A few months ago, we decided it was time for Charlie to move from a cot to a big boy bed and I have to say, he has never slept better. His baby room was gorgeous and very calming but it didn’t really reflect the big cheeky toddler he is now, at two-and-a-half!
I didn’t want to buy a whole load of new stuff though, and I like to keep the boys’ bedrooms pretty simple and calm, for sleeping and reading and little else. That’s because we’re lucky enough to have a bomb site (I mean playroom!) where the fun stuff happens. All the colour, toys and mess are in there.
I sold the cot and dresser we had as a pair as they matched and it made sense. So I needed a new dresser and decided that would be the new statement piece to add some colour and punch to the room. I’ve loved bone inlay for a while and once I found out a bit more about Melbourne business Mahlia Interiors and their obsession for this craft, as well as sourcing it ethically, they were the obvious choice! I love the teal blue of this piece and it really makes a statement.
Talking of packing a punch with colour, the C artwork from Alphaberts does exactly the same. I absolutely love it, its particular ‘blueberry’ shade, and the fact it’s from another small business.
The bed isn’t from a small business, it’s from IKEA, and there are certain things you just can’t go wrong with from the Swedish giant (meatballs, for example!), including kid’s stuff. I feel like I outgrew the IKEA look for my big pieces a while back (after many years of buying everything there!), but it’s still my go-to for the playroom and kid’s furniture. At $99 for a simple, solid timber bed, you can’t go wrong!
The Noa Home mattress is crazy comfy. It’s so deep it’s probably a tad too high for the style of bed but hey, it works, and he obviously loves it because he sleeps so well on it. We went for their mid range The Noa Mattress; a hybrid of latex, memory foam and pocket springs. I still don’t know how they get these things in a box but there we go!
I absolutely love a classic stripe and the linen is IKEA’s BLAVINDA. I love that it’s reversible and chambray on the other side, made of cotton, and has a zip closure. Why don’t more quilt covers have this?! The well loved, hand embroidered Charlie pillow is from Little Willow Vintage and I often buy their name pillows for baby gifts. The cute marble side table is from REDDIE, who were kind enough to let me design my own customised piece. The blue powercoated legs look fab.
We haven’t changed heaps or bought a lot of new stuff. The brass Juno + Ace mobile is the same one that hung above his cot and the Milton & King wallpaper still works really well, as does the cream wool west elm rug, which despite being highly impractical, has survived unscathed thus far!
Books are definitely allowed in here and I love IKEA’s FLISAT timber shelves for those. We already had them in the playroom and they are a total bargain at $22 each. We also have a whole bank of TROFAST units in the playroom and I grabbed an extra one for in here because he does keep a few toys in his bedroom (blocks and soft toys). It’s also great nappy and wipes storage for now. The baby deer print is another leftover from the baby room and is from The Print Emporium.
The cute Mr Maria polar bear nightlight is from Bubster Store and it’s dimmable via remote which is great. The neon name light from Custom Neon is a cool decor piece whether it’s on or not. I’m a sucker for personalisation!
The navy velvet Brosa swivel chair gets played on a lot more than it gets sat on, but that’s okay!
I’m really happy with this room. It’s still very simple and calm but it’s a lot more Charlie than his baby room.
Photography: Jacqui Turk
SHOP THE LOOK
Wallpaper | Dresser | C artwork (get 20% off with code JEN20)| Baby deer artwork | Mattress | Quilt cover | Nightlight | Neon name light | Swivel chair | Name pillow | Nesting birds | Toy storage | Book shelves | Brass mobile | Side table |
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