5 weeks to transform 1 room = The One Room Challenge | Come see how I am transforming this bland and boring rental bedroom into a super-star themed baby boy nursery!

I am so, so, so excited to (finally!) be revealing our plans for Baby Boy’s nursery today! And what’s just as exciting is that I am doing so as part of the One Room Challenge! The One Room Challenge is the brain child of Linda of Calling It Home. It is a 5-week interior design challenge where bloggers from across the Internet transform a space from top-to-bottom in just 5 weeks. I have always loved following along this bi-annual event, constantly ooo-ing and aah-ing as participants work some serious design magic in such a short timeframe. But for us, the timing has never  been quite right to participate (we’ve always been just moving in or getting ready to move out!). This time around however, the timing couldn’t be more perfect! We are settled in enough that I am ready to work on a full room makeover, and Baby Boy’s arrival is just a few short months away! I thought the 5-week deadline would be a great way to get the room done in time for his arrival and fun for you guys to follow along in real time! We’re kicking off today with all the “before” photos and my design plan for the space. Each Thursday for the next 5 weeks, I will post progress updates here on the blog…all leading up to the final reveal on November 10th! Let’s get on with it, shall we?!?

Moving In

For those of you stopping by for the first time, we are military family and just moved into this home in San Diego, California back in July. Shortly after moving in, I shared that we were joyfully expecting a second baby boy at the end of the year. Even though I didn’t quite share so in our very first home tour, we were planning to transform the “spare bedroom” of our “new” house into Baby Boy’s nursery. Here is the room the day we moved in. It’s a 10×12′ room that has two windows and a small closet. It’s currently painted a very unflattering shade of khaki and has trim all the way around the room about 20″ from the ceiling. (Sorry these photos are so dark. The sunlight can be very tricky in here and these were the best I got before the moving truck was unloaded!)

We're moving into our 7th home in 11 years! Come tour this "blank slate" of a house...our home for the next few years!

We're moving into our 7th home in 11 years! Come tour this "blank slate" of a house...our home for the next few years!

As the movers unloaded the truck, we told them to put anything and everything that was baby-related into this room, knowing that we would eventually re-visit it all as we prepared for Baby’s arrival. So for the last few months as we settled in the rest of the house, it sat just like this: a random hodge-podge of baby furniture, other furniture, baby items, and random things we just didn’t find a home for. The closet was stuffed full of all the boxes and bins of Henry’s out-grown clothes; and all of Henry’s out-grown books, games, and toys were piled in the corner (out of view). It may not seem that bad in these photos, but it was a pretty big mess and tough to move around this room in general.

5 weeks to transform 1 room = The One Room Challenge | Come see how I am transforming this bland and boring rental bedroom into a super-star themed baby boy nursery!

5 weeks to transform 1 room = The One Room Challenge | Come see how I am transforming this bland and boring rental bedroom into a super-star themed baby boy nursery!

5 weeks to transform 1 room = The One Room Challenge | Come see how I am transforming this bland and boring rental bedroom into a super-star themed baby boy nursery!

5 weeks to transform 1 room = The One Room Challenge | Come see how I am transforming this bland and boring rental bedroom into a super-star themed baby boy nursery!

Getting Organized

So that we could get to work as soon as the One Room Challenge kicked off this week, I spent some time this past weekend sorting through everything that had landed in here. Excess furniture was moved to the garage, we finalized the placement of the furniture that is staying in the room, and I went through every last baby item we had in order to check its condition and quantity. Really worn/soiled clothes, broken toys, and un-needed items were all set aside; everything else worth keeping (which was a lot!!!) was re-boxed into logical sizes/categories and put back in the closet. With the clutter all cleared away, I was able to finally get a better sense for the space, layout, and light. Also, with all of the items now organized, I have a better idea of what kind of storage we need to add in here. Soo…here is where we are now…

5 weeks to transform 1 room = The One Room Challenge | Come see how I am transforming this bland and boring rental bedroom into a super-star themed baby boy nursery!

5 weeks to transform 1 room = The One Room Challenge | Come see how I am transforming this bland and boring rental bedroom into a super-star themed baby boy nursery!

5 weeks to transform 1 room = The One Room Challenge | Come see how I am transforming this bland and boring rental bedroom into a super-star themed baby boy nursery!

5 weeks to transform 1 room = The One Room Challenge | Come see how I am transforming this bland and boring rental bedroom into a super-star themed baby boy nursery!

5 weeks to transform 1 room = The One Room Challenge | Come see how I am transforming this bland and boring rental bedroom into a super-star themed baby boy nursery!

The Design Plan

As many of you regular readers know, I have waited a long time to design another nursery. But when it came time to finally get started, I was a bit overwhelmed with ideas and was having a really tough time picking a direction. One of the biggest things I learned after doing Henry’s nursery all those years ago was not to make the room “too theme-y.” Henry’s nursery, although cute, was owls from top-to-bottom (and I’m talking owls on curtains, art, toys, sheets, and more!) Since owls were literally on everything, it meant the whole room had to be re-designed when we were ready to move on. I swore to myself I wouldn’t do an all-out themed room again. But then I found this fabric:

Super Hero Kids Fabric Swatch

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There was just something about this Super Hero Kids fabric that I just loved – the colors, the theme, the design. Henry LOVED it, Greg loved it…and as much as I tried to move on from it, I kept coming back to it. Instead of fighting it, I embraced it…and now that some of the other room details are coming together (fabric, art), I am so glad I did…because the whole thing is just TOO fun!

My plan for this space is similar to what I did with Henry’s “jungle” bedroom in recent years: create a room that has a well-designed foundation, then layer in the “theme” through easy-to-change accessories. As such, this room will (hopefully) be a sweet and simple design that will last our entire time here…and the super hero theme will be brought in through the sheets and artwork. I don’t want to give away all my plans just yet, but here is where we are headed:Design Board for a Super-Star-Themed Baby Boy Nursery!Design Board for a Super-Star-Themed Baby Boy Nursery!

Super Hero Kids Fabric | Blue Plaid Curtain | Red Star Flannel | Grey Star Flannel | Red Star Minky | Blue Star Minky | Yellow Chevron Flannel | Grey Alphabet Flannel | Blue Chevron Flannel | Grey Diamond Flannel | Green Dot Flannel | Notable Hue Blue Paint | Superstar Wallpaper | Red Striped Wallpaper | Super Hero Alphabet Print | Super Hero Gallery Prints | Star Bunting | Star Mobile

Sooooo fun, don’t you think?!?!? I have been beyond giddy the last few weeks playing with so many different paint colors, wallpaper samples, and fabric swatches, as well as sourcing various decor items for the space. As things have started rolling in the door, my excitement has shifted into over-drive, and I simply can’t wait to see everything come together. I will be sure to link to specific products as I reveal them in the room over the coming weeks.

A Special Thank to My Sponsors!

In addition to coming up with some creative uses for basic off-the-shelf products, I am also super exited to partner with some fabulous Etsy Shops to outfit this Super Hero-themed nursery:screenshot-2016-10-05-15-10-08

Sproutjam is a really fun shop full of modern, vibrant and cool wall art. Not only were they kind enough to provide the super-awesome Superhero Alphabet print, but they are currently offer a discount to THIHM readers both in their Etsy Shop and on their website! Just enter THIHM at checkout to get 15% off your order!screenshot-2016-10-05-15-10-35

The Super Hero gallery wall prints were one of the first items I found for the nursery…and honestly, they shifted me from “maybe” on the super hero theme to “okay, we’re doing this!”  The amount of fun and unique art prints offered by Amy is unbelievable, and I can tell you first-hand the quality of the prints are exceptional. I can’t wait for you to see them all framed up!

screenshot-2016-10-05-15-10-20

A mobile is a must for a nursery, and I instantly fell in love with all the creative and unique options offered by Brandy in her paper shop. I was thrilled to be able to pick custom colors for Baby’s mobile, to perfectly match the colors and themes used in the rest of the room. Whether you have a nursery to decorate or a party you are prepping for, be sure to pay her a visit!

Ready, Set, Go!

And with that, I am ready to hit the ground running! We’ve gotten permission from the Landlord to paint (YAY!), so you can be sure I will be elbow-deep in paint and wallpaper this weekend! Fingers crossed all goes smoothly, and I’ll have a different color room to show you next week! In the meantime, be sure to check out all the other bloggers who will be participating this round by clicking here!orc-logo

I’d love to hear what you think and what parts you are most excited to see play out in real time! Hope you have a great weekend!

Megan Signature

See You Soon!
Megan