boys bedroom Archives - Emily A. Clark

The Boys’ Bedroom: Bedding Mix And The Best Throw Blankets

Apr272015

After months of mismatched comforters, I just finished putting together the bedding in the boys’ bedroom.

I really pieced this room together bit by bit, but the framed flag wall (inspired by the World Cup and my 10-year-old’s love of soccer) ended up guiding the rest of the room. In fact, Karrie from Happy Habitat contacted me about working together and helped me come up with the perfect pattern for the beds, based on the flags.

The Magic Numbers throw (in blue + cherry) from Happy Habitat

A quick PSA about these throws. . . I really chose them because I thought it would add a fun pop of color and pattern to the end of the beds. But, the weight of these is just perfect for an extra blanket. They’re not too light and not too heavy—and super soft. (There’s nothing worse than a scratchy throw!) I plan to order another one in a different pattern for our den.

I also added the initial pillows from Happy Habitat to each of the beds; an easy way to personalize a shared room. And, in case you were wondering, the upholstered beds are from here, the ikat pillows are in this fabric, and the striped duvet is from IKEA.

You may remember I added a bright dose of color by spray painting this dresser yellow. The flags pretty much gave me every color option imaginable. (I recycled this striped rug from another spot.)

And, to break up this long, narrow room, I painted the little window nook (aka “the office”) this deep navy:

Shop more Happy Habitat throws and pillows here.

Affiliate links used.

Adding Color: Spray Painting A Dresser

Mar182015

Drawing inspiration from the colorful flag wall I hung in the boys’ bedroom, I finally painted a faux bamboo chest that had been sitting in our garage from a Craigslist haul several years ago.

The laminate top and smooth finish on this vintage Thomasville faux bamboo piece made it easy (and fast) to spray paint.

I used a couple of coats of Valspar’s Flat Caramel Honey—a deep, golden yellow.

Have an old piece that you want to paint but don’t want to invest more money in new hardware? Try painting all of the handles and pulls the same color as the furniture. I think it gives it a more modern look, and you don’t have to remove any hardware or buy anything new.

(These wall lamps were less than $40.)

My next project is to finish the bedding. I’m using the pinstripe duvets that I wrote about here and am working with Karrie to add some extra color at the foot of the beds.

The Boys’ Bedroom: A Framed Flag Wall

Mar122015

The boys’ bedroom has one of those fun little nooks around the only window in the space. Since my oldest really wanted a desk, we decided to make it his “office” area. The room is long and narrow, except for this one nook, so I painted it a dark navy to make it feel like a separate little space. (It’s the same color I used here.) And, when it was time to hang something on the walls, I initially thought of framing nautical flags. My 10-year-old suggested World Cup country flags instead. Sold! (And, it makes way more sense, since he’s a soccer player and not a sailor. . . )

I bought several inexpensive flags from Ebay sellers (I think the total was around $35), and put most of them in IKEA Nyttja frames. No fancy framing job here. I simply flipped the paper frame insert over to the solid white side and taped the flags right on top.

I also found a campaign desk at a friend’s yard sale last summer. It’s not in perfect shape, but I have no plans of painting it. I love the wood against the navy. The metal desk chairs used to be in my office.