Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Little Boys' Rooms
I thought in many ways it would be more difficult to do a roundup of little boys' rooms that I love as opposed to little girls' (see HERE for last week's installment), but once I got going, I found a ton of wonderfully inspiring spaces that tow the line perfectly between a mother's desire to decorate and a boy's desire to be, well, a boy. As with the girls' rooms, trends did tend to emerge. Firstly, bunkbeds and twin beds appear to be very popular in boys' rooms -- is this because little boys share rooms with their brothers more often than little girls do? Or is it just because there's an inherently pleasing symmetry in two beds? Another trend I noticed is that little boys rooms tend to be more theme-y than little girls (unless you consider "princess room" a theme, in which case, you got me): from jungles to ships to circuses, boys rooms seem to veer more towards a specific motif.
That said though, I do love this decidedly un-themey room by Amanda Nisbett. The touches of bright orange-red are wonderfully crisp against the white, while the oak furniture lends a warmth to the space that it might otherwise lack. And those monogrammed pillow cases? Yes please!
Navy and white stripes are a particular weakness of mine, especially when paired with orange. The Jonathan Adler giraffe lamp is also a personal favorite (and on my wish list for the nursery!). The seagrass rug brings a great organic texture to the otherwise modern space.
A nautical theme is a popular choice for boys rooms -- and I love the colorful, graphic punch that traditional nautical flags can lend a space grounded in navy and white. Note here how the attic roof resembles an overturned ship, further enhancing the theme. The sunny yellow paint pops against the white trim and beadboard as well as the crisply painted white floors.
There are quite a few examples of red, white and blue boys' rooms floating around the Internet -- and little wonder as the palette is preppy and timeless. Here, Palmer Weiss's iteration brings a further crispness to the palette by repeating a subtle square motif throughout the space.
There's a wonderfully natural, undecorated look to this bedroom -- this looks as though boys might actually live here. I love the playful illustrations hung across the back wall, sandwiching in a British flag.
And unlike in my quest for girls' rooms, I found a number of boys' nurseries that I found inspiring:
And unlike in my quest for girls' rooms, I found a number of boys' nurseries that I found inspiring:
I love this picture in part because I think it's such an adorable moment between a mother and her children -- but I also love the decor. The grasscloth wallpaper and pale blue bedding are classic coastal choices, punched up by the playful addition of that ark print (which is gorgeous) and the colorful throw pillows. All in all, a great balance between kid-friendly and designer-friendly.
This nursery bedding is from Serena & Lily, and a strong contender to go in my own nursery. But what I really want to know is: wherever did Kristen get that adorable elephant box pillow? I want. I also love the wainscoting, an elegant touch to a playful space.
The circus pattern on the walls reminds me of the Serena & Lily bedding that Kristen used, writ large. I love how seamlessly the valence continues the stripe tent.
Jungle themes are popular in boys' rooms, but I think they can easily be overdone. Sally keeps it simple with khaki walls and classic, masculine furniture.
Jenna Lyons via Domino
Proof positive that black can work beautifully in a bedroom, especially when paired with lots of white and yellow.
Marianne Strong, designer and blogger behind Haven and Home, did her own riff on Jenna's black, yellow and white nursery. I love how the pops of red bring in a more playful element and how elegant the art over the crib is.
This nursery just makes me smile (and crave some oranges!) -- and it's the perfect example of how white walls can be the perfect backdrop for some seriously big color statements. Note too how just a few big, bold statements (like the wall decals and curtains) can make a huge impact and avoid the cluttering effect of lots of smaller moments. This is especially key in most children's bedrooms as (a) they're often small and (b) they'll quickly be cluttered by toys, books, etc.
Sarah Richardson
Sarah's design show (Sarah's House) on HGTV is one of the few my husband can tolerate watching -- and there's good reason for that: Sarah is really, really good. I particularly loved the nursery she designed in the mid century back split she renovated back in season 2. It's quiet and peaceful and in many ways very traditional, but the mix of fabrics is so clever and sophisticated, that I really think it elevates the room to truly special. I also love the whimsical alphabet she propped up along the plate rail (which is a great opportunity to display pictures, objects, etc. well out of the reach of tiny tots).
The feature wall is inspired by the alphabet DwellStudio bedding (a favorite print of mine that is, alas, not currently in production) and it is, to quote Fergie, "F-A-B-U-L-O-U-S". I'm not sure I have the patience (or the steady hand) to pull this off myself, but I love it. The Thomas Paul rug is a wonderfully adult option that coordinates without matching.
P.S. - Don't forget that there's still time to enter to win a copy of Mary McDonald's new design book!
P.S. - Don't forget that there's still time to enter to win a copy of Mary McDonald's new design book!
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21 comments:
oh, man. you just contributed heavily to my "maybe i'll need it someday" file. OBSESSED with that yellow ceiling...and also with the lettering walls. done and done.
thanks for the inspiration!
i really love these boys rooms. boys can be fun too. ;)
Seriously, if I had to decide on only one type of room I could do from this point on it would be kid's rooms...they offer endless opportunities to be creative! Great examples! Janell
So many fun boy rooms!! The Kristen Buckingham room is wonderful...
These are all really great examples! I couldn't choose a favorite...each one has something very appealing!
I love roman shades...but especially in a kids room for safety and a great place to inject color or pattern.
I just love the blue and orange combinations. They feel so fresh, yet still like a boy's room.
I LOVE doing kid spaces! My fav is the Kristen Buckingham room! It is part of my inspiration files...I can't wait to find out what you're having!
Oh this is so cool!!!! Thank you for including me!!!!
Averill,
I love your photos and ideas! One word of caution--I noticed many of your photos of cribs show bumpers. Those have caused several suffocation deaths and are now no longer recommended. http://babyproducts.about.com/od/recallsandsafety/a/bumpersafety.htm
Just wanted to make sure you knew.
Can't wait to see photos of your baby and the whole happy family! E & D
The Kristen Buckingham room is definitely my favourite as it is obviously a boys room, but doesn't rely on any obvious colour or gender stereotypes to make it so.
Each picture made me wanting to move into those rooms. I LOVE them! I can not wait to see what you do with yours - and to hear whether you're having a boy or girl. I think that giraffe lamp will look awesome for either! And I really want to put twin beds in my kids room when they're out of their cribs/toddler beds! Fabulous post Averill! Love the eye candy!!!
Oh I love looking at a boy's room, maybe because my only child is a boy.
Nice collection of such rooms and someday when the time comes to redesign my son's bedroom these images would definitely be revisited and remembered. Thanks for sharing:)
Wow! Those are very inspiring boy rooms. Love the cute little pig, cow, and monkey art over the crib in the Kristen Hutchins nursery.
-Rene
I love #2, #4 and the Jenna Lyons nursery!
Cute! Love the Palmer Weiss room!
xo - jami
i m a g i n e
I love each and every one of them! How is that possible?
I love that nautical room at the beginning! I wish I'd seen this roundup when I was planning Junior's room - there's great inspiration here that I will keep in mind for house #2 when he's a bit bigger. One thing to take note of is that babies see high-contrast colors first, so a bunch of soft colors together won't be interesting to them. That's why navy and white, or black and yellow, are great choices.
Nice. Girls don't get all the fun.
Such fun each & everyone Averill. My heart belongs to the Buckingham designed room but runners up at tugging my heart is Kimberly & Nisbet's. As for our talented friend Marianne, she recreated a stellar nursery using Lysons' version making it her own.
The excitement is in the air. Planning a nursery (& especially these times) is incredibly fun. No more tragic themed rooms, stereo types. Hope you are feeling good my friend. Have a restful, fun, sunny weekend!
x Deb
Averill the curtains in the bright green striped on the bias is a winner and a great jumping off point, love those!!!!
Great design inspiration. In regards to the twin bed thing, unless you want to purchase a new bed frame once your son is older (around middle school), twin beds are usually too small for pre-teen and teenage boys. If you go for a full or larger right away, you won't have to replace the frame. A tiny cost saver. Just a thought from another mom of a boy.
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