Beach Themed Room Makeover

Who doesn’t love a fun before and after? Well, this young boy had the right idea for his room. As we all endure this very cold month of January, he will be enjoying every cozy moment in his cool, minimalist, beach themed room…

Anytime I work with someone it’s important that I get to know them and learn about their likes and dislikes. This boy was all about beaches and palm trees! Can you blame him?! Don’t we all want to escape to paradise? His very favorite colors are orange, green and black. Plus like most kids, he has a huge love for all of his stuffed animals and little crafts. What to do with all those stuffed animals…? I think we all have this dilemma as parents, right? Mom was excited that I had a solution!

After I collected all the info, room dimensions, favorite colors, storage and of course the most important of all, budget, I was ready to start planning and building that shopping list for Mom.

BEFORE

Step 1: Mood Board

 

Step 2: Room Layout

Originally we were going to have the dresser and the (tan) planks on the surf board be a natural wood color that matched the trim in the room. We ran into some challenges finding a perfect stain match, so we decided to make some adjustments and keep moving forward.

 

 

Step 3: Shopping List

I made a nice long list with links in an email and all she had to do was click on the link and order. It was that simple!

Step 4: DIY Build

Because Dad was so handy, I handed over my design plan to him. We learned quickly that strip board measurements are NOT actually accurate. When hardware stores or lumbar yards say 1″x 4″ strip boards, they really mean to say 1.125″ x 3.75″ strip boards. That can definitely mess up your measurements in a hurry. Gratefully, this was a simple design and Dad could handle the adjustments with no problem. After that, Mom painted it.

FYI- I’ll do a more detailed post on this DIY next week. 

 

Step 5: Pulling it Together

Here’s the AFTER!

His room needed to feel bigger, brighter and more fresh. I wanted the colors to work in two ways: 1) be fun, filled with character so all the little accents popped with personality and 2) feel relaxed (chill) and tranquil. I love how the orange pops perfectly!

I didn’t want the room to look busy or cluttered, so everything has a purpose and place. Note how his stuffed animals are stored and still visible under the table in baskets.

They already had the fun pirate ship, flag and chest so, of course, I had to incorporate them into the room.

After setting up the large palm decals, I switched gears and placed the birds next to pirate ship and I’m glad I did.

Grandpa got word that his grandson was getting a beach themed room, so naturally a bobble hula dancer needed to be purchased as a gift! The room wouldn’t be complete without it! Mom was happy to have a place for the rocks and shells too!

I love how the surfboard turned out! It’s a creative way to display fun photos and it filled the wall space perfectly. For some added fun he can drape some small LED lights around his pictures too.

Because black was one of the favorite colors, the black palm silhouettes added a nice contrast and weight to the room. I also really love the black stripes in the curtains!

His stuffed animals fit in with no problem! And, don’t you just love the chair?!

The bunting on top of his curtains is just hand cut from paper. A super simple way to incorporate more layers and color!

The dresser was originally black, but was going to be too heavy for the space. As I mentioned above, we talked about making it the same tone as the trim in the room, but that was going to be too time consuming, so it became a darker gray with painted black knobs. I think it worked great!

And finally, I couldn’t resist, but to add tropical colored silhouettes of fish in the belly of the shark. I mean it totally makes sense and adds a whimsical feel.

I love, love, love creating fun environments! So if you haven’t made a comment on this past Tuesday’s post yet, well, maybe you should and subscribe! I’ll be picking the lucky winner next Tuesday. This is just the beginning, it’s only going to get bigger and better! Remember the more subscribers I get the bigger the projects get, so share my blog with others! 🙂

Oh! and if you like what you see and are looking for some design help, let’s chat! Email me at mydailyshe@gmail.com.  You can live near or far. I’ll help you with a mood board, room layout, shopping list, maybe a DIY or two, I’m up for a large or small project and a fun challenge! Let’s talk and we’ll work out a quote together.

I’d love to hear your thoughts about the room! Feedback is the best way to learn and grow!!

XOXO,

Melessa