boys bedroom Archives - Emily A. Clark

Our Twins’ Shared Bedroom: A New Color Palette

May92019

This post is sponsored by Behr. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Our boy/girl twins are still sharing a room (and will be for as long as possible!), but I had quickly painted it after we moved in and didn’t really ever finish the rest of it. I used the framed animal prints from our last house and my daughter insisted they scared her into getting up and coming into our room every night. . . (I personally think this has been her most creative excuse so far.) So, it felt like the perfect time to call her bluff and give their room an updated look with a new color palette.

This is how the “very scary” room looked before:

And after a new wall color (I used BEHR PREMIUM PLUS ULTRA® interior paint) and some fresh accessories:

The room doesn’t get a ton of natural light so I wanted something lighter and brighter. I love the soft quilts they already had on their beds and pulled my main wall color from those. An all-American red, white and (shades of blue) color palette felt like a good, classic choice for a boy/girl bedroom.

In case you’re up to your eyeballs in swatches. . .

A few of my best tips for choosing paint colors:

Choose your paint color last. This is such a tempting place to start for a lot of people, but it actually makes a lot of sense to choose your furniture and accessories for a room first. Then, pull out a main wall color and complementary accent colors from fabrics, rugs or art, for example. My palette for this room: Tranquil Sea PPL-73, Red My Mind MQ1-10, Basswood MQ2-46, Compass Blue MQ5-54 and Snowy Pine PPU10-13.

Take advantage of paint samples. For just a few dollars, you can pick up a sample of the color (and sheen) you’re considering. Painting a large swatch—on a board or the wall—can save a lot of time and effort.

Use the leftover samples to have your kids create art for their space. Even if it’s very “abstract”, the palette will work perfectly and it’s a sweet, personal touch.

Need more help with choosing a color? Join me for the Behr Color Clinic on Thursday, May 16th where I’ll be joining a Q&A session on the Behr Facebook Page from 10a.m. to noon EST.

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.