bo's big boy room

Our decision to transition Bo to a "big boy room" was based on two factors:

(1) We found out we were expecting another child and 

(2) Bo found out he could climb out of his crib.

We decided to keep the nursery in the same room and move Bo to a new room.

The room we selected was our um... "workout room" -

or more realistically, the storage room for my elliptical and our catch-all room.

We were very pleasantly surprised to discover that the hockey wallpaper border peeled right off.

No need for vinegar water and a paint scraper! 

Because our house is so old, the floors angle toward the center of the house.

We decided to have them leveled, but figured it'd be easier to paint the walls first.

We LOVED the work that Mark Miller of Brush and Hammer did on our kitchen,

so we decided to hire him to paint Bo's room (and the nursery too).

For the floors, we hired my cousin, Mike, who I'm convinced can do pretty much anything.

(I mean - just check out his handmade wooden goods here!)

Mike worked by himself and spent a whopping total of 5 days transforming the wonky, slanted floor:

into this glorious marvel:

Oh, did I mention he put in a new closet door and installed overhead lighting in 3 rooms as well?

After all the hard work was done, I got to do the fun part - decorating!

I found this great dresser at "The Barn" on Ridge Road:

I borrowed my dad's electric sander, and between Doug, his brother Nic, and me,

we sanded it down and left it with a nice, rustic look.

So finally I give you, Bo's Big Boy Room!

(And, because I like to pretend I'm part of Apartment Therapy, I'm listing some sources!)

Flooring: Lumber Liquidators

Rug: in the house when we bought it

Curtains: I made with gingham fabric from fabric.com 

Dresser: The Barn on Ridge Road

Lamp: Pottery Barn Kids

Bed: Craigslist SCORE.

Bedside... Ottoman?: Meijer, for Bo's first nursery

Bedding: Target

Elephant Pillow fabric: fabric.com

Denim Pillow slipcover: Ikea

Chest: roadside find from my mother-in-law. 

I had covered the cushion with elephant fabric for Bo's first nursery,

then upgraded it by covering it with an old coffee bag I found on Etsy!

Addis Ababa skyline print: Etsy

Ethiopian bread basket: Etsy

We didn't really have a "theme" in mind for Bo's room.
We decided to go with gray walls again and keep the blue & orange accents  -
let's be honest, because they're Tigers' colors.
Our other ideas were to incorporate some Ethiopian items and give the room a "rustic" feel.

 Now, as with most house projects, you're never really DONE.
Things I'd still like to do:
- Paint or stain closet door
- Steal old school desk from my parents for the empty corner
- Put up industrial shelving above Bo's bed
- Get a different bedside table

All that being said, we love Bo's room, and most importantly - HE loves it!
He was so excited when he first saw his "big boy bed" that he was jumping on it like a madman.
Whenever someone comes to visit, he's always excited to show them HIS room.

A huge thank you to Mark Miller and Mike McGrath for their help!
& thank you, Nic, for letting me put you to work while you were visiting!