When redoing Robert’s room, I wanted it to be fun for him but also fit the vibe of our house and not get dated quickly. My main tip for designing a kid’s room that’s classic and will last, is avoid all of the theme specific merch and stick with more timeless pieces. I was inspired by a custom canvas I had made of Robert sitting on a bench at his father’s softball game, holding a baseball in his hand with his oversized glove and backwards hat. I think he was all by 2. Here’s how it went from there…

Color Palette:

Tans, Blues, White – pulled from the sand, baseball and clothing

Design Idea:

My plan was to stick with the color palette and choose timeless pieces. Pieces that could go anywhere and can grow with my son. I picked the rug and the rest was history.

The Rug:

I found this Harris Blue/Brown Micro Hooked Wool Rug and for something so out of my comfort zone [my whole house is neutrals] I’ve never been so sure of something in my life! In fact, I was originally trying to shoehorn in something jute, natural or black and it just wasn’t clicking. Never happier I switched gears.

Mood Board:

My biggest tip, probably ever, is to design a mood board. You can use Canva [which is what I use] and just bring in screenshots of items you think you want. I swapped out everything so many times, until things start to click. Then, when I see it all together, I get a feel for the entire design and feel much more confident about my end decision.

The Bedding:

It might just be me, but I have a hard time using anything but white bed sheets. I like to be able to bleach them or even just have them not fade in the wash. I also like the idea of buying quality sheets that last and having the option to change up my decor or other linens without needing new sheets. So, white/natural/ivory it was. I selected this Comfy Cotton Dove White Sheet Set and it did not disappoint. It’s so soft and washes beautifully! I had a white duvet cover but wanted some contrast, so I went with the Lush Linen Natural Duvet Cover. I also thought that the linen texture would be a nice compliment to the smooth sheets. Texture is such a great way to bring interest and dimension to a space!

While we’re on the subject of texture, the Bubble Blue Matelassé Coverlet and Bubble Blue Matelassé Sham seriously pulled this whole spa together. I got the Euro size shams and use them to define the headboard space. I got a twin size coverlet and use it as a throw, but they do have a throw option! They are so soft and comfy and I just love the muted dusty blue.

The Lumbar Pillow:

This Logan Dove White Decorative Pillow is seriously a statement piece! I have to be honest; first, I thought it was 20″ long and would be a small accent throw pillow and two, I’ve never seen a pillow this big! It’s 58″ long by 20″ wide and it. is. comfy. I LOVE that it stretches the whole size of the bed because it’s great for when my son wants to sit back and read or watch his iPad. It can also totally be repurposed on my king size bed one day and look just as dynamite! The fringe adds such nice detail and softness and it comes in two colors.

Seating:

I wanted to put a neat spin on the OG beanbag concept, so I found these gorgeous and huge Mingled Platinum Indoor/Outdoor Pouf ottomans. They’re structured enough to keep their shape but comfy enough to use as addition seating in his room. I got two and placed them at the end of his bed, like a bench. They also come in a pretty blue.

I hung a shelf with some books and hooks over it and it doubles as a reading nook!

Annie Selke has so much more than just rugs and bedding. They have window treatments, [which I kind of wish I explored more to break up the white on white] furniture, light, you name it! If you missed it, I wrote a blog post on how to install a stair runner yourself and also how to choose the right rug for your home. Both of those are from Annie Selke. The quality is so incredible, it’s worth every penny!

I’d like to truly thank Annie Selke for agreeing to partner with me again. They do not disappoint and I’m so happy I chose them to give my eldest the “big boy” room he deserves!

Your support in being here, is always so appreciated! Hopefully this helps you or you can share with someone it might!

XOXO

Kel

Below, I’m offering up design tips on how to make a neutral space pop! I’ll also help calm your fears about finding the perfect matchy, matchy furniture, wood tones or metals! This is my third room furnished by Raymour & Flanigan and I’m excited to share all they have to offer. One of the things I’m most impressed with is their pricing and quality. The gorgeous pieces that I was able to get within a specific budget seems almost unreal. The shipping is free too, which is always a bonus!

When we renovated the first floor and took down the two main walls, we had big plans for the layout. As you could imagine with any big reno, not everything turned out as we originally wanted. We ended up with a larger kitchen island and therefore had to keep the couch in the new addition, leaving us with this awkward room in between. We thought about putting a small dining table but we had the formal dining room just to the right and our big 6 person island, we thought about making it a half court basketball room for the boys [not really] but in the end we decided to showcase the double sided fireplace that looks from this room to the dining room. Having worked with them in the past, I thought, who better than Raymour & Flanigan to furnish the space! They truly have something for everyone and my style isn’t exactly one and done; it’s a mix of a few but I think I was able to make this room come together nicely!

The Mood Board:

The Seating:

So, right off the bat, we needed seating. We thought about an oversized chair and a half but ultimately we decided on two chairs. Our concern was making sure they didn’t overtake the space. It’s not a ton of room and we need access to the built ins and the powder room. We found the most amazing low profile, wood framed Apfel Chairs and the second I saw them, I fell in love.

Since we were making this a space where Rob and I could sit and enjoy our coffee or wine, while watching the fire, we wanted it to be as comfortable and cozy as possible. I got two of these Penelope Ottomans for us to put our feet on. I went out on limb with these because they don’t match perfectly, but that’s ok! The material is similar to that of the chairs [a linen look and texture] and it has charcoal pinstripes, which works with all of the black metals in the house, such as the large metal wall clock on a wall not far away. The differences are subtle and they really blend in nicely. What I love about these ottomans is they’re multifunctional. They can be used for a foot rest, pushed together for a table to play a game or we have already had parties where we’ve used them for additional seating around the room. Their ability to be moved makes them extremely practical and their neutral coloring allows them to fit in anywhere!

Accent Furniture:

I now had to design this room around these chairs. [As I just mentioned in one of my last reels, if you’re feeling overwhelmed, pick one thing you love or have to have and go from there!] Being they’re a neutral tone and have amazing texture in the fabric, it offered me some wonderful avenues to explore. The brown marled material really lends itself nicely to tying in the Kathleen Round Side Table we chose. It also matches the tones of wood frame beautifully and really anchors the space by the chairs.

Even though the sofa table is a different wood tone, the variations in the stain make it a compliment to the other woods. Don’t be afraid to mix wood or metal tones. Look for the deeper colored knots or grains to work with another piece of furniture you have! If they’re far enough away from each other too, it’s an even easier sell. I loved this Dawson Sofa Table because of it’s crate like drawers and then the large open space allowed for me to fill it with baskets, completely maximizing on my storage opportunities for all the kid’s toys. I used a pale wicker basket color to tie in these gorgeous vases, also from Raymour & Flanigan. I was drawn to the white mesh texture! Unfortunately, I couldn’t link them but I bought them from my local RF showroom in Ocean Township, NJ.

I found another set of Brayton Nesting Baskets that I fell in love with. They’re soft and floppy but still maintain structure. They’re just amazing, lol. I ended up placing them under our fire place and love how the round shape breaks up the rectangular space under the hearth. Again, this is where all of the kiddo’s mess gets hidden.

The Rug:

Of course, no space is ever complete without an area rug to ground it. A rug not only adds dimension and warmth to a room, but it truly does define the space and anchors it all together. Since this room is in the center of our home and as I mentioned before, you pass through for the powder room and living room/back doors, we wanted to keep a nice flow. A circular rug was an obvious choice. It also contrasted the angular sectional sofa and island, which flank it. I had some things to consider when picking a rug for such a prominent location; traffic, dirt, the dogs, kids etc. I went with the Natural Chunky Jute Rug because it hides a multitude of sins, cleans well and holds up nicely to the daily destruction that is our house.

Wall Accents:

The last thing I added to the room, to really add a wow factor when you walked in, was this Jeremiah Round Wall Mirror. I went out of my comfort zone a little bit because I normally would not have been attracted to the colors that are in it, but they’re subtle enough to where they don’t stand out and they make a really interesting conversation piece while adding a little something to this otherwise all neutral space. It was another piece that, the second I saw it, I had to have it. To reiterate this design tip; always think about adding something round to angular spaces for contrast and balance. I use to have a large rectangular canvas in this space that I thought was great but it was too redundant with the jut out we have from the built ins. Now, this mirror draws your eye and then it circulates around the space. So important when designing a room [or a work of art].

The above shot shows the other view of how this space is incorporated in our home. You can truly see the various metals and wood tones here, inclusive of the dog food and toddler! #itsarealhome

I hope you took something away from this post and now feel more confident to go design the space of your dreams! I’d also like to truly thank Raymour & Flanigan for trusting me for a third time, to use their product to create an eye catching space! Our house is becoming a home, one room at a time! If you haven’t yet seen them, please check out our Master Bedroom Redesign and our Home Office Build! Those rooms are also furnished with Raymour and are two of my most viewed posts! While you can shop online, the showroom is expansive and my experience with the associates has always been so pleasant, I would highly recommend going in for a visit, if you’re in the northeast.

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