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When my boys were little ones, there was not the selection there is today with regards to clothes or room decor. If you didn't want to decorate with planes, trains, or automobiles, you were left with toy or t.v. related themes, or maybe nautical. Today the market has exploded with decor options and with the added allure of vintage decor schemes, you can have a lot of fun designing a room for the little man in your life.
I've said it before and I'll say it again, if my boys were smaller, one of them would have a vintage cowboy-themed bedroom. Unfortunately, I missed my opportunity and have had to relinquish much of the control over their rooms to them. So have fun while they are little, and don't be a "momzilla", trying to stick decals on their walls and hang cutesie curtains long after they reach that tween phase...
Have fun with lighting. Opt for something modern in design or use an exterior fixture. They tend to be more masculine in style and can be used in a variety of themes, especially nautical. If hockey is the style, hang their curtains from hockey sticks used as rods. If they love geography, frame a world map and hang three clocks set at different time zones above it. Add some vintage globes and a "wordly" theme is born. You can have lots of fun thinking outside the box with boy's rooms. The colours can often be bolder (think red) and the accessories more rugged. Scour flea markets for fun stuff like old oars, skis, skateboards (to be made into shelves), sports equipment, etc. I have even gone as far as taking a bare-limbed tree and hanging it from the ceiling, added fake bugs to it, and put mini lights in it for a twinkly night light. Cheap, easy and different. My little bug-lover was thrilled!
The most important thing to remember when decorating any child's space is that the child will grow up! Don't invest too much money on small-scale furnishings. Instead purchase beds, desks, and dressers that will grow with your child and have fun with the accessories and bedding instead. In my experience, boys are even quicker than girls to outgrow "baby" themes. They want to feel like big boys and will shun your attempts to style their space at quite an early age.
I've said it before and I'll say it again, if my boys were smaller, one of them would have a vintage cowboy-themed bedroom. Unfortunately, I missed my opportunity and have had to relinquish much of the control over their rooms to them. So have fun while they are little, and don't be a "momzilla", trying to stick decals on their walls and hang cutesie curtains long after they reach that tween phase...When decorating an older boy's space, try to incorporate a desk area, a comfy place to sit, and a display area for their treasures. This photo shows an excellent way to display those trophies
that they are so proud to have won, and they look more like wall art than clutter (which they only are if they are our husbands trophies...not our precious sons'). If you have more than one boy sharing a room, find their common ground and let it be a starting point from a decor perspective. If they both love to ski or snowboard, try adding 
accessories like in this room. If it is a shared sport they have in common, add tasteful nods to it and try to get them to agree to matching, or at least coordinating, bedding. If you are brave, and they are not too daring, give your son the option of choosing the paint colour. If you are not so brave, narrow the colour down to three shades you are o.k. with, and let them choose from there. Baby steps...
that they are so proud to have won, and they look more like wall art than clutter (which they only are if they are our husbands trophies...not our precious sons'). If you have more than one boy sharing a room, find their common ground and let it be a starting point from a decor perspective. If they both love to ski or snowboard, try adding 
accessories like in this room. If it is a shared sport they have in common, add tasteful nods to it and try to get them to agree to matching, or at least coordinating, bedding. If you are brave, and they are not too daring, give your son the option of choosing the paint colour. If you are not so brave, narrow the colour down to three shades you are o.k. with, and let them choose from there. Baby steps...
Have fun with lighting. Opt for something modern in design or use an exterior fixture. They tend to be more masculine in style and can be used in a variety of themes, especially nautical. If hockey is the style, hang their curtains from hockey sticks used as rods. If they love geography, frame a world map and hang three clocks set at different time zones above it. Add some vintage globes and a "wordly" theme is born. You can have lots of fun thinking outside the box with boy's rooms. The colours can often be bolder (think red) and the accessories more rugged. Scour flea markets for fun stuff like old oars, skis, skateboards (to be made into shelves), sports equipment, etc. I have even gone as far as taking a bare-limbed tree and hanging it from the ceiling, added fake bugs to it, and put mini lights in it for a twinkly night light. Cheap, easy and different. My little bug-lover was thrilled!Enjoy this opportunity to create a special room for your son(s). Include them where you think they will be of help, get them to draw and frame their own wall art, and if you are opposed to posters (as most mothers are), help them to create a collage of their favorite magazine pictures/posters and pin them to a cork board. They can change it at their whim, and you can feel like a cool mum who is showing their boys how not to decorate like the boys of old!!!
***next up...I will discuss how to create teen/tween friendly lounge areas to encourage your big boys and girls to bring their friends to your home...where you can keep a closer eye on them...!!!***
