Kid's Room Makeovers: Part 2 - Owen's room

This was the view from our hallway into Owen's room. The double window is just to the left of the bookshelves back in the corner. His cool bunk bed took up half the wall.




For most of the three years he has had this bed, Owen slept in the top bunk. It was this past spring that he moved down to the bottom bunk. I suspect he found it easier to sneak out of bed to play with his toys or read books in the sunlight creeping in from the hallway. Yes, I said sunlight. We are wretched parents who kiss the kids goodnight by 8pm so we can have a couple of hours to ourselves.




And a shot of the armoire between the closet & hallway doors. See? Sunlight. This pic was taken close to 8pm the other night. Just wretched!




And looking in again from the hallway to blue walls with red curtains and bedspread. I had not originally planned on painting Owen's room, but thought he'd feel left out if they came home to find Chloe's room painted and his...not. So I pushed and needled him until he broke down from saying he liked his khaki walls to, "Well, maybe I'd like blue with red and black. Maybe. I dunno." And somehow, his room got re-arranged and the bed flipped over so it is no longer a bunk.




The bookshelves flipped over to the opposite wall and the quilt that my Mom made for Owen when he was a baby just shifted over a few feet.




I pulled my old rolltop desk out of his closet since the bed is not sucking up wallspace like before. Now he has a place to do homework, as well as a Pokemon card storage facility.




I like this picture wall, but need to get one added that includes my Dad with Owen (since he's got pictures with all the other grandparents). I bought new frames at IKEA so all the family pics would look better hung together. Not sure if he's too old for the other pictures of the rabbit, rocket ship and dinosaur, but I painted those a few years ago and admit I'm not ready to let go of him being my little boy yet.



I think Owen got the cooler room between the new color and furniture re-arrangement. I like all the pictures on his walls better now that the frames match and are hung in a spot that's easier to see. He also got a new little bedside light and table with two drawers. Very big boy stuff. I hope he loves his new room.

I have had way too much fun these past two weeks painting the kids rooms and thinking about their reactions when they come home. This will be a big surprise to both of them. I had planned to spend much more time on the torch during this quiet time with them away, but ended up spending the majority of my free time in their rooms.

It made me feel closer to them, the things they love and the smell of their hair on their pillows. It almost helped me to not miss them so much.

Almost.

In four days, they will be home again. I can not wait to throw my arms around them and smooch their little faces until they push me away. And then pull them back for more.

The kids have been asking us to move. Why? Because they're tired of this house and want new bedrooms. Chloe really wanted a pink and purple room. I fi

The kids have been asking us to move. Why? Because they're tired of this house and want new bedrooms. Chloe really wanted a pink and purple room. I figured the best time to make that happen would be during the 3 weeks they stayed behind in Minnesota to get spoiled by the Grandparents. That would eliminate any crying or stomping of feet over color selection and guarantee we wouldn't have Pepto Bismol Pink fighting with Vikings Purple on her walls. As a child, my Mom gave me the Pepto Bismol walls that I chose on a paint swatch, God love her. But as an adult, I vowed to myself I would not let that happen. So here are the before and after shots of Chloe's room.

Before, Chloe's room had green walls. All were a light green, with the exception of the window wall off to the right that does not like to be photographed because the lighting screws up my pictures every time. But it is the same green as the bookshelves/headboard I built for her at the head of her bed.


That is her closet door to the right of the dresser and the door to the hallway is to the left just out of view.



There is the rocker/recliner I love. It is so comfy and brings back good memories of Chloe when she was a baby, when I nursed her, and when she wasn't old enough to talk back. And also the quilt my Mom made for me when I graduated from high school. It is not safe from messy cats on a horizontal surface. I love that I could hang it up and still be able to see it every day. Mom put so much time, effort and love into making that quilt for me!




Now two walls are a pale lavender and two are a pale pink. I think the purple really makes the green shelves and her cool IKEA leaf canopies stand out better. There is a rainbow windsock hanging in the far right corner. She picked that out in a shop in Walker when we were Up North. The Cabbage Patch Kids on the left side of the shelves were my first and favorite two dolls as a child. I loved Lavinia and Laura to no end. I still think they are pretty cool and have learned to live with the fact that they will never be clothed again.


The purple matches one of the homes on the quilt. Not visible in this picture, but only due to distance is Chloe's artwork with a ball point pen just next to the calendar by the door. Her handiwork bled through a good EIGHT coats of lavender. Next time I will just use a little KILZ at the start and be done with it!


And a better view of the pink, which is also on the opposite wall with her two windows.