Yes, a lavender boy’s room. The previous owner of our house painted the new baby’s bedroom beautifully (for a girl). We really didn’t want to paint over the lavender and deep purple. What if we have a girl some day? Then we’d have to paint it all back again.
Many parents find themselves scratching their heads: how do we make this room work the way it is? Our idea was to use colors and theme in a way that would distract viewers from the purple-ness, and make it seem boyish. How did we do?
Step 1: Hung a boy’s hat and jacket on the closet door. That instantly said, “Hello, I’m a boy’s room!”
Step 2: Set up the bassinet (same one my mother used for me, and her mother for her…). My talented Mommy sewed a thick fleece lining with beautiful bright yellow fabric when Riley was born. That yellow plays off the lavender very well, as a complementary color. And since it’s the brighter hue, it gets the attention.
Step 3: Used a jungle theme! This was not the plan, but God blessed us with a free crib set in great condition. The colors went perfectly in a lavender room, since the neutrals and earth tones are muted and soft. The focus is now on what’s inside those pictures – cute, active animals, rather than on the color behind them.
Step 4: Hung up a light-blocking blanket. This quilt came with the set, but we don’t need it as a blanket (Jon’s talented Mommy is making a quilt for Baby #2!). So I used extra fabric from the diaper-holder I knew I wouldn’t use to sew hanging loops. Up it went, and it makes the room nice and dark for nap time.
Step 5: Set up the crib with the jungle bumper, and tied it all together with a gorilla. What says BOY better than an animal that makes lots of wild noise?
Step 6: On top of the jungle rug, added a rocking chair with a deep blue cushion. Yet another color that draws from the crib set and gets more attention than the wall behind it.
Step 7: Finally, took a pair of slippers that were worn through, cut out leaf shapes from them, wove jungle colors along the edges of the shapes to keep them from unraveling, and hung them up as vines.
That part was so much fun. I love recycling and repurposing things around the house!
The room is still lavender and deep purple… But boy, is it cute!
Our son may one day complain, “Why am I sleeping in a girly room?” at which point we’ll look into boyish colors.
But for now, the jungle animals, the mix of deep, muted, and bright colors, and the little boy touches here and there make it man-ish enough for me (and Daddy).
The Full Vine 