Decorating a Boy's Bedroom ~~ Part 1

I have two boys. They don't have lots of opinions about decorating their bedrooms yet. Although, if I dug a little, I would probably uncover desires for Scooby Doo, Star Wars and Bob the Builder. For that reason, I don't dig.

When it comes to kid's bedrooms, I prefer something simple and classic that can be changed easily as their tastes and personalities change. My own sons' bedrooms have been lacking in the design department other than a coat of perfect boy-blue on the walls. (Note: The blue is perfect. Not the boys.)

I love Vast Sky from Sherwin Williams. It's a beautiful clear, soft blue that can be used almost as a neutral with lots of other colors like red, brown, orange, green and other shades of blue.

Over the next couple of weeks, I'll share the evolution of one boy's bedroom as we finally get on the ball and start putting it together. A small part of me dreams of little girls with their pink, frills and purse-fulls of pretty, but I also love the challenge of doing a boy's bedroom that makes us both happy.

The whole room has been inspired by this patchwork quilt that I found on clearance at Kohl's at least 3 years ago. It was only $20 and, in my opinion, captured the look of a much more expensive Pottery Barn quilt that I was drooling over and couldn't afford. I paired my inexpensive quilt with a denim bedskirt from Target for a perfectly mis-matched set. If you want the story on that thrift store headboard (with before and afters), click here.

This particular boy is huge into geography...particularly US geography...so when I found this gorgeous map at National Geographic, I knew it had to go in his room somewhere. The earthy tones make it look like a piece of artwork. And for less than $30, it makes a huge impact. And if he hates it in a few years, we can take it down and do something else.

It was so easy to hang the map on the wall and frame it out with molding from the home improvement store. Stop back tomorrow and I'll give you a detailed tutorial on how I framed out the map.

If you're interested in getting a map like this for yourself, here are a couple of options:

U.S. Political Map (Earth-toned), Enlarged
This is the one that I have from National Geographic. It is approx. 70"x49" and priced at $29.95. The site is a little confusing, but you want the one with the description that's exactly what I have here. They also have smaller versions and laminated versions. Mine is plain.

World Executive Wall Map (enlarged & tubed) For something a little more worldly, Amazon has the whole world version (in the same size) for only $23.09 with free shipping!