Jack’s room has been updated many times over the past 10 years. First it was his nursery with a crib, then we changed to a toddler bed, then he went into a twin bed and finally we switched it out for a queen bed. The queen bed was pretty much unplanned. My parents had an extra bed they didn’t want, so we gave it a home since it’s only a matter of time before Jack grows into a giant like his dad.
However, I never actually painted his room. When we moved in, it was a blegh medium brown color. Two weeks later I went into early labor and Jack was in the NICU for a month. I didn’t want to paint the room and bring a brand new NICU baby home to lingering paint fumes. And then I guess I just got busy… for 10 years.
All this to say, it was overdue to finally spend a little time in Jack’s room!
Here’s a little look at the “before”
Here are a couple photos from my 2020 post, Organizing Frenzy: Jack’s Room:
There was wasted space next to Jack’s bed, because there was a heat vent on the floor that we didn’t want to block. There were a surprising amount of holes and dents in the walls from stuff that had been moved around over the years. Drywall anchors make quite a big hole when you yank them back out! Also, lots of just random marks from markers and pencils and whatever else happened in there when I wasn’t looking.
First step was to spackle all the holes. I like the kind that goes on pink and then fades to white once it’s completely dry. I let that dry overnight and then gave it a nice smooth sanding the following morning.
Then, comes the paint. I went with Behr Frittata which was a light cream with a hint of yellow. My goal was to make his room feel less like a cave and brighten it up a bit. It actually looks pretty similar to the original brownish color in these pictures, but in person it’s much more light and bright.
It took three coats of edging and 2 coats of rolling the walls to cover the old brown color. And WOW did it make a difference in making the room feel so much brighter and cleaner!
Before we get to the reveal, I also made a few little changes:
- I rearranged the furniture to put Jack’s bed on the opposite wall.
- I switched out the flimsy triangle block organizer with a more sturdy version that was inside Jack’s closet.
- I bought a yellow locker nightstand because it’s adorable and cost less than $100
- I bought this fluffy rug from Wayfair for $109 to break up the dark green of the wall-to-wall carpet.
I also made this absolutely groovy tie dye wall hanging. And I had way too much fun making this Instagram Reel showing my process:
I’m thrilled with how Jack’s room turned out and he LOVES it too. I can’t get over how great the tie dye turned out and Jack loved it so much that he literally kissed it
The little yellow locker nightstand actually has a working lock, which was super thrilling for my treasure-hunter kiddo. The silly animals in glasses canvases were relocated to over the toy organizer. And the fluffy rug feels fantastic on your toes and brings in some more fun patterns!
And here’s a little “after” video:
The whole total of the change was about $300 between the paint, new rug and new nightstand. But Jack’s reaction to his new room was pretty much priceless!
UPDATE: I’m on a roll… I just made another Instagram Reel showing a quickie-speed version of the process.
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How cute! Groovy. So cute how you found things to organize, while still making it interesting. The walls really look nice, and brighten!