The Cs’ Big Boy Room – The Plan

The Cs' Big Boy Room in Collaboration with IKEA Pittsburgh, Just a Girl and Her Blog

Welcome back, friends! Yesterday I revealed the next room we’ll be working on in the Just a Girl and Her Blog household: the Cs’ big boy room! I showed you some before pictures and talked a little bit about our needs for the space, and I also promised that I’d be back today with our incredibly exciting plan, so here I am!

When hubby and I decided to move the Cs into the same room {upon their request}, I started researching boy rooms and looking around online for ideas. I looked far and wide, but for several of the items in the room, I kept coming back to one place. I kept dreaming, and planning, and asking the Cs for their input, and they seemed to agree with many of the things I was leaning toward for them. When I realized that our search for decor kept landing us at the same place, I reached out to my local store to see if they would be interested in collaborating. They were excited about the idea as well, so operation “Create the Cs’ Big Boy Room” began. Where, you may ask, is this extra special place? Well, if you follow me on Instagram, you already got a hint! Remember this?

IKEA

 

IKEA Pittsburgh!!!

It has seriously been a dream come true to work with IKEA on this project, and I couldn’t have asked for better people to work with than the sweethearts over at the Pittsburgh store. They have been awesome every step of the way, and I cannot wait to see all of the ideas that we’ve talked about finally come to life.

D and I wanted to take the Cs to IKEA to see everything in person, and they had a blast checking out everything in the store. The first thing on their list was bunk beds. We need to fit a lot of items in a not-so-large space, so bunk beds were a must! I caught this cute shot while they were trying out their third or fourth set…

The Cs' Big Boy Room in Collaboration with IKEA Pittsburgh, Just a Girl and Her Blog

Then it was on to the kids’ area! Connor and I had a blast picking out duvets…

The Cs' Big Boy Room in Collaboration with IKEA Pittsburgh, Just a Girl and Her Blog

…but Caleb was more interested in the tents.

The Cs' Big Boy Room in Collaboration with IKEA Pittsburgh, Just a Girl and Her Blog

After we broke the news that the tent was out of the picture due to our space restrictions, he happily moved on to the rugs… literally ONTO the rugs!

The Cs' Big Boy Room in Collaboration with IKEA Pittsburgh, Just a Girl and Her Blog

We must’ve really tired the Cs out because of all of the items in the store, they were definitely most excited about…

The Cs' Big Boy Room in Collaboration with IKEA Pittsburgh, Just a Girl and Her Blog

…the mattresses!

The Cs' Big Boy Room in Collaboration with IKEA Pittsburgh, Just a Girl and Her Blog

And they must’ve been cozy, too, because I think the Cs checked out every display mattress in the place! 😀

The Cs made their final choices, and hubby and I came back a few days later to pick up their loot. Can you believe we fit everything– including bunk beds and two mattresses– in our minivan?! Oh, the beauty of IKEA packaging!

The Cs' Big Boy Room in Collaboration with IKEA Pittsburgh, Just a Girl and Her Blog

Want a little sneak peek of what the Cs chose? {Ok, they had a little help from mommy! ;)} Here’s what we’re thinking:

The Cs' Big Boy Room in Collaboration with IKEA Pittsburgh, Just a Girl and Her Blog

{dresser source}, {source}

We’re infusing a little bit of a “transportation” theme, originally inspired by the duvet the boys picked, which features cars, motorcycles, buses, and trucks. I love the bright colors– reds, oranges, greens, blues, yellows– there is so much potential with color! We ended up choosing the Svarta bunk beds because we loved the industrial metallic look, and we’ll use the Jomna mattresses that the Cs loved so much in the store. Caleb was set on the Lillabo play mat {obviously!}, and we picked a few more accessories to really bring the room together.

My goal is to use the beautiful IKEA pieces as our base and then put our own touch on everything to really personalize the room. We are also using several things we already have, including dressers, our toy unit, and the art station I revealed waaaaaaay back in March. Starting next week, I’ll be sharing many, many projects that we have planned for the room, and you’ll get to watch in “real time” as we get the room ready for our big boys!

I am truly so, so excited about this transformation, and I cannot wait to get started! Be sure to check back often for new projects and progress, and look for the BIG REVEAL sometime in November! Thanks for following along with us!

What are your favorite tips for decorating kids’ rooms?

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I link up at these fun parties!

**IKEA Pittsburgh has provided products for the Cs’ big boy room makeover, but of course all opinions are my own! You can view my disclosures here.**

33 Comments

  1. Rajani @ Perfecting the Imperfections says:

    Heyy Nice makeover of your Kids room….
    Loved reading your archives.. it way helped me in preparing my banners and logos.
    Can yo please share how you do your DIY planners?
    I am kind of finding doing them on Word..

    1. justagirlabby says:

      Thanks, Rajani! I’m excited for the transformation. I will definitely have to do a post about creating your own planners sometime. They are basically just a combination of shapes (mainly squares) and text boxes. Nothing too complex! Hope you’re having a wonderful week!

      ~Abby =)

  2. Laura@JourneyChic says:

    Ah, love IKEA! Looks like your boys had a blast picking out their new bedroom furnishings. It’s hard to go wrong with a transportation theme – we’re rocking that at our house as well. I can’t wait to see how you customize it all to make it more “you”!

    1. justagirlabby says:

      Thank you, Laura! I’m excited to see it come together. What is it with boys and trucks/cars/motorcycles? It’s like they’re automatically drawn to them! 😀 Hope you’re having a wonderful week!

      ~Abby =)

  3. Oooohh this is so much fun!! (I finally caved and paid for wifi at my hotel in Vegas)! These are some of the coolest projects to follow as a blog reader. I hope the C’s enjoy every minute of it. You too, of course!

    I do have a question. When you say you approached your local Ikea and partnered with them on this project, what does that entail exactly? I’m curious because I will start my own blog someday and I try to gather what information I can ahead of time. If you would rather not disclose that here, can you email me? I’d really appreciate it!!

    Happy decorating!!

    1. justagirlabby says:

      Thanks, Renee! I hope you’re having a blast in Vegas! There are lots of ways that partnerships can happen between blogs and brands. For this particular project, I had gone to a blogger event at IKEA a few months ago, so when I had the idea for the boys’ room, I emailed the person who had coordinated that event to see if they would be interested in collaborating. They are providing products for the room, and it is my job to be creative with it and give people ideas of ways to use things in their own homes. (which is totally easy because IKEA is amazing to begin with!) I hope this helps. Feel free to email me if you ever have blogging questions! I’d be happy to answer!

      ~Abby =)

      1. That’s so neat that they’re willing to collaborate with bloggers for projects like this. I have to say I’m jealous :P. I can’t wait to see the C’s room in its completion!

        1. justagirlabby says:

          Thank you, friend! I’m excited for the big reveal too!!!

          ~Abby =)

  4. Ashley Rane Sparks says:

    WE just bought my 11 year old a bed at IKEA this past weekend! It’s darling. White scrolled iron. I can’t believe we found exactly what we were looking for for $89.99! Seriously…you can’t beat IKEA!
    Thanks for sharing…
    Ashley Rane Sparks
    http://www.makeitrane.com

    1. justagirlabby says:

      Totally agree! LOVE that place! Sounds like you got a great deal! Hope you’re having a wonderful week, Ashley!

      ~Abby =)

  5. Tiffany {A Touch of Grace} says:

    Oh I love IKEA. They have come a long way since they first opened and it’s one of my go to stores. I love the transportation theme! Super cute!

    1. justagirlabby says:

      Thank you, Tiffany! That place can be dangerous for my bank account, lol! Hope you’re having a great week, friend!

      ~Abby =)

  6. I love those duvet covers! I bought the same ones for my boys and they look great in their room. We have red bed sheets, yellow walls and green Ikea bins for a real ‘primary color’ look. My only complaint is that the duvet’s don’t have buttons or zippers to keep the blanket in… but for the price, it’s a small sacrifice. I just found your blog on orgjunkie.com and can’t wait to read more!

    1. justagirlabby says:

      Thank you so much, Shaindy! Your boys’ room sounds adorable! I’m so glad you popped over from orgjunkie– have a great week!

      ~Abby =)

  7. JaneEllen says:

    Great selections, lucky little guys. They are so cute. It’s sweet they like to be in same room. Hope that will be case for long time yet. The duvet covers are so cute with the great colors and transportations. Like big boys, not babyish at all. Can hardly wait to see their room when you’re done.
    I have questions what it means to partner with a store also. If it means they provide the goods to advertise them on your blog, more power to you and smart for asking them.
    Oh you’re so lucky to have an IKEA close to where you live. I’d so love to be able to shop in one. Shopping on line is just not the same. I used to get their emails but it seemed every item I wanted they don’t ship, bummer. There are all kinds of them in San Diego but they weren’t there when we lived there, we moved to MT in ’92. There wasn’t one in Bowling Green either, drat it. I imagine there are lots of them in Denver but this time of year is not good to go over those mountains to find out. I’ll have to be happy with online. Haven’t looked on their site lately. Happy week and getting their room ready.

    1. justagirlabby says:

      Thank you, Jane Ellen! I hear ya– their stuff is easy to get addicted to!

      There are a lot of different ways you can partner with brands. For this particular makeover, IKEA provided the products, and it is my job to make them look great and give people ideas of how they could use them in their own homes. I’m excited to see how it all comes together! Hope you’re having a wonderful week!

      ~Abby =)

  8. Mandy Hank says:

    So cute!! Ikea is a great store. We have one down the road. Looking forward to seeing the finished room 🙂

    1. justagirlabby says:

      Thank you so much, Mandy! Hope you’re having a great week!

      ~Abby =)

  9. Krista @thehappyhousie says:

    Oh my goodness you are one lucky blogging gal getting to work with IKEA on this!! How much fun is that!! Can’t wait to see your personal spin on things- we are doing our combined boys room right now too… or at least planning it:) IT is kinda stalled out right now!!

    1. justagirlabby says:

      Thank you, Krista! I am so incredibly excited about it! If I only had more hours in the day so I could get it done quicker, lol! I guess all of the hard work will make it feel like a bigger payoff in the end, though. I can’t wait to see how your boys’ room turns out, too! Hope you’re having a wonderful week!

      ~Abby =)

  10. Carrie From Carrie This Home says:

    It looks like the boys are having just as much fun redecorating their room as Mommy is! What a great excuse to get into IKEA. I love that store too, but sadly there isn’t one near where I live. I’m hopping over from Share Your Creativity. Have a wonderful weekend, Abby!

    1. justagirlabby says:

      Lol! It’s been a blast so far! Gotta love IKEA. Thanks so much for popping over, Carrie! Have a wonderful weekend!

      ~Abby =)

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  12. Ashley@Biggerthanthethreeofus says:

    Coming over from CRAFT. The big boy room is going to be fun. We have the same duvet but to mix it up I split it and made curtains out of it. My guy loves trucks and cars, so I’m in the midst of trying to make it what he wants but something that I love as well. Have fun!

    1. justagirlabby says:

      Awww those curtains sound so fun! Boys and their trucks…so cute! Thanks so much for popping over, Ashley! Have a wonderful week!

      ~Abby =)

  13. I cannot wait to see the finished room!! We’re about to get bunk beds to move our boys into the same room soon. It’s always great to see other peoples ideas and get ideas for yourself. I’ll be watching for it!

    1. justagirlabby says:

      Thanks, Stacy! I hope your boys have as much fun with bunk beds as ours are– they are loving it! Have a wonderful weekend!

      ~Abby =)

  14. Megan @ The Brick Bungalow says:

    Cute! I’ve only been to IKEA once because the closest one is almost 8 hour away… until next fall and then it’s maybe 3 with a new one being built! Woo hoo!! I can’t wait! Love how excited they are. I love the car rug, I bought a few for a friend’s little boy and he loves them. Now I need them for my own son (well, once he arrives tomorrow and then of course, once he grows a bit!). IKEA packaging is definitely something other companies need to adopt!

    Thanks for visiting my blog and commenting, I love to read comments!

    1. justagirlabby says:

      Ooh a brand new IKEA– so fun! But not as fun as a new baby! Have fun welcoming him into the world tomorrow!

      ~Abby =)

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