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.
