Jackson America's Bedroom

In this new house (the third home we’ve owned) we decided that we are going to pull the trigger on projects. In our last two homes, we did a lot ourselves, or we opted to wait and wait and never ended up starting a project due to time, budget, whatever.

Not this time my friends. We are getting. things. done. I knew I wanted to tackle the boys bedrooms first so they could feel special and excited in their new space. We may not have couches, but Jax has a baller crash pad, LOL.

Design:

Jackson is five. He is very much into sports, and he is my “serious” child. Before we moved, we would scroll through pinterest and screenshot styles they liked. We stumbled upon this epic wallpaper and that instantly sparked the idea of “vintage sports” in my mind. I was worried that it would be too yellow. But also, it’s like, really expensive.

If I wasn’t so budget- conscious, I would have splurged for the exact wallpaper … but let’s face it … he’s five. I told him it was only a picture of wallpaper, and not something we could actually buy (I lied, sue me). But we (me) designed the room with that wallpaper as inspiration.

Wallpaper:

Jackson picked this paper out of three mom-approved options. The one we bought is gray/white (linked above). Fun fact - it’s textured! It doesn’t feel exactly like real brick, but a little bit!!

*tip: find a local wallpaper store - they can likely get better prices for you. We did this paper through allan funks and it was $24.99/double roll (and the home depot price that is linked is higgghhh)

wallpaper lesson: unless you are a superhero whose superpower is patience… hire a professional wallpaper installer. David and I have wallpapered once in our life … and it was one too many.

*note: our installer charge $25/roll. Not too shabby right? Keep in mind, most places sell “a roll” as a DOUBLE ROLL. I physically purchased 9 rolls of this paper, but it was in fact EIGHTEEN rolls in the eyes of an installer (I died inside a little when I realized this). To me, it was still well worth it - he installed in about 1/2 day … cleaned up his mess, and it’s perfect. You cannot see one single seam (and that would have never happened if it were up to David and me).

FURNITURE:

Desk: I love this desk. In an ideal world, the shelves would be closed drawers, so I don’t have to look at all of the legos he typically keeps there, but this piece is the first thing you see when you walk into his room, and I wanted open shelving so it wouldn’t feel so heavy as you walk in. It’s a beautiful solid piece. Easy enough to put together (my mother and I did it with the help/distraction of my 9 month old). The drawers open and close like.a.dream.

*note: the top of the desk is not smooth, there is definite texture & space in between planks. He will have to write on top of a notebook (instead of having a piece of paper directly on the surface).

Nightstand: This was a pain in the neck to put together (which is why I didn’t do it … thanks David!) But I love the “locker” look. Jax keeps a butt-ton of books in the cabinet, that are not categorized or neat. And I don’t even care because I can’t see them :)

Decor

frames: vintage soccer, basketball & football frames are a few years old from Hobby Lobby. They aren’t listed any longer, but you may be able to find them in the store. The brand name is “mercari”

leather punching bag: OMG. My favorite part of the room. I told Jackson about this too early. Because once I figured out that the “original wallpaper” wasn’t happening … he was still dead set on having a punching bag in his room (which is why I expanded the theme into general “sports’. These can be expensive. And I’m drawn to the camel colored leather (there are lots of dark leather ones that didn’t fit the space as well). I love this one. Great quality, and they shipped fast. The one we have is 40 lbs

wood deer antlers: find from Sarasota Salvage (fun fact, we had our rehearsal dinner IN this warehouse. It was pretty epic. One day I’ll recap our wedding since it was wayyy before the days of instagram & pinterest). David burned the whole head + antler to “beat it up” a little. He used one of those little camping torches.

metal deer antlers were a christmas clearance item I picked up from HomeGoods

blueprints: we had these in Jackson’s old room, but I love them just as much in the new space. I usually find something amazing at Restoration Hardware, and then immediately head to etsy to see if I can find a less expensive replica … 9 times out of 10, I strike gold. These prints here inexpensive. PS I typically print all of my prints with persnickety prints and have never been disappointed

frames: If you haven’t discovered ikea frames yet … get on that train. I like them because they are big, lightweight (so if they get hit with a ball and crash down, no one gets hurt-ish). I have the RIBBA series of frames all over the house. I like how thick and modern/boring the frames are :)

vintage lacrosse sticks & vintage tennis mirror: from Americas Mart … a store called “Golden Oldies”

Vintage Fencing Mask Edison-Light Lamp: I loooovvvveeee this thing. David deserves credit for finding it in the treasure/junk store that is “Golden Oldies” at America’s Mart *pro tip- you can wheel & deal pricing there :). Here is a similar version (but please note, I did NOT, I repeat, I did NOT pay this price. I believe we paid $75)

Vermont Teddy Bear: all of my boys have them, gifted by my Aunt (a Vermont native). They are the best!