surf’s up nursery

My home renovation is complete, and it’s time to start decorating! The entire reno ended up costing more than expected (big shocker) leaving me with a less than ideal decorating budget. However, this is not an obstacle. In fact, I think a strapped budget can actually be a good thing. It pushes you to be more creative and think outside the box.

I decided to tackle my youngest son, Milo’s, room first. Since we’ve had so much change over the past year, I wanted my boys to have a fun space to call their own as fast as possible. Here is his room when we purchased the house.

Before: During the renovation, we got rid of the pinky beige walls, textured ceiling and dated ceiling fan. I had the walls painted a bright white (Sherwin Williams Snowbound). I decided to leave the carpet. While it wouldn’t be my choice, it was installed by the sellers right before we moved in. With 2 little boys, I am not about to replace new, relatively basic carpet for aesthetics. After these changes, I basically had a blank canvas.

Originally, I thought a robot theme would be cute, but it just wasn’t coming together. Which brings me to one of my decorating rules: don’t force it. For me, the best designs come together organically. If it’s not working, take a step back, and start again by picking one item that speaks to you.

I was at Goodwill one day when I spied a surf board shower curtain in the original Target packaging -Goodwill frequently gets Target rejects. The colors were bold and the print was fun. The price was also great – $7. I immediately thought it would make a great piece of art, in fact it would be perfect for Milo’s room. My husband and I already joke that he’s our little surfer dude, because of his chill demeanor. The thrift universe had spoken – Milo would have a surfer-themed room. I let this one piece be the catalyst for the rest of the room.

To make this shower curtain a piece of art, I would need to transform it. I devised a plan to wrap the shower curtain around a large frame or canvas which seemed pretty simple. I began hunting for a large piece of art, but I couldn’t find anything even half the size I needed. At my local art store an extra large canvas was going to cost me at least $150.

A canvas is really just 4 pieces of wood and some fabric, right? I already had the fabric, so I asked my hubby if he could make a large frame. He agreed and set off for home depot where he purchased four pieces of wood for under $10. We measured out the size of the frame (with the help of my oldest son, Maxwell), then cut the wood to the appropriate lengths, and attached the corners. He handed off the frame to me for part two of the project. I wrapped the canvas around the wood, and then secured it using a staple gun stretching it as I went, so the surface would be taught. Finally, I trimmed the extra fabric off. The result is a colorful, fun, larger than life piece of art! It’s also very kid friendly because it’s extremely light weight and soft i.e., it won’t injure anyone when it inevitably gets yanked off the wall by tiny hands.

After: I encourage you to hunt for a fabric (or shower curtain) that speaks to you, you can still buy this exact one from Target here.

After my surfboard center piece was done, the pieced together the rest of the room. Before I shop at a traditional store or even a thrift store, I ‘shop’ my own stuff. Which brings me to my second point, if you have storage space, don’t be afraid to collect things! I ‘shopped’ in my storage boxes piled up in the garage pulling out anything beach-y or useful for the space. After exhausting my inventory, I purchased a few new items to finish the space. All the thrifty (and some new) details are below.Ikea Gladom side table // I love this little light weight table especially the lip for spills. It’s only $20.

Ikea Malm dresser // This piece takes forever to assemble, but it’s worth it. It is a VERY sturdy piece of furniture with tons of storage space. And it’s only $200. If you are into ‘Ikea hacks’ this is the great starter piece. Search ‘Ikea Malm dress hacks’ on Pinterest for ideas.

Crate & Barrel Milo rocker // First, I did not realize that this was the ‘Milo’ rocker until writing this post. If you would have asked me yesterday, I would have told you that his name just came to me one day. I guess not! Anywho, this was my major splurge item at $1,300. However, I have used it for both kids, so I can cut the cost in half, right? It is so very comfortable and rocks / swivels effortlessly.

Target Wall Tapestry // This retails for $55, but I found it at Bargain Hunt, for $19. It acts as a great insulator for sound, and the design looks like something you’d find in a boho boutique.

Star art // This was a DIY project done by some of my sweet Chicago friends at my ‘sprinkle’ for Milo. Old wood carving // I have idea where this came from, but Matt has had it basically every apartment since college. I love quirky little pieces like this.

Green flower pot // I thrifted this a long time ago. I never pass up items that can be used for storage. It used to house a plant, but now it to stores wipes, diaper cream, etc. next to my changing pad. Target crib sheet // Thrifted at Goodwill for $2. It was new in the packaging.

Target black out curtains & French pipe curtain rod // These are very good at blocking out light for $25 a panel. The curtain rod is very sturdy which is great for kids rooms. It was $26. Art, basket, books, and Melissa & Doug DJ table // All thrifted at various stores except for the personalized Milo book.