“Vintage Toy” Themed Nursery (Phase 1)

Over the past couple of weeks I have begun working in earnest on the nursery/shared bedroom for our little boys. 

When we built our home in 2002, we only added three bedrooms…a master bedroom plus two other bedrooms.  BUT, our home has a third story…a finished attic.  The third story also houses an office which is slowly being transformed into a walk-in closet/toy storage area.

Up until recently our third floor has been a guest room for out of town visitors and playroom for Mary and Ben.

 

As you can see…the treadmill hasn’t had much of a workout lately!  Ha!

The first step in the nursery transformation involved drywall repair.  Our home (which we adapted from a plan we saw in a home design book) is a traditional center-hall two story with a “farmhouse” facade.  The plan called for an additional 3rd story listed as a  “bonus” room.  Because of the enormous weight and pressure bearing down on the center of the home we have had issues with dry wall cracks and mud/tape splits.  This also occurred on the 3rd story as this room has its own heating and cooling system.  I think since it was rarely used over the years the heat/cold humidity/dry air took their toll on the seams where the walls met the ceiling.  So we had to get those seams repaired before I could paint.

Step two involved paint and wallpaper border.  Isn’t it amazing what a gallon or two of paint can do to a room?

The color I chose is “Paris” by BEHR from Home Depot’s Paint and Primer line.  (I was willing to spend the extra money on the paint plus primer as I was in no mood to have to do two separate paint jobs!)  I would call this French country blue, but I like Home Depot’s name better!  And even though blue is a “cool” color, I feel like it “warmed” up the space and made it feel so much cozier.

Since the babe and the big brother are sharing this space, I wanted to decorate with a theme that can grow with both boys, allowing Benjamin to feel like he was getting a “big boy” room while the baby was getting a “nursery”.  I know that many people would go with a “fire fighter” theme since daddy is a fire fighter, but that is just to cliché for me!  Instead, I decided upon a vintage toy theme.  I especially love the toys from the 1940s and 1950s and plan to decorate with many of them.  Oh darn…I guess that means I have to hit the antique stores and flea markets around town!

To add a pop of color to the walls, I found a decorative border that is “Vintage Alphabet Flashcards”.  Now, I haven’t used wallpaper or border since about two houses ago, but when I saw this, I knew it would be a great touch to the bedroom, not to mention a wonderful way for this teacher-mama to reinforce the letters of the alphabet!

And that’s where we stand.  I needed to leave the guest bed up for my mom and sister’s recent visit, but now I am ready to strip the bedding and call the movers.  I feel reallllllly bad for my husband’s co-workers (from the Fire Dept.)!  The bed is only moving downstairs to the 2nd story, but the treadmill and the television/entertainment story need to go all the way down to the basement…eeek…so not just from the 3rd story to the 1st story, but down one more flight of stairs to the dungeon!

After I get the furniture moved out, I have to get the carpet cleaners scheduled.  Benjamin and Baby Boy’s bedroom furniture has been ordered and DELAYED…aaaargh!  It was supposed to be delivered on May 24th and has since been rescheduled to June 22. I’m disappointed because I really wanted everything finished before we went on our June summer vacation.  I’ve got stacks of clean baby boy laundry ready for a dresser and nowhere to put it!

I guess that means that I have a bit more time to find the perfect bedding for Benjamin.  I am looking for something that will coordinate with the crib bedding, which is Vintage Fire Truck by Wendy Bellissimo  I’m thinking something in the plaid family, but have yet to find the perfect pattern.

(Photo credits: Wendy Bellissimo for Baby & Kids)

Looking forward to getting everything put together.  I’m using black as an accent color for lamps, shelving, letter names, etc. and can’t wait to get it put all together!

Wishing you all a great day,