Well, today is the day! I finally get to share the fruits of my labor with you. Today, I am revealing the “Big Boy Room” transformation. Just to recap: This room was a baby room for our youngest son, and our oldest son was sleeping in a toddler bed in the guest bedroom. That arrangement simply didn’t function well for us anymore, so it was time to transition them to a shared “big boy room,” and that’s just what we’ve done. Not only did I make over the room, but I did it under serious time constraints (2 weeks!) while being filmed for a series of short segments on HLN. Update: You can check out the HLN TV segments here. To read all about that experience, check out Day 1 and Day 2 of filming. Warning: This post contains a zillion photos.
To refresh your memory, here is the room “Before.”
And here it is After.
Here’s a rundown of everything I did in this room:
- Painted and glazed the dresser and night stand, both found on Craigslist. (Sidenote: I have to give a ginormous shout-out and thank you to Sarah Macklem of The Yellow Cape Cod for inspiring the paint treatment on the furniture in this room. I knew I wanted to go with a navy/lime color scheme, and when I saw the lime green dresser on her blog I knew it would be perfect for this room. I also used her tutorial to assist with making the curtains. I knew I wanted to add “no-sew” stripes but wasn’t sure what to do about the raw edge. Her technique worked out perfectly. Thanks Sarah!)
- Added stripes to the curtain panels
- Designed and made headboards (Tutorial here.)
- Built toddler bed (Tutorial here.)
- Made pillows
- Spray painted lamps and added ribbon trim to shades
- Re-covered a thrift store chair
- Spray painted a magazine holder to use for books
- Added a new navy border to this Quatrefoil Photo Art that used to hang in our office.
- Spray painted thrift store frames and mounted these cardboard letters inside them on the wall.
- Designed a printable featuring a Marc Brown quote and framed it for the wall.
Tutorials for some of these projects will be coming soon!
The boys even made their own artwork for the room.
Jake loves playing in here so much, I couldn’t even finish taking photos before he made himself right at home.
Here are a few more shots (sans kiddo):
The boys seem to really love their new room, so my hard work paid off. I stepped out of my comfort zone big time with this room makeover, but luckily it worked out. Looking back, it was pretty crazy to attempt building, using power tools, etc., basically for the first time, all while a camera crew looked on. I built a bed – from scratch! And designed and built headboards for both beds. They’re not flawless, but I’m glad I pushed myself to go above and beyond with this project. The smiles on the boys’ faces when they saw their room for the first time made it all worth it.
I’d like to thank John (the producer) and Dave (the camera man) from HLN for being so wonderful to work with and for being so great with my kiddos. They made us all feel so comfortable and at ease, and they were just such nice guys. I will actually miss having them around! But I won’t miss working my tail off every day.

And here is a side by side Before & After, for comparison:
So now for the big question: Would YOU put yourself out there and try new things and face new challenges (on purpose) all while a camera crew documented it? Or am I the only crazy one? Do tell.
If you like this room makeover, I’d love it if you would Pin it or share it!
Update: You can check out the boys’ bedroom at our NEW house here.
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Pinning!!! Love this!
Thank you Katie! 🙂
Erin! It turned out amazing! I love it! All in two weeks is a huge accomplishment and with a camera crew in tow. I bet it was an awesome experience and I can’t wait to see you on HLN! 🙂
Thanks so much Angie! It was definitely a fun experience. A lot of pressure, but in a good way!
Fantastic transformation. I am sure your two boys will have a lot of fun in their new room. Love how the green, navy and white go together, so fresh:)
Thanks Emilia! They do seem to love their room so far.
It looks GREAT! I love the green and blue combo!
Thank you! I appreciate that.
Great colors!! But where are all the toys, books, etc.??? My son’s room will never look that pulled together! LOL! 😉
LOL! We usually don’t keep many toys in their room. Their toys are mostly in the play room, along with several in the family room. Their room is nice and clean – but their play room is the polar opposite! Complete chaos!
Ahhhhh that makes sense! 😀
Beautiful!
Thank you Beth!
Looks wonderful! Great job!
Thanks Shanee!
Sorry to comment as “Anonymous” but it is the only way I can get it to go thru. First, WOW! You did a great job on every single piece. Secondly, I love your color combination! I clicked on the tutorial for painting the dresser & night stand. Just wondering—did you use the same color “Lime Ricky” on your pieces??
Thanks so much! Yes, I did use Lime Rickey. It was the perfect shade of green.
What a beautiful room transformation. The headboards are amazing and I love the color combo. What a perfect space for little boys.
Thanks so much Leanne! I appreciate that!
I love their room! The color combinations and simple decor is beautiful and very functional. Erin you are a great inspiration in decorating. I love your ideas. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you Laurie! That’s so nice of you to say. I really appreciate it!
What a great room! Pinning.
Thank you Lisa!
You are a rock-star in my book!!! It looks amazing!!! Incredible pictures too! The toddler bed is perfection! So proud of you! Pinning!!!
Thank you, friend! I appreciate that! I don’t know about rock star though. Ha!
It came out SO great, Erin! The colors are incredible, and the little details totally tie everything together. I’m feeling super inspired to tackle my big boys’ bedroom now! 🙂
Thank you Heidi! I appreciate that!
Erin, I love your boy’s room! What a fantastic redo, congrats on it all. I have to read up on the filming part, someone mentioned that Sat. at our meetup. How exciting for you!
Thanks so much Rhoda! I appreciate that very much. Hope to see you soon!
It looks amazing! I just started following you a few weeks back and I love your blog. I have two boys and need to re-do their room soon! This is very inspiring!! Thank you!
Thanks so much Angela! Glad I could inspire you. 🙂 Good luck if you decide to tackle your boys’ room too!
It turned out so cute, Erin! Great color combination and I love the dresser. (Your boys’ photo art looks perfect in this room, too.) And congratulations on the start of your t.v. career!
Thanks so much! Ha – and as for the tv career, this might be the beginning AND the end! It’s pretty stressful! Don’t think I could handle it all the time. But it was a fun experience.
This is amazing!!! Love the color palette! and can’t wait to see you on the big screen!
Thank you Janel!
It looks really great. I especially love the headboards and the quatrefoil picture. Too cute. As a fellow mom of 2 boys – who recently moved my boys to the same room too – this post made me smile!
Kristina
http://www.thriftysouthernpilgrim.com
Thanks so much Kristina! I appreciate that. Hope your boys are adjusting well to sharing a room. My youngest has had a few rough nights so far!
Love it! The dresser turned out beautifully (I just picked up one in a similar style that I need to paint, so I’m on the lookout for old chunky dresser makeovers right now), and I love the framed brothers quote. Nice job! and congratulations on the TV spots! (we’re neighbors, btw; I’m in Roswell :))
Thank you Gretchen! Good luck with your dresser makeover. And yes we are neighbors then! I live very close to Roswell.
Soooo cute, Erin! Good for you — I applaud your bravery/craziness!
xo heidi
Thanks so much Heidi!
Love how the bedroom turned out! Beautiful details my friend!
Thank you Katie! I appreciate that!
The room turned out beautifully and all your hard work shows in the details!! Bravo!! 🙂
Thanks so much Shannon!
What a wonderful transformation! It is very adorable but not too little boyish. It seems like it would last for awhile as they grow. Great makeover.
Thank you Angela. That was one of my goals – to create a room that they could “grow into.” Not too babyish, but something that works for them at their current age as well as for the next few years.
Erin, I am in awe!! The room is adorable and amazing!! Those headboard – wow. Can you make one for me?? Love that they match and love the finish! The matching framed initials over the bed – make the room! And the green dresser and chair rail. Ok, yes I love it ALL!
SO EXCITED for your opportunity too. Will be watching your blog for specific airing details and will definitely tune in. 🙂
and yes, I would totally do it. I thrive under time pressure – LOL! Drive everyone around me crazy, but I get a ton done 🙂
Thanks so much for your sweet words, Christina! I appreciate it. And I work best under pressure too! That’s something that I definitely learned about myself throughout this process.
I definitely would do something like this! Hahaha I have been encouraging my dad to see if he can get on Renovation Realities because he plans on adding space to his closet in the master bedroom. He has built buildings, garages, and the shed out back so I know that he can do it no problem, but it would be hilarious to see his episode back to back with tons of other people who don’t know what they’re doing. I watch a lot of DIY, plus I’ve helped my dad out a lot, so I would personally love to be on one of those shows, even though I’m not really talkative (in real life) and I’m pretty shy. You did a great job, and I look forward to seeing your hard work on television!
Thank you! And it sounds like your dad would be perfect for a show like this. He could teach everyone a thing or two!
Erin, the colors you chose, and the way you decorated this room, is just perfect for two growing boys! I look forward to the tutorials you’ll be sharing for several of these projects too! Congratulations on HLN filming too – how cool is that? Very!
Erin, congrats on a fabulous makeover! Your room is adorable! Thanks for the shout out, I’m glad my tutorials came in handy. I look forward to seeing these projects featured on HLN! Very exciting:)
Best, Sarah
Thank you Sarah! And thanks so much for the inspiration.
It’s absolutely gorgeous. Yes, I think you’re nuts to try it all with a camera crew, but it is “nuts” that paid off, big time! Congrats on a job beautifully done!!
Thanks so much Vivienne! I appreciate that. Thanks for sharing my post too!
This is such an amazing makeover! I love that green nightstand! It adds statement to the room. Great job Erin!
The room is stunning, Erin- you did a fantastic job! I hope you’ll post a reminder on facebook of when your segments air!
Thank you Sheila, will do!
What a great room – I love the navy and lime colours you used and the striped curtains.
Thanks so much Grace!
Hello Erin ! I LOVE this room, I could totally see my little boy in there !! I love the green accent and the headboards. I also like your curtains. I’ve just done the same thing using 2 Ikea curtains. Here’s the link if you’re interested : http://frenchhappynest.blogspot.fr/2013/02/diy-ikea-striped-curtains.html. Thanks for sharing this, very inspirational !
Thanks Marianne! Heading over to check out your curtains now.
This room is darling – love all the colors!
-Shelley
Thank you Shelley!
LOVE it! You did an AWESOME job! Now that you pulled it all together in that “last minute” crunch time…you can RELAX! The colors are fantastic and I LOVE the boy’s initials above the beds!
Thank you Sharon!
I love the color combination. The paint on the dressers is just perfect and those headboards are so rich looking! Great job, Erin!
Thanks so much! I appreciate that Crystal!
I really love the green and you gave me a great idea for the chair. We have a chair similar to the one you found at the thrift store and new fabric would really give it a boost. I have some time before we start to build the deck and play area in the backyard and the chair would look much better if I reupholstered it.
Thanks Sandy! That’s great! I’d love to see a “before and after” of your chair when you’re finished.
I love the room and I am wondering what color is on the walls? Seems like a great color to go with anything.
Thanks Tricia! Good question actually. 🙂 These walls were already painted this color when we moved in so I don’t know the color or brand, but I would describe it as a khaki color. Sorry I am no help!
What a great job, the bedroom looks beautiful. I like the green mixed with the navy and white – a great colour combo!! I’ve got this linked to my post on boys rooms too today!
Thanks so much Heather! 🙂
THis turned out great Erin! I am getting ready to redo my sons room into a big boy room as I type this, so this is great inspiration! Did you end up finding a coordinating duvet cover for the duvets?
Thanks Allyson! No, we ended up liking the look of the plain white with the striped pattern that these comforters have, so as of now I haven’t covered them. They wash up easily so for now they will just stay as they are. Can’t wait to see what you do with your son’s room!
Love the color scheme. we were going to go with aqua and lime for our boys’ room, but I love this combo so much more. Wondering where you bought the fabric to make the pillows?
Thanks Kasey! I got the fabric from Fabric.com.
I CAME OVER FROM FACEBOOK I WOULD LOVE TO FEATURE YOUR BOYS ROOM REDO, LET ME KNOW IF IT WOULD BE OK
LAUREN
Hi Lauren, of course that would be great! Thank you! I’m totally fine with one photo and a linkback. Thanks for asking!
I reached your website by the share of this post on apartment therapy. You people are really good at these stuff, really loved the combinations and the bed. The bedsides are really pretty and you have a good concept of the smaller and the bigger bed 🙂 hope the guys are going to have fun together! 🙂 xoxox
Thank you Nejia! I appreciate that! Thanks for stopping by. 🙂
I am so totally pinning this! First boy’s room transformation I saw on Pinterest…and I am in love! It’s my ultimate favorite from everything I have seen, and I absolutely love the navy and green combo!!! Wonderful, wonderful job! Thanks for sharing this! 😉
Thanks so much, Amber! I really appreciate that!
I love the lime green…I was looking for inspiration this morning for some bamboo chairs..think I found it!!! This is the cutest boys room. Those curtains and all of it- classic & fresh!
Thank you, Melanie! Their room at our new house is much bigger than their old room, so I’m trying to figure out what else to do. Right now we have all of the same stuff in there but there is still some space to fill. I still love the navy and lime green though!
The light shade of the bed mattress works well against the dark rug, and I’m loving the dark brown of the wooden headboard. Awesome combinations!
Thank you, Aubrey!
I like your room design — I am going to pin it. My twin tweens are each getting their own rooms this summer, and I have been trying to show how they can bring color into their rooms without actually painting their walls all pink or all blue. Visiting from Haven Mavens. Hope to see you at Haven!
Thanks so much Lauren! How fun that your kids are getting their own rooms. That will be a fun decorating process I’m sure! I hope to connect with you at Haven too. I’ll be teaching a class on Blogging Trade Secrets along with 3 other bloggers. Looking forward to it!
Eriv you’ve worked hard but done fantastic job> I might steal some ideas for my three boys.
Best,
J.
Thanks so much!
I love this room! What color is the paint on the walls?
Thanks Carolee! I’m actually not sure. This room was at our old house which was a rental, so the paint was the one thing I didn’t change! It was a neutral tan color, but I don’t know the brand. Sorry I can’t be of more help!