Both of our son’s have been pretty easy-going when it comes to their bedroom decor. When we moved into The Arched Manor, we re-used most of their bedroom items from our previous house, and even though it was functional, it did not fit the new space very well. Below are some shots of what it looked like:
Tristan is now entering that pre-teen stage of life, and his interests are changing and maturing, which is really neat to see. We wanted to give him a bedroom makeover that allowed him to express those interests, and also allow for a quiet space to read, write, and do his homework.
As we hinted in our Design Reveal Blog Post, the overall theme of this room is “space”, but we don’t want to oversaturate the design with space items that he may grow out of in a few years. So having decor that we can easily swap out was an objective of ours from the get-go.
This renovation project began in March 2024 when we announced his bedroom design, and construction has lasted through April and into May…but alas, we are happy to share final product with you all today!
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Accent Wall
Tristan’s room needed to be anchored by something big and something cool, so we used our Breakfast Room panel wall as inspiration and created a similar design on the back bedroom wall. For a breakdown of how we built the wall, including tools and materials, check out our Breakfast Room Reveal blog post.
The panel squares in this design are more square (and less rectangular), but are outlined in the same basecap molding to give it a finished, high-end look.
We used the color Iron Ore from Sherwin Williams in a satin finish for the wall. We used this color on a previous project, a home theater for a client, and we absolutely love it for this application in a boy’s bedroom.
We also had the opportunity to test out a new paint sprayer for this project that uses a drill to spray the paint! Read more about that in our post Turn Your Drill Into a Paint Sprayer – TrueCoat 360 Connect Review.
Built-in Desk
We originally wanted to buy a desk for this space – we spent hours trying to find one that we liked and that fit this area correctly. Ultimately, nothing was checking all the boxes…so we threw in the towel on this effort, and we decided to build one from scratch. We did something similar for John’s Office Built-ins, and they came out great, so we figured “why not do this for Tristan?”.
Now for Tristan’s built-in desk, we wanted to do this in a way that was both budget friendly and easily accessible for non-DIYers. So rather than order custom cabinetry, we purchased stock cabinets and a butcher block counter from Home Depot. And instead of spraying it with primer and paint, we used rollers and hand brushes.
We did add some cool features to these built-ins though. In one of the cabinets under the desk, there is a built-in safe with a digital lock…perfect for storing Pokemon or tooth fairy money.
For the desk top, we stained the butcher block a dark brown and applied three coats of Polyacrylic sealer. We left a spacious area for the area where Tristan will sit, and this comfortably fits a 24″ desk chair.
We built the desk all the way to the ceiling to get a true “built-in” look, and added some crown molding at the top to finish it off. For the hardware, we used the same hardware we installed in our basement bar, and the antique brass knobs are really good quality and shockingly very heavy.
This piece is dark, which means we needed some specialized lighting to make this pop. We ended up using a white COB LED Strip Light under the shelving. This is a plug-in tape strip that you can cut and custom fit to your space using a wire and clip kit. The unit is controlled by either a switch by the wire plug or a remote control.
Paint Color
The first thing you notice when you walk in the room is the dark color on the paneled wall. We went with Sherwin William’s Iron Ore in a satin finish. This is such a great color for a boys bedroom, and it brings a lot of depth and moodiness to the space.
For the walls, we actually first tried the color Nebulous White by Sherwin Williams, but after cutting it in, it looked too sky-blue. We then stuck with our favorite white paint color, Super White by McCormick, and that gave a nice fresh appearance to the rest of his room.
As we mentioned above, we used the same Iron Ore paint color for the built-in desk, and having the desk and the panel wall the same color and on opposite sides of the room, gives a nice sense of balance to the space.
For the bathroom door and the closet door, we painted them Black Panther by Benjamin Moore – the same color we have painted our other interior doors.
Furniture
Tristan’s blue tufted bed from our previous house was still in great shape, and we considered using it. But after the folks at Castlery told us we could have one of their storage beds, we knew we had to do it. They also provided some awesome nightstands as well, and we sourced a few other pieces of furniture that we’ll mention in more detail below.
Bed with Storage
The Dalton Storage Bed from Castlery not only looks great with its warm, beach linen fabric, but it also has three large drawers underneath to provide a ton of storage. For kids, hidden storage is like gold, and we plan on packing these drawers full of toys, stuffed animals, blankets, and other random things that we don’t want visible 24/7.
The bed came in 3 boxes and the assembly instructions were clear and concise. It did take us a few hours to assemble, but the time was well worth the quality that this bed provides. We went with the queen size bed and purchased a new 12″ Vibe Gel Foam Mattress to go on top. We have this same mattress on two other beds in our house and people always tell us how great they sleep.
Nightstands
The Seb Nightstands from Castlery are made from Acadia wood, and have a nice, warm tone. They perfectly compliment the beach linen fabric of the bed and the dark Iron Ore wall color behind. The drawers feel sturdy when you open them, and the felt lining inside is a high-end touch we were not expecting! The size of these nightstands is perfect, and the lamps we selected for the room fit nicely on top.
Dresser
Clothes storage is a must, and we found a high-quality, 5-drawer dresser from Wayfair that was reasonably priced. We were worried about the build quality, but let us tell you…this thing is solid! It arrived in one piece (no assembly required by us) and for the price, you simply cannot beat it.
Bedding
The first layer on top of any mattress in our house is always a waterproof liner. Any parent can understand that, but these are also great for all mattresses to avoid stains.
Next we used a Cotton Percale Microstripe Sheet Set from Hearth & Hand™. The small, subtle linear aspect of these sheets make it a bit more fun than simply white sheets.
On top of the bed we used a king size Heavyweight Linen Blend Duvet Cover & Pillow Sham.
Decor
We wanted the lamps to be on the masculine side, since this is a boy’s bedroom, and also sized correctly for the nightstands and headboard height. We found the Naseeba Ceramic Table Lamps on Wayfair and the gray, textured material works well with the color pallet in the room.
We also found a rustic steel pipe shelf on Wayfair that we will use to display some of the space decor and Legos. Below that shelf, we designed a reading area with a leather lounge chair, woven cube, and small lamp.
Neon Lighting
Above the bed, we hung a custom LED neon sign. We used a company on amazon.com where you can either pick from a handful of fonts/styles, or create your own design and submit it it to them to make. We opted for the second approach, and used Canva to get the look we wanted, and then messaged that over to the seller on amazon. Our sign arrived about 7 days later and we could not be happier with it! The light temperature is warm and bright, and we can dim the unit using the included remote.
We also found a really neat moon wall lamp from West Elm that perfectly fit our space-themed room! Above the dresser was the perfect place to hang it – the glow illuminates the space Legos beneath it.
Roman Shades
With the built-in desk being so close to the window frame, we would have a hard time fitting curtains on both sides of the window. So we opted for gray pull down roman shades instead. This room gets blasted with afternoon sun, so having a blackout lining is essential. These roman shades do a great job blocking the light, and we love that there are no cords to worry about (clean look).
Rug
The floor is the same hardwood (red oak we refinished to look like white oak) as the rest of our house, but we added the Grey Oregon Plaid Wool 9′ x 12′ Area Rug under the bed. We love the texture this brings, and the gray and black colors work perfectly in the space.
Other Odds and Ends
This room also updated door hardware to match the rest of our house. We installed New York door plates and knobs in the Antique Brass finish. The ceiling fan also was replaced to a new 52″ Black Ceiling fan with remote. We also swapped out the outlets in this room to remove the off-white (dingy) outlets.
For the panel wall and desk area, we used a black decora style outlet. For the white wall areas, we used a white decora outlet. This is something we are slowly doing throughout our house, as it gives an updated, clean look.
Final Thoughts
It’s been such a fun experience designing and building this space, and our son Tristan is going to love it. This will be a room that will grow with him, and we can swap out decor and furniture as his wants/needs mature.
The only problem we have now is that his younger brother Charlie is going to want a room renovation!
