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Designing A Big Boy’s Room

My youngest son is turning three and is no longer a baby, so of course it’s time for him to have a big boy’s room. We loved his Thomas The Train Toddler bed and train themed nursery, but he’s seriously outgrown it, and so we recently realized it was time for a bedroom makeover from toddler bedroom to a Big Boy’s Bedroom! Here is the little bed he currently sleeps in, in a room with a dresser and nursery room supplies:

nursery toddler room makeover

He barely fits in that little bed, he is potty trained, and no longer a fan of stuffed animals, so nothing was really a fit for his lifestyle anymore. He is now a boy who loves outer space, picture books, playing with action figures with his big brother, and building toys that let him get creative. He needed a space for a growing, creative, active boy, so we turned to Raymour & Flanigan with the mission of finding him the perfect Big Boy Bedroom.

When I was shopping at Raymour & Flanigan online I loved the beautiful Kylie collection, but after using the Design Center on their site to lay out a bedroom based on the room’s dimensions, and after visiting in person to see the furniture, I realized the style of the Kylie collection wasn’t right, and he’d outgrow this set pretty quickly. We wanted a bedroom set for boys with longevity, because we probably aren’t going to get him another bedroom set while he is under our roof. Raymour & Flanigan has a tab for Design Your Home on the top right that let us lay out the kids furniture and decide what we needed, and had room for:

youth boy bedroom design center

After perusing Raymour & Flanigan in person, with the help of sales associate Anthony, I fell in love with the Essence Collection, a dark merlot wood furniture collection perfect for a young boy from elementary school into his teens with lots of room, features, versatility. After I laid it out in the Home Design app we saw that it was a perfect fit. We chose the twin slat bed (the collection also offers the alternative panel bed for a totally different headboard style), the matching Essence Night Stand with Touch Lighting (including a 3 stage dimmer), and the Essence Bedroom Dresser with Vertical Mirror (also has lots of unique features I can’t wait to share once it’s in our home). Anthony helped us select a matching book shelf by taking a drawer from the Essence youth bedroom collection over to the book shelves so we can coordinate the colors and wood grain.

raymour flanigan shopping experience
essence boys bedroom raymour flanigan
essence boys youth bedroom raymour flanigan

We also ordered the most awesome trunk ever! It’s actually a versatile coffee table trunk with storage, but it’s so vintage and cool looking, it evoked images of explorers, pirates, wizards…so many things that were just right for an imaginative boys room, so we had to have it. It can house toys, clothes, science experiments, booty found on adventures…and we know this storage trunk, along with everything else we picked out, will all fit because of the Design Center. There were a lot of other things we loved, including distinctive decor for a boys bedroom that fits the overall theme we are looking for.

boys room decor
boys room clock bike
boys room vintage decor

I actually think I’m going to end up adding the vintage globe and set of transportation hobby models to his room, they are so perfect for little boys!

Stay tuned for our Big Boy Bedroom makeover, it’s happening soon and I can’t wait to share the “Afters”!

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  • Anne

    It’s so exciting and sad when the little ones get too big for their rooms.

  • TerriAnn

    I love that rustic feel. Seems like your son is going to have an amazing room!

  • Kait

    I love the colors of the furniture! And those vintage type of artifacts!

  • Andrea Kruse

    I can’t wait to see what you create! I have a 7 year old who is ready for a big boy room make over. Actually, my 5-year old daughter is almost ready, too. So many choices.

  • Jenn

    Hubs would want that deer lamp for our living room!

  • Crystal

    It was so hard to admit my little boy was growing up! The transformation to a big boy is so much fun though. I can’t wait to see how your room transforms for your little one.

  • Colleen

    I love that bicycle clock, and I agree with your choice of furniture.

  • HilLesha

    I love the vintage tone of the decor. That bedroom set is also beautiful! 🙂

  • Tammy

    We thought we weren’t going to get another bedroom set for our daughter when we transitioned her from her crib to a bed either… LOL – ends up she went from her twin bed to a Queen sized bed 😉 When she was 10. I can’t wait to see what you picked for Little Man though – I love seeing themed rooms for kids – its all about the imagination and comfort for them so they feel like their room is their happy place 🙂

  • Jenn

    Aww, it’s fun but hard when they move away from stuffed animals and little beds!

  • Donna

    My son is 12 and we updated his room when he was 9 almost 10. I guess next year we will make it even older, once he is a teen. Sigh. I can’t wait to see what you do with his room!

  • HilLesha

    I can’t wait to see the big reveal! 🙂

  • Raijean

    I love this, I need to update my sons room. I’m going to check them out!

  • Liz Mays

    Now you’ve got me all excited about your room makeover. I can not WAIT to see what you did!

  • Matea

    I hope you’ll enjoy decorating your little one’s room. That is waiting for us this spring, as my boy also is three and we have to decorate his room accordingly. No more teddy bears :). Good luck, I’ll follow your progress 🙂

  • TerriAnn

    We never really did too much decoration for my daughter’s room but I wish we had. There’s so much cute furniture and decor these days!

  • There are! It is such a fun process, picking out just the right pieces.

  • Valerie Remy-Milora

    What a lucky young man you have! I love the vintage feel you’ve chosen. It feels timeless. I’ve always loved vintage globes. They are such a fun, educational piece that are an open invitation to dream …

  • Vanessa

    It’s such a bitter sweet thing when you have to switch out the furniture cause they grow up. They grow up so fast.

  • Courtney

    I can’t wait to see the big boy bedroom makeover! I love R&F, they’re quality is better than all the other furniture stores we’ve purchased from. I spy honest diapers!! We use those too 🙂