as he learned how to sleep in a bed.

The side table, reused from the guest room. I scored this solid wood piece a couple years ago at a garage sale for $5. It’s perfect for this IKEA lamp (love!) and Owen’s collection of Bibles.

The chest of drawers that came unexpectedly with the used beds and some playful water-themed accessories.

I found the buoy at Marshall’s for $5.99 and painted it to be a bit more colorful. I had planned to make one, but couldn’t pass it up at that price. The oar came from my dad, who had inherited it years ago. We guess it is likely from the 1940s, and I loved the rivet details and the aged, weathered look.
Family beach pictures and painted art work by me. I just found some images I liked on PBK and Etsy and painted them the sizes I needed to fit inside my white RIBBA frames from IKEA. They were so fun to create!

Up close:




More mom-made art work. I’d said before that I LOVED the inspiration piece from Sugarboo Designs, but could not afford the price tag. I am very pleased at how my version turned out.

And in this room, organization was PLANNED. After searching for just the right closet organizer, I opted for this IKEA bookshelf. It made a lot of sense to me: kid clothes are so short, the bottom of the closet could handle such a big piece. AND it meant toys would be hidden in the closet. Close the closet doors, room is “clean”…clean enough, at least!


The green canvas totes were clearanced at Pottery Barn Kids for $6 a piece. Then these wire baskets were a steal at Big Lots for $3 each (unfortunately, they only had two).

More organization: drawer dividers, again from IKEA, for Owen to sort his clothes. He puts away his own laundry and ENJOYS it! :) (Yep, that’s my baby belly casting shadows on my pics again!)
Also, no longer being a “rookie mom”, I now know how quickly kids outgrow clothes. These storage bins on top of the closet are ready for me to fill…then sort and store for baby brother when they are full.

And what big boy bedroom would be complete without furry friends? These moved from the crib (yes, he slept with ALL of them!) to the end of the bed to keep him company.

Owen really does love his room. But let’s be real: these pictures definitely depict the cleaned-up version. The bed is rarely made…blame the fact I am very pregnant and that it seems a bit ridiculous when he’s just going to nap in it later! Also, toys usually look more “organized” like this because life is always happening in this house:
I sure love this little builder!!

I am thrilled with the end result. The space seems open and spacious and fun, and it didn’t break the bank!