Rowan's Room

Time for some photos of the only other child's room in my house that I haven't yet shared ... Rowan's room.  This was originally our guest room and while it was very handy for family members who live long distances away, it was time to transform it into a room for Rowan, since a new little bub was on the way.  It was also a good opportunity for me to start preparing the nursery for the new baby whilst I was in my crazy 'nesting' stage (well, that was basically the whole pregnancy, haha!).

Rowan is a very happy, energetic and inquisitive little two year-old, who particularly loves cars, utes and basically anything with wheels!  With that in mind, I decided on the 'vehicle' bedding as the starting point for his room.  From there I set out to create a modern, colourful and happy space for our little man - inspired by the lovely, bright, primary colours (blue, red and yellow) on the bedding.  I also wanted the room to be suited to his age - I like to decorate kids' rooms as 'kid' spaces rather than as 'grown up' rooms ... I figure kids are only little once, so why not make the room as inspiring and as much fun as possible for that short, precious stage of their lives?  While the furniture can be purchased to last for many years, the bedding, toys and smaller accessories can easily be replaced with 'older kid' stuff when needed.

Here's a peek inside the finished room ...

For my first little project, I took one of the pillowcases into Spotlight and selected some fabrics to match, then used them to make the bunting to hang across his curtains.  Such an easy way to brighten up a child's room!

The next step was the purchase of the furniture.  We decided on white timber complimented with dark-stained trim for Rowan's 'big bed' and bookshelf.  We already had the red ottoman in the playroom and decided it would be a great addition to the new room as a bedside table - it also doubles as a handy seat for Mummy and Daddy for bedtime story time!  Hubby and I made the wooden name for the wall above the bed.  

I created a little reading nook for Rowan in one of the corners of his room.  The cute child-sized chair was originally in the playroom, however I decided it was just right for this space.  The round mat is from Ikea and is great for zooming little wooden cars and tractors on!  As mentioned in an earlier post, the little old bookstand was rescued from hubby's work and revamped, now holding a selection of little books and old school readers from the 70s!

The blank wall opposite the window was in desperate need of some colour!  You guessed it ... just the spot for a tree!  I just love to bring elements of nature into children's rooms.  I couldn't resist another tree wall sticker from Mooo and out of all the trees I considered, this one was the best colour match for his room - I was actually able to select blue, red and yellow birds to fit in with the colour-scheme.  The owls on a branch with the 'Rowan's Room' sticker add a nice, personalised touch also.

The blue shaggy rug (which is sooo soft underfoot) was purchased online for a fantastic price - it actually looks brighter in the photos than it really is.  The toy baskets were a great little find from a discount store and hold wooden blocks and cars.

I painted an Ikea Frosta stool glossy white and added some inexpensive alphabet wall stickers to a bare spot on the wall between the built-in-robes and the opened door.

Finally, it was time to add some of Rowan's treasures to the bookshelf - toys are a such lovely way to add colour to a child's space!

I found the bird shelf-stand in a discount store for a couple of dollars and just had to have it!  Hubby spray-painted it blue to suit the room.  Isn't the owl clock gorgeous too?  It was gift from one of Rowan's aunties.  Also note the CD player on top of the bookshelf - essential for playing beautiful, soothing lullabies each night to help Rowan drift off to sleep!

 

Rowan was really excited to move into his 'big boy' room!  We were pleasantly surprised how smooth the transition from cot to the big bed actually was.  Now, we are just working on getting him to sleep through the night ...

Oh, and just in case you're interested, below is a pic of the room BEFORE the transition to Rowan's room.

 

VIBE:  Modern, Bright & Cheerful

SOURCE INFO:

Bed & Bookcase: Sleep City
Ottoman: Fantastic Furniture
Bedding: Spotlight
Bunting: DIY
Chair: The Reject Shop
Floor Rug: Ozsale.com.au
Small Round Mat: Ikea
Tree, Birds & Owl Wall Stickers: Mooo
Alphabet Wall Stickers: Cheap As Chips
Toy Storage Baskets & Bird Shelf Stand: Sam's Warehouse
White Stool: Ikea 'Frosta'
Bookstand: Rescued from Hubby's work
Wooden Name: DIY
Wooden Name Puzzle: Mooo
Squirrel Bookend: Cocoon Couture
Wooden Abacus: Bajo
Shape Sorter: Tupperware
Owl Clock: Gift
Metal Buckets: The Reject Shop
Soft Toys: Gifts