The Plan to Finish The Boys' Room

It's been a couple of years since we've touched Miles' big boy room. We basically decorated it when we moved him out of the nursery, and haven't touched it since! Well, now that we will be moving Leo in there soon, we are putting some last finishing touches on the room. 

Here is where we left off:

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In terms of what we want to do next, we recently ordered two of these beautiful Millbrook Iron Beds from RH Baby & Child! I've had my eye on them forever and just love the classic style. I think they will go perfectly with the room decor and function well for years to come. Only downside is that they are on backorder until December. Boo. We also picked out these awesome sherpa throws (in navy!) on final sale! They are SO SOFT! Miles absolutely loves it. We are also going to move the tent up to the room to make it the ultimate big boy bedroom (we've had this one for a couple of years now). 

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I think that should be it and this room will be 100% FINISHED! I'm not sure I've ever been able to say that about any room in our house before - ha! Can't wait to share pictures when it is all done... In December! ;) 

Blue or Pink?

No, I'm not talking about the sex of the baby this time! (As I mentioned in this post, we decided not to find out the sex and to be surprised when the baby is born!) I am talking about IF we have a girl, should I decorate her nursery with blue or pink?

Obviously, if you've followed my blog for more than 5-minutes, you know I lovvvvve the color blue! Our house and our wardrobes all revolve around it! I could definitely see a beautiful, girly, blue nursery! Here is my vision board. Cute right? I feel like it is really unique and I love that!

However, I also love the idea of going with classic pale pink! There is so much blue in my world, it would totally be fun to go another direction for this one room! Here is my vision board for this color scheme. Beautiful, isn't it?

I should note, we are holding off on decorating the nursery for awhile! Obviously we have to find out the sex of the baby before we can do anything, but it will still be awhile after the baby is born that we actually decorate the room and move the baby into it. Eventually,  our plan is to move to Leo to Miles' room since we have two twin beds in there, and then the baby will go in the nursery where Leo currently is. But for now? Leo sleeps so well in his crib and we usually keep our babies in our room for at least 6-months anyway, so we are taking our time! (Our fourth bedroom is on the third floor and the perfect guest room, so we don't want to convert that to a kid's room just yet!) 

Anyway, what do you think?

All of this being said, if I had to guess, I would guess that this baby is a boy anyway so this whole post/survey may very well be a moot point! Ha! I guess that is totally part of the fun of not knowing though! :) 

Playroom Makeover - a "Boy Cave"

So, this room has had a LOT of makeovers over the years! (You can see photos of the progression of the space here!) However, we are ready to undergo yet another one to make it more suited to being a playroom for the little guys. In fact, we have been referring to it as the "boy cave!"

I've actually always felt a little lost about what to do with this space and how to decorate it, but now that we have a true purpose for it, my vision is finally coming together!

In terms of what the makeover actually entails, we are planning the following:

1. POTENTIALLY moving the leather couch to this room... We moved it here on a whim over the weekend and we love it! (However, now that living room is empty.. hmm... that is another post!)
2. Getting rid of the brown paint (it does not mesh well with leather sofa.. It makes the sofa look red, which I hate!) We will be repainting the room Benjamin Moore's Polo Blue. One of my all time favorite colors! You can see in the pictures I have already painted a huge swatch on the wall above the couch.
3. Replacing the curtains. I like the West Elm ones that are in there, but they are too feminine for the boy cave.  I am thinking I will go with these ones from Restoration Hardware Baby and Child. I already have a pillow in this fabric (see the picture below!) and I love, love, love it! (Anyone interested in buying the old West Elm ones off me? $25/panel for 6-panels!
    

For not a lot of work and not lot a big investment, we can really transform this room to make it more suitable for the role it plays.

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Overall I want to have it have a similar feeling to Miles' big boy room, pictured below. I love repetition in colors and patterns through the house, and having elements that tie everything together.

DIY Baby Gate

Our latest project was creating baby gates for the top and bottom of our stairs. I will preface this entire post by saying it was WAY more difficult than I had anticipated! Probably one of our most challenging DIY projects to date. There were a lot of steps and it took a lot of patience.

However, the gates are SUPER functional - life changing - and I'm so happy with the result! They look good and blend in with the style of our house seamlessly. Additionally, they are strong and sturdy. The store bought ones we used were so ugly and didn't fit well and I never truly had peace of mind. These ones are awesome. At the end of the day, they are definitely worth all of the hard work!

Below I have included a detailed list of the products and materials we used, along with the process we used to make them. (You may want to pour yourself a glass of wine as you read this! Lol)

Materials:
- Varathane wood stain (kona) 1 quart
- Varathane Triple Thick polyurethane 1 quart
- Kilz primer
- White paint
- 4 paint brushes and a rag or paper towels for the stain
- Wood glue
- 60 and 120 grit sand paper
- Door jam trim piece 32" long (find in the molding aisle, this is the trim that doors close against on the interior of a doorway)
- Cabinet hinges: Everbuilt oil rubbed bronze 2-1/2"x 1-9/16" (pack of two)
- Slide door bolt:  First Watch Security 2" oil rubbed bronze
- Oak boards:
(i) two 0.5"x 2.0" boards 11 ft long (for the posts, cut into ten pieces 2 ft long each, save a 6" piece for later, includes an additional 6 inches for scrap);
(ii) one 1"x 4" board 12.5 ft long (for the frame, includes 6" for scrap); and
(iii) one 1" x 4" board 32" long (install against the wall and attach the gate to it)

Power Tools:
- Miter saw (required)
- Power screwdriver (required)
- Table saw (optional)
- Power hand sander (optional)
- Router (optional)
- Nail gun (optional)

Optional alternatives provided in instructions

Instructions:

1) Measure width of gate, from wall to inside of stair railing post and subtract 1/2" for the wall mount
2) Cut two pieces to this width from the 12.5 ft board.  These are the top and bottom pieces of the gate frame
3) Cut two 24" pieces from the 12.5 ft board.  These are the sides of the gate frame.
4) Cut ten 24" pieces from the 11 ft board.  These are the gate posts.
5) If you have a table saw, use the table saw to make 1/4" tongues on the ends of each post and the ends of the 24" side frame pieces.
6) If you have a router, cut grooves in the top and bottom frame pieces where the side frame pieces and posts will go. It takes time to ensure that the frame is square and the posts are parallel and equally spaced apart.  Do not glue the pieces together yet.

If you don't have a table saw and router, purchase a pack of twenty 1/4" dowels with a cheap doweling kit (around $5), and use dowels to attach the posts and frame pieces.  This will be time consuming but a less expensive alternative to a table saw and router.

7) Sand each piece, start with the 60 grit, then 120 or higher grit
8) Stain and poly the frame pieces per the product instructions
9) Prime and paint the posts
10) Glue the side frame pieces and posts into the bottom frame piece
11) Glue the top frame piece on to the posts and side frame pieces
12) Install hinges to the gate.  If you have a router, install 1/8" recessed pockets for each hinge
13) Wall mount - If you have a router (and if desired) add decorative beveled edge to wall mount, otherwise leave it square
14) Use nail gun (or power screwdriver) to install wall mount
15) Use power screwdriver to attach gate to wall mount.  If you have a router, install 1/8" recessed pockets for the hinges in the wall mount
16) Close gate and measure where to install latch.  Follow latch installation instructions included with purchase.

As you can see on our upper gate, we had to get a little creative with the bottom of the gate in order to work around the stair molding. Essentially, we added an extra base piece of trim.

Whew! If you read that all the way through, God bless you! Love them, but a lot of work!