Bedroom Makeover for a Teen Boy & Spread The Kindness Link Up On the Edge #783
Three years ago, I began some bedroom painting for my children. It started with the blue nebula photowall installed in the “game room”. A few months later, I painted the attached bedroom that my kids shared in bright orange and yellow at their request. It looked like a box of crayons exploded on the walls but it was fun and cheerful and totally appropriate for my 9 and 11 year boys.
Last year, my niece came to stay with us for a few months and we converted the game room into her bedroom furnished with bunk beds borrowed from my neighbor and lots of feminine decor. We retained the blue nebula wall and purple and blue color scheme. When she returned home, my boys decided they no longer wanted to share a bedroom. So we separated their bunk beds and moved Ralph into the game room, still retaining the blue nebula theme. I even painted his desk to match.
My boys always wanted to share a bedroom. In fact, they even shared a bed until a few years ago. We had separate beds for them but they would always climb in together in the night so eventually we just got them a bigger bed to share. Once they outgrew that phase, we upgraded to bunk beds, eventually separating them completely when the kids were good and ready, which was around this time last year.
Once Archie was all settled into the orange and yellow room, he decided that he had also outgrown the juvenile color palette and requested that I paint his room again but in more mature colors better suited for a teenage boy about to start high school. His bedroom became my top priority during the summer so that he could start 9th grade with an updated bedroom.
He chose blue and gray as his bedroom color scheme and much to my pleasure I found both colors in the mistint section at my local hardware store. I always check out the mistinted paints because you can get them for up to 90% off the original price. Paint is expensive so I am not very picky about actual colors. If the color is close enough to what I want and priced at $15 a gallon versus $60 or $70 a gallon, I will definitely compromise in favor of the discounted price! Plus I generally do smaller painting projects so I mix my own custom colors using the paints I already have on hand. Mistints are the way to go!
The blue paint that I found in the mistints was a little bit lighter than Archie wanted so the paint service representative offered to make it a little darker for me. She added a bit of black paint and remixed it to the perfect shade of blue. The light gray mistint was fine exactly as it was. I only needed one gallon of each color so it cost me a total of $30 to repaint his bedroom.
Once the room was painted, Archie requested that I I also paint his mismatched furniture in darker gray so that it all matched. I started with his dresser which is an old Ethan Allen piece from the 1970s that was handed down to us from a friend. Rather than dragging the huge thing down the stairs and outside, I moved it into my bedroom and painted it on a plastic tarp. I usually lightly distress my painted furniture pieces but Archie didn’t want it that way so I left it solid gray.
Next up was his nightstand which is the original table that I purchased for his nursery when I was pregnant with him. This table has seen some action and was all scratched up and stained so it desperately needed a paint job.
Archie was really pleased with the new look. I didn’t even bother to make his bed for photographs because we still need to get him coordinating bedding which is on his Christmas list. I just picked up a set of gray sheets for him and he needs to choose a comforter as well. So for now, I just have photos of the room with his messy unmade and unmatched bed!
Once the room was completed, Ralph asked if I could paint his room as well. I told him the summer before he starts high school, which will be next summer, oh my god.
Have you repainted any rooms lately? I do enjoy the process but room painting is a big task and needs proper planning! This summer I need to tackle the kitchen and bathrooms.
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Keeping it on the edge,
Shelbee
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
I am a midlife woman, wife, and stay-at-home mother of 2 boys and 2 cats. I have a passion for helping other women feel fabulous in the midst of this crazy, beautiful life.
16 Comments
Steph@Crazylittlelovebirds
You did a great job repainting the room, and wow, the furniture turned out wonderfully. We have painted every room in our home. Now our girls are asking if we can repaint their rooms since styles have changed. Phew, painting is no joke, and you are so right, it definitely needs proper planning. Wishing you beautiful days ahead!
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Steph! My love of painting came from my mother. She was always repainting rooms and making us help her. Now it is something I love to do but it definitely is a labor intensive process! But it surely lets one’s creativity flow! I hope you have a lovely weekend.
xoxo
Shelbee
Pamela Graham
A big job Shelbee but what a great result and so worth it! We have painted so much in our time and the effect of a coat of paint is always amazing. Obviously appreciated in your house with the next one already in the schedule!
Pamela
http://www.style-yourself-confident.com
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks, Pamela! My mom was always painting rooms when I was a child and her passion definitely wore off on me! It truly is the best, easiest, and cheapest way to freshen up a room!
xoxo
Shelbee
Melynda
WOW, very nice. Very creative, you have a flare for upcycling! Which is my favorite way to change things up.
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Aw, thanks so much, Melynda! I love a good upcycle project or a room makeover!
xoxo
Shelbee
Di
Wow Shelby, what a fantastic job you have done on your boys’ bedrooms! You tackle these projects so well, one right after the other. I am glad you love to paint! You are so creative and handy, and I love that you are able to redecorate so beautifully using upcycled pieces. The rooms look so appropriate for your growing boys. Thanks for sharing your projects. I am looking at the linked up photos and being reminded of how far behind I am with holiday preparation’s! Must concentrate on Thanksgiving, first. Hope you enjoy your weekend!
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Aw, thanks so much, Di! I always remember fondly painting rooms when I was a kid. My mother was always giving rooms makeovers. I hope my kids have similar fond memories of my creativity. I am going to share my Christmas decor next week. I have been making lots of upcycled holiday decorations for my house and I am excited to share how it is coming along. I have the outside of my house decorated for Thanksgiving but the inside is looking like Christmas! Have a lovely weekend, my friend.
xoxo
Shelbee
Joanne
The room looks great! And what a bargain. I love the gray furniture. Thank you so muc for the feature.
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Joanne! I get really excited about cheap paint! The gray furniture turned out better than I expected and Archie is very happy with it.
xoxo
Shelbee
Marsha Banks
Oh, what a change! But, I love it, and the furniture just looks so refreshed and perfect in the room! I love to paint and am ready to paint Jack’s room already. We are thinking of doing something in the living room because it’s just one big boring rectangle of a room. I think we’re going to do what we did in the front hall of our last house…a faux board and batten with a slight shelf above. I keep trying to decide if I want to go with a darker green than what is there. But the room doesn’t get much natural light. And, you’re right about the price of paint! It’s just skyrocketed since the before times (as I like to refer to pre-Covid days). I hadn’t thought to look for mistints. I’ll do that now, though!
https://marshainthemiddle.com/
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Marsha! Archie and I are both really pleased with how this gray furniture turned out. Oooh, I like the idea of a shelved board and batten. That would be so pretty with a bit of extra functionality. Of course, I am in favor of darker green walls even with little natural light. Just add more lamps! I kind of love lamps. They are the perfect accessories to jazz up a room. I only recently discovered the mistinted paints and now I am all over it. I check it every time I visit the hardware store. It’s cool that they will adjust the color for you as well without any extra charge. They just can’t guarantee a specific color so as long as you aren’t picky about the color, it’s definitely worth the price. I recently picked up a gallon of mistinted paint for $15 that retailed for $90. Totally worth it!
xoxo
Shelbee
Nancy
Such a chill room now! Great job!
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, my friend! Archie is very happy with it!
xoxo
Shelbee
Rena
That room makeover turned out great. But the best compliment is, of course, how pleased Archie is with his new digs. Well done, mama!
Rena
https://finewhateverblog.com
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Rena, thanks so much, my friend! Indeed, Archie being pleased with his new room makeover is the best compliment! I just hope my kids appreciate me in the years to come! LOL
xoxo
Shelbee