Dash's Room Glow Up - Enjoying the Small Things

Kids’ rooms have always been my favorite place to decorate. While we loved Dash’s room the way it was, it was in desperate need of a paint job (it hadn’t been painted since before he was born!). As all decorating projects go, when you give a mouse a cookie, she’ll ask for a glass of milk. We had to take the pegboard down to paint…which led to taking the chair rail off…which led to ordering a new quilt…you get the picture. The result: a complete room glow up. The good news is we reused a lot of what we already had. We just added some new things to it and changed things up for a fresh look. We all love his new room!

Before:

After:

The paint color is the MVP here–Sherwin-Williams 2022 Color of the Year, Evergreen Fog, a yummy grayish green that works well with the camp/lodge vibe of the room and is the perfect background for pops of red. The other star of the room for me is the awning. After taking the pegboard down, I wanted some other statement piece. I had an idea for an awning but wasn’t sure how to do one that wasn’t too complicated. Then I found this one on Etsy, made especially for two tension rods between cabinets which worked perfectly in this room because of the bookshelves. It’s so well made—customized to our dimensions and tension rod size, and includes a durable lining.

One of my favorite things about Dash’s room is that it stays clean and organized because it has so much storage—a place for everything! We added a roomy closet before Lainey was born (this room was originally an office that we changed over to a nursery). Plus, there’s lots of storage in the built-in bookshelves. I switched out the hardware on the cabinets and added black contact paper to the back of the shelves.

The globe light was inspired by While You Were Sleeping. I saw it when I was a teenager and made a note after seeing it in Lucy’s room that someday when I was a mom, my kids would have one.

The open bookshelves (two of these side by side) create even more storage for toys and books. I love having the toys accessible and visible. Seeing where everything goes makes putting things away easier (plus, it makes a cute display).

The little corner ottoman adds even more storage, plus a sitting corner. This one stores all the kids’ dress-up clothes. You wouldn’t believe how many Halloween costumes, wigs and princess gowns can actually be stuffed into that stool.

Wall art:
Most of the pennants are from Oxford Pennant (all places Dash has visited).
Explore Camp Flag
Swiss flag is vintage from Etsy.
Canoe painting is Christy Mandin.
Bossen Forest Digital Print (I printed mine 24 x 36)
M22 sign
Lake Michigan Sign (I bought this at Cutlers, downtown Petoskey, this summer)

My favorite wall art in his room is the horseshoe on the wall because it represents the most special memory and Dash’s great love, the horses of Mackinac Island. We took a carriage ride on the island last summer to our favorite hidden restaurant in the woods. When the carriage driver was leaving, he stopped the carriage for a moment because his horse had lost one of his horseshoes. He saw how enamored Dash was with the horses, so he gave it to Dash for a keepsake. We mounted it and added a brass name plate. It still smelled like horses up until a couple months ago.

Lake Erie Pennant
Gooseneck Industrial Wall Lamp
Red School Clock
Horse Paint by Numbers, eBay

Please note the pretend toasted marshmallows. Thank you.

We already had the down comforter (we have one on every bed in the house). I added this quilt which I love because it’s reversible—two different looks: this plaid on one side and a bold red Christmas plaid we’ll be unleashing for holiday bedding.
Other bedding: Boxter Plaid Sheets
Green Velvet Pillow Covers
Stripe Pillow Covers: Ikea
Wool Camp Stripe Pillow Cover