Bedroom | Operation Home

Howdy guys!! So, Lucas’s room has experienced a few tweaks since last we spoke. And seriously ya’ll. I spent almost no money. I purchased a little picture-hanger thingie for around $4 and the rest I already owned. I always feel so accomplished when that happens. It helps un-junk our other spaces and gives items new lives in the process.

So anyways, the last time I showed you his room I’d just revamped his new bed…

And if you’ll recall, a fan of the wooden drawer handles I was not…

They just felt a bit too “little boy room” for my taste. So, I simply swapped them out for some pewter metal drawer pulls that were given to us by a friend who was getting rid of them…

And these beautiful little metal bundles of glory made all the difference. I love swaps like this that take 5 minutes, very little money, and make a big impact. Now, the bed feels more modern and less “lodge-y”. Success is mine!

Now, for the desk portion of the room. If you’ll recall, it started off here…

And now is here…

All it took was some of that leftover gorgeous grey paint on the walls (Driftwood Grey by Glidden mixed at 75% saturation), and some navy blue oops paint behind the desk area. I also swapped out the white ceramic drawer pulls on the desk for stained nickel versions. And really, it’s not done yet. I’d like to add some lighting and possibly some pattern behind the shelves, and either revamp his chair, or get a new, more funky chair. Plus, I’d like to style the shelves differently once I get his room more organized. It’ll all come together with time. This, I’ve learned. Ideas grow with time. I am Yoda.

Here’s what that side of the room looks like with the door closed…

Behind his door, I hung some awesome art created by my mother-in-law Mac, then I added a neat, white cork-board/picture-hanger thingie that I found on clearance at Target. From that, I hung a Ninja Turtle bulls-eye game that Lucas got for his birthday. Instant “game-zone” if you ask me…

My last tweak in his room (for now) was adding curtains. These are the same curtains from his room in our last house…

Just cheap, simple white Vivian curtains from Ikea (I hadn’t hemmed them yet in this shot). I’m considering changing them out for curtains with a subtle pattern. Perhaps a grey on white or something to add interest without being too distracting. For now, though, they work. And they’re free, so they’re hanging. Eventually, we will see. Patience I must have. #Yodaknows

So, that’s where Lucas’s room is at now. I still have some wall-art projects I’d like to get to for above his bed and dresser. And I’d like to spray paint the weirdly-colored blades on his ceiling fan. Plus, organization. Oh, the organization. So, with that, I dub this post: To be continued…

I’ve literally been talking about getting Lucas a new bed for years now. YEARS! The bed that we’ve been using for him was a hand-me-down gifted to us from Joey’s grandfather. It was a simple metal bed frame with a trundle bed beneath. No headboard or footboard. Useful for sure and much appreciated, but very basic….

As functional as his bed has been, I’v been craving something a bit more stylish to help set the tone for his room. A good, chunky “boy bed”.

Back when we were in the process of buying our house, my uncle graciously offered up an old bedroom set that was previously used by my cousin Bryan. It was a simple, solid wood set including bed, dresser, and nightstand. For free. Um, Sold!

We didn’t need the dresser or nightstand in Lucas’s room, so we’re utilizing them in other parts of the house. But the bed, oh the bed. It was exactly what I wanted for him in terms of style and simplicity. The only issue was the oaky tone that didn’t quite jive with my plan for his bedroom….

I was originally planning to use Polyshades to darken the wood tone. I’d assumed that the pieces were oiled or finished with something that would prevent stain from penetrating without prep. But, after a little experimentation, I realized that the wood readily accepted the stain WITHOUT a stitch of prep work!!! Total miracle, right??? (Insert victory dance, circa the Snoopy dance from A Charlie Brown Christmas.). So, with that, I proceeded to apply 2 coats of Minwax Ebony stain that I had on hand….

I left about 12 hours between coats to ensure that the first coat was dry, thus allowing the second coat to fully penetrate the wood. Then, I applied two coats of ~~my newest obsession~~ tung oil following these steps. The result was a beautiful, ebony stain with a luscious, natural looking gloss. I really love that the tung oil lends a beautiful finish without any drips or brush marks. And it’s basically foolproof!! If you can wax-on you can achieve a beautiful finish. We’re total BFFs now. Me and tung oil. Picture us twirling in a field of daisies.

Anyhoo, the bed didn’t come with hardware, so we purchased some corresponding bolts and washers from Lowes. Then, we assembled the bed and proceeded to bask in its glow of awesomeness…

I’m ecstatic about how well the bed coordinates with his dresser. In these pics, the dresser appears a bit more red-toned due to the lighting, but in person, the two pieces coordinate perfectly….

A little before and after bid-ness…

REAAAALLLYYY Before:

Before the bed (after we changed the carpet and painted)…

And now…

Sorry about the insane glare in these shots… I’m planning to retake them in better lighting soon and post them to Our House tour page, so keep an eye out for that.

Another view… Before

After:

The bed is a total game-changer for this room. It’s streamlined and masculine with bonus storage beneath! It gives the space so much style and function. Plus, the bed is lower than his last, which means he no longer needs a step-stool to get in it. I’m changing out the wood drawer handles beneath the bed for stainless knobs to mesh better with the other furniture in his room, so I’ll post a little update once that’s done. Now that the main-players of the room are in place, I can focus on wall-art, his desk area, adding curtains and otherwise fine-tuning the space to bring it full circle…. And the fun can REALLY begin!!!! (Insert crazy cackle)