We have started a slow transition to a big boy room for our son. For his second birthday we got him a teepee and needed to move things around to make room for it. Our next step is to shop for a twin bed within the next few months so that we can use the crib for baby girl coming in February.
Our son does use his room quite a bit to play in so transitioning to the teepee being a new highlight of the room worked out well.
I wanted to decorate his teepee for his birthday but didn't have the time or energy to finish it in time. I did eventually make some banners and tassels that I will show the next time we do an update on his room. They really make the teepee extra cute - so definitely worth the additional effort in my opinion. Our son points to it and says, "decorations!" I also have some ideas of how I might like to embellish it for Christmas. Who knew a teepee could be such a decoration piece? The mantel of kid's rooms! ;)
The teepee is from Crate and Kids (part of Crate and Barrel - used to be Land of Nod). You can find the sources for all the other items in his room in his nursery tour.
It took some maneuvering around to find a good balance for the room - finding plenty of room to get to the crib while still using the window side of the room as the main eye catching corners.
And here is our sweet newly two year old the day I got his room all set up. He wanted to drag out all his "babies" to hang out in the teepee.
While I LOVE the teepee and he loves to read books in it at bedtime when we allow it, I am going to give some honest truth on how much it gets used. I knew that getting a teepee was one of those kid risks - if it doesn't get used much it is kind of pricey. We purchased one on the more expensive end so I had to make a deal with myself that it would be a part of his room and the decoration. If we were still in our old house, we probably wouldn't have bought it because it takes up so much room (and I didn't want to store it).
I do think that it is a toy that will grow with him. So I am hoping in the coming years he will enjoy it more. And again, super neutral so baby girl can call it her own as well. But right now he doesn't play in it much.
And really, it is one of those parenting dreams of mine that was able to come true. Years ago my husband and I were driving in downtown Sacramento, picking something up from a Craigslist deal. All the homes there are so sweet with a lot of character and I remember seeing a pink teepee sitting in one of the back yards. It was long before teepees were popular and I remember thinking to myself - one day when we have kids we are going to have a teepee!
So whether or not it is the favorite toy in the house - it meant a lot to me. They can be an expensive luxury and I want to make sure I am the first to admit it.
These floor pillows we have had for years have come in handy for the teepee. We now just leave them in there when not being jumped on or cuddled with.
When it comes to decorating a nursery or kid's room, I am finding I really like to stick to neutral pieces that can work anywhere in the house. It makes mixing and matching so much easier. I still feel like his room is fun and kid friendly but as seasons change I can move around accessories and furniture with other areas of our home.
With all the grey and white, I love how some simple wicker baskets add earthiness and warmth to the room. It allows me to play it safe with our large investment purchases staying in the white category.
The opposite side of the room is where we store toys, books, and mementos. It is so much more colorful than the rest of the decor but I really like it. I try really hard (like I spend way too much time) finding toys that are in a certain color family. I tend to lean towards muted rainbow - burgundy, teal, and mustard for example. They do have a lot more neutral wood tone toys these days but they can be really expensive and maybe slightly less fun? I like that my muted rainbow colors are gender neutral - they lean towards my love for pink and blue but aren't totally primary colors either. Mixed and matched with plenty of white and neutral decor and I feel like it is a nice balance to the rest of the room.
Those white bins are from Pottery Barn but I was so sad to see that they have been discontinued. I was really hoping to get a few more for baby girl's room. I know that we are all about the open shelving these days. But practically I need something to hide the not so cute stuff! We bought some similar shelves for the new nursery and I think I may have to stick with wicker baskets to hide things in her room. I am glad I bought so many over the past two years so that we have a nice little collection.
Next up is shopping for a big boy bed. We have been prepping him with this book and I am currently looking for something white and classic. The thought is that this room is big enough to eventually be a shared room (whether we have another child or want to use the other room as a guest room or play room). So I want to be able to buy a second bed one day, similar in style, but doesn't have to be identical. Who knows what lies ahead - kid wise and for how long we may continue to live here. But I love a good plan so that is what I am sticking to until things change!
