big boy bed

ROOM TOUR: ARI’S MODERN BIG BOY ROOM

You know when your kid gets to an age where all of a sudden they have super strong opinions on what their room should look like? Ari is 5 now and wanted rainbows and gold painted all over the walls with Harry Potter posters. This was not going to fly. BUT I think I pulled off a combination of rainbows, Harry Potter, and my love of black and white modern style. Now we’re both happy!! Scroll down for all sources and a free printable of the modern rainbow poster. 
Besides decoration ideas, the BIG problem to tackle was organization and storage. This is where Land of Nod came in big time! Jenni and I both fell in love with the acrylic bookcase! It’s just so clean and pretty and perfect for treasures. The Home Edit came over and styled with special books and toys to look like… you guessed it… a rainbow!
Land of Nod also came in clutch with these soft bins perfect for the abnormal amount of stuffed animals my son collects. I absolutely LOVE that they are soft. One or two actually live on my son’s bed so that he can sleep with all of his stuffed buddies without them constantly falling off the bed. 
I designed this abstract rainbow poster and have it for you as a FREE download! Yippee! I sent the file into Kinkos/FedEx and had them print it in an 18×24″ frame ready size. Scroll down for the link to download.
This might seem crazy, but I really wanted to make an art installation out of books. Ari loves books (and so do I!) but his old book shelf cubbies were getting a little crazy looking. I saw blogger, Freckles Chick‘s book shelves she used for her daughter’s room and knew that was the solution. I bought the 3.5″ deep shelves and installed them in rows. 6 of the 36″ and 3 of the 24″ shelves. Each row had one long, one short, one long to make three 96″ shelves. Then of course The Home Edit styled it for Ari so it looked like yet another rainbow!!
Our family is a BIT Harry Potter obsessed. Okay a lot obsessed. Luckily, we’ve passed our obsession to Ari. We came up with a “magic spell” to put him to sleep… and it really works! Dixie & Twine graciously made this “FALLIO ASLEEPO” sparkly banner for above his bed!  
SOURCES:
“A” wall letter – Ebay
“a” red letter – vintage
Gumball machine – vintage (my husband’s!)
Matchbox car holder – vintage printers box
Black paint – Behr Broadway
White paint – Behr pure white
FALLIO ASLEEPO!
-L

ARI’S TODDLER ROOM

We’re putting our house on the market this week which forced me to go through all of our junk and clean it to perfection. I’ve been wanting to post Ari’s big boy room transformation from his nursery for some time now and thought… it’s now or never! So, disclaimer… it’s never this tidy! 
I wanted to do a room that would grow with Ari from baby to little boy, so I chose a more mature paint color but paired it with bright colorful accents that can be easily changed. We had a double mattress already in a guest room, so we just put it in Ari’s room when we gave his crib to Max. Having the larger size has been extremely helpful lately, as Ari has been going through a ‘sleep in my bed’ phase which I only indulge in extreme cases out of desperation. I know, I know, terrible parenting! It’s one of those things that I always judged other parents on, and now I’m that parent. Gah!
I’m in love with this paint color – Martha Stewart Brook Trout – which in person looks a bit more gray than brown. It’s the perfect background for artwork. Really makes colors pop! 
The “a” wall letter was a vintage find from my sister- love it!
Bed and sheets from Pottery Barn Kids, striped comforter and lamp from Target, garland by Oeuf.
 Ari’s little spot to read zoom cars all over the chair. Usually just in his skivvies. 
 I found this old printers box in my Nana’s garage and turns out it’s the perfect size for matchbox cars.
LOVE this felt garland from The Bannerie, graciously given by Gilit of Shoes Off Please– love her!
The print was given to Ari from his Aunt Lauren of Rock Paper Scissors
If you peek to the right, that’s Ari’s closet! We took the door off and created a little playroom in there in addition to his clothes. 
My favorite spot. Books upon books, fav toys hidden in the baskets, and plenty of natural light.
Love these alphabet flashcards from Tweed
Toddler-height dress up spot.
Coolest growth chart ever, also from Tweed. Looking forward to adding Max’s stats on there too! 
What’s on a three-year-old’s nightstand you ask….
…pics of his BFFs, magic rock and crystal to keep away bad dreams, and a huge stack of fav bedtime books. Especially loving “Hank Finds an Egg”, and “What Does the Fox Say” lately. 
Jelly bean jar used for potty training only! Or if I need a secret treat.
Loving Ari’s new wiener dog pillow by Kate Durkin. Max got a teeny raccoon pillow and is OBSESSED with it! Ugly doll and crazy chicken given to Ari from our non-ugly and very crazy friend, Carlye, of Awkward City. She always gets the boys the coolest toys! Kitty and Watson by BlaBla Kids
DIY- I made Ari’s pennant from his 1st birthday party out of felt and the polka dot picture from leftover garland from my baby shower. 
That’s it! Now time to pack all of it up and re-do in our new pad… oy.
-L