You may remember I posted Trish’s house tour last month, along with a couple of online design projects we worked on together. I, however, had no part in helping with her seven-year-old son’s bedroom makeover. She worked with someone much better—her son himself.
I have to admit that I’m not always the best about asking for my kids’ input on their rooms—especially when I have my own “vision.” Trish and her son Billy, however, worked together to redo his space and had a lot of fun in the process.
I asked Trish to share her best advice for working with your kid to design his or her own space, and this is what she said. . .
Where to Start:
“Look at images online or, better yet, go shopping in vintage stores for inspiration. Boys, especially, respond to tactile things in stores much better than online images.
I told my son that when he was ready to get rid of his Spiderman bedspread I would partner with him to redesign his room. We spent a lot of time (pre-Pinterest, sadly) Googling images for boys rooms. Honestly, we were both pretty disappointed with the typical sports themes and blue walls. I said we needed an piece to inspire the room. My son, always the original one, decided we should start by getting a boar’s head. After he saw how expensive boar’s heads are on Ebay ($250) – and after I told him how freaked out I was at the idea of taxidermied eyes following me everywhere – he conceded this should not be hanging in his room. We decided to go shopping together instead of hanging around the computer. And, by jingo, we found a great skull. This was the beginning of the nature lover/world traveler themed room.”
Follow his passions:
“At the time, he was studying bugs in school and decided he wanted a framed tarantula. Can you tell he likes to freak me out? Again, Ebay to the rescue. I asked him to pick two more taxidermied creatures so we could have a set of three. So, a stag beetle and scorpion joined the mix. The next thing you know, it was Christmas. My mother-in-law is known far and wide for her generous ways with her grandchildren, which is a good thing because Billy fell in love with the Serena and Lilly Asher bedding. And it was a lot more than I wanted to spend on a boy’s room. But my mother-in-law was happy to oblige. :) For the record, their sheets are awesome!”
Putting it all together:
“Lay everything out in the room and find spots for everything. This was fun, sort of like putting a puzzle together. We had collected many things from our trips to the thrift/vintage shops around the city so it was like shopping in a store where you picked everything out yourself. We started with the skull wall.”
Use Craigslist:
“I don’t know about you, but I love Craigslist. I DON’T love how hard it is to search images. Then I discovered CraigsEasy, which allows you to search by image. Game changer! Everyone who loves a bargain should download it.”
Shop Your House:
“The books on the shelves are pretty much things he pulled out from my bookshelves and represent his interests. So, even though he kind of messed up my awesome living room arrangement, he got something amazing for his space. And I coped.”
And, words of wisdom from 7-year-old Billy:
“The first thing I’d do is start by getting stuff you like, but don’t make it too boy-like like baseball. Stay casual.”
“Ebay is good because you can buy loads of good stuff for cheap.”
“When I went shopping with my mom I learned not everything I want fits into my room.”
Room Sources:
Pennant pillow & red wool blanket on bed
Accessories for shelves, including the vintage globes
Bull skull from Roost, a vintage shop in Chicago
“No Hunting” sign, local thrift store
Framed scorpion/tarantula/stag beetle
Turtle shell, Edgwater Antique mall (Chicago)
Headboard, desk chair, bedframe—Craigslist purchases
Letter B–lightweight cardboard letter from Michael’s
White Sox pennant–free at a game
Bookshelf–Target
Wall Color: Sherwin Williams Pussywillow
Thanks, Trish (and Billy!) for sharing this fun project.
What a great post! :)
Are you sure he is only 7? Very good advice.
I remember my mom decorating my room and I never liked it. I was too scared to tell her the truth for fear of hurting her feelings! Because of this I’ve made it a point to get my kid’s input in their rooms.
What a fantastic boys room! I love the idea of working with your kids to make it their “own” space! Thanks for sharing!
I’m in the early stages of updating my almost 6 year old daughter’s room (more like the thinking about it stages) and I’ve been showing her images online. It’s very funny to the ways our “visions” are similar yet totally different! It would be much easier if I did the whole thing myself, but she’s very opinionated and interested in having a say.
Great post and what a great room they designed.
What a great team they make! Love their inspiration piece!
What a great post! I especially loved hearing from her son.
My 7 year old *does not* want his “room designed”. This kid hates change in any form, and it’s killing me. Thankfully, my toddler loves change and is excited with anything I do. I’ll try to enjoy that as long as possible. ;-)
Abby
So cute! Sounds like he had a lot of great input. Better watch out or he’ll be redesigning the whole house one day!
That last point from her son is good advice for us all!
This is great! When we ask, we are usually surprised and impressed by our kids! Love that he got involved, so much more fun that way. Thanks for the craig easy tip!!
Thanks for this! We are decorating my 11 yr old daughter’s room (again!). This time I’ve decided to take more control since last time I allowed lime green walls. She still says she wants bright this-and-that, but I’m trying to keep the “brights” to pillows or art that can be easily changed (when changes her mind next month).
Love this post! I just started redoing my 4 yr old sons room and while looking at pics on pinterest he wanted to look too and so I asked him to tell me what he liked in each picture. It was so fun to get his input and most of it was stuff I wanted anyway…maps, globes, bookshelves, mirror, etc. But I love that he is part of the process now!
Love this post!! I so agree about including a child in their room design. Afterall we have the rest of the house, that is their corner of our family’s world.
I use to feel so badly when I would hear a mother ask her child which wallpaper or fabric the child liked and then immediately talk them out of their decision because it did not agree with Moms. What that Mom did not realize is she told the child their opinion was not a good one and now the child will be afraid to make a good decision. Don’t ask unless you really want to know. Billy’s mom did a beautiful job talking and working together with her son! Kudos to her!! Kathysue
This is a great room! And I think Billy will like it well into his teens…or until he gets new interests :-)
Billy may just be the next up-and-coming new designer..with his mom’s help :-)
How cute is this, I love Billy’s comments!
Jenna
What a great post! Thanks for sharing! I think Billy has a bright future! :)
Too cute! Billy is a wise boy for 7. They did a great job together!
I love this room. So much that I might like it for myself! The cow skull is awesome. I’m going to ask my girls tomorrow morning how they want to decorate their room. I bet the answers are hilarious!
Camille
Beautiful room makeover! The design seem timeless, really works for me! :)
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