In anticipation of his baby sister's moving into the nursery, we created a big-boy bedroom for my son.  Some of the items moved with him from the nursery; others were purchased new and one iconic feature, a reverse-stenciled dresser, was DIYed.As with many practical designs, we had several of the elements and had to figure out a new way to bring them all together in a cohesive way.  The items we had going into the design were the light fixture (purchased on a whim over a year before even thinking about transitioning the room), a hand-me-down train table, a set of sailboats and large, gallery wrap of a photo of the inside of a light house.  Rather than an all out theme, we tried to focus on layering various textures, vibrant colors and interesting patterns adding in additional 'adventurer' type details to round out what we already had.I love form but I need function.  If it doesn't serve an important purpose, than I keep looking.  This is evident in the storage bed, the reading nook and the fantastically modifiable FLOR tiles. 

- Natural, woven flat front roman shades with blackout liner in Lucia/Golden from Smith and Noble- FLOR tiles cut in 1/4 squares. Toy Poodle in Cloud, Sterling, Titanium, Fog and Rake Me Over in Clementine- Wall Color – Newburyport Blue, Benjamin Moore (white trim from previous owners)- Wide Stripe color block stripes – DIY  Made with Lenda Curtains from Ikea and Mimosa Panels from ZGallerie (no longer available in green). Tutorial on changing from tab-top to grommet top panels here- Dresser purchased off of Craigslist – Full tutorial on how to achieve reverse stencil look, including sources for decal and artwork: here- Globes – all from various Good Will and Thrift Shops in the Pittsburgh, PA area- Sailboat – Dartbrook Rustic Goods in Keene, NY- WPA Skiing poster with reclaimed wood frame – North Creek Designs - Cascading sailboat mobile from Pottery Barn Kids but no longer available- 60×24″ Canvas photo of inside of a lighthouse – Canvas4Life (photo by Miriam Z. Bradford)- Train table  - hand me down from cousin, but originally from Costco- 28×28″ floor cushion (custom size) – Etsy seller, Made by Zigzag- Straight and Narrow book ledges in white – Land of Nod- Telegraph throw pillow, Lean-on-Me Study Pillow and Skateboard throw pillow - Land of Nod- Beadboard storage bed and hutch – Pottery Barn Teen- Cars and trucks and bikes sheeting - Pottery Barn Kids (no longer available

, but they have other car options)- Brown gingham fitted sheet – Pottery Barn Kids- Full Circle throw pillow – Land of Nod- Elementary Comforter in Tangerine Regatta Stripe – Garnet Hill- Handmade Bear – Kendra Nordt- Tiny Transportation Trio Airplane - Giggle- Gearworks Table Lamp – Restoration Hardware Baby and Child (shade of unknown source)- Yellow and Blue Hanging Clipper Airplane – Pottery Barn Kids- Artwork from various Cavellini and Co. travel poster calendarsWithout questiondollar curtains hoppers crossing, my favorite item is the reverse stencil dresser.  hookless shower curtains ukI purchased the dresser from Craigslist and while it wasn't in horrible condition, it could have been cleaned up.  curtain rod finials lowes

Instead, I made a risky choice to create a ship decal and adhere it to the dresser and then paint over it and remove the decal.  bbby curtainsIt was the best decision I made in the room!curtain pole bay window b&qIt is much harder to have to work with what you have rather than just start with a blank slate.  studio carson blackout curtainsBut if you take your time and really think about how the items you already have can work together in conjunction with newly introduced items than you can really achieve a successful design.  chevron curtains kourtney kardashianAdditionally, no matter how pretty it is, you have to remember who will use it.  

Everything in this room is easily accessible to and fun for a two and a half year old, without looking like a typical kids room. A Minimal, Casual & Homey Brooklyn Abode Name: Megan Sekermestrovich and David Keller Location: Brooklyn, New York Size: Less than 1000 square feet Years lived in: 2 years, renting Megan and David have a little apartment with big windows. And the natural light that pours in from those big windows is one of their favorite elements of the apartment (although a personal elevator is a close second!). Most of all, they try to keep their apartment minimal, homey and colorful. One of the ways they keep their various apartment collections to a minimum is to clean out regularly and — with the addition of new things every now and then — donate as often as they can. They also have the sweetest pup, Tucker, who stole the show. You can see more of Tucker here: @tuckerthebasenji + #tuckerthebasenji are his official social tags. Our Style: I think our style is casual and homey.

Our space is filled with plants and wood elements, and a lot of meaningful objects. It feels warm and cozy, in a really airy way. Inspiration: I follow #ourtopangahome closely on Instagram, that space is a dream. The occasional home interior wormhole I go down on Pinterest is also highly enjoyable. Favorite Element: The natural light and outdoor space keep us here. We can never move! Biggest Challenge: Remaining minimal — we are always downsizing to keep the space as simple as it can be, while still upholding our style. What Friends Say: They are wowed by the private elevator and patios. Biggest Embarrassment: The dog kennel for sure. It's hard to make that look natural. Proudest DIY: Most of our art is self-made, from photos we've taken, to paintings, and handmade pieces. Biggest Indulgence: My pattern-making table is my biggest indulgence; it's also an indulgence on space. David's indulgences are his camera and whiskey collection. However, our dream indulgence is a credenza.