D + A’s Shared Bedroom Reveal

Project Homebase: Virginia Beach, Virginia

It took me AGES to get to the point where I felt satisfied with D + A’s room. Three carpets where tried out, comforters where exchanged, books and baskets were rearranged, until finally… I felt the space represented not only my style but more importantly my children’s place of rest.

Check out this before. There’s no anchor, no theme, boring walls, and the worst part for me was the crib and twin bed. The room lacked unity and cohesion. The woods were all different shades including the brown in the jute rug that just threw all kinds of mix and match neutrals into play. It just wasn’t wonderful.

Needless to say, I was pumped when Addie was ready to be out of her crib. She was a little over 2.5 years old and baby #3 was arriving in 3 short months. I needed her crib back and I needed her matching twin bed to go into that spot. Sidebar, I have plans to paint the crib :) Sean doesn't know yet… maybe a birthday present… he can’t say no to that right?

Addie was ready to transition, I was ready to paint the twin beds, shop for carpets, buy some new lights, and finish their room.

For the color pallet, I knew I’d be working with green and grey but the issue was that this was a shared bedroom for a boy and girl. I didn’t want Addie’s room to feel like a boy’s den and I didn’t want Declan to have to live with too much girly pinks. So I went with dirtier pink accents aka rose or salmon however you prefer to call it. I wanted just enough to give Addie her feminine vibes and give enough diversity to Declan in order to tap into his inner “retro” vibes.

Addies’ rosy accents included her blush pillow from target and this adorable little potted plant I snagged from Home Depot for $5 the last time I was there. Which is every other day.

If you follow us on Instagram, you’ll have seen that the first time I painted these bed frames, the color was way too blue and emerald-y. My original plan was more of an emerald color but they just were too primary for the washed out sage color of the walls. Sean was the one who actually suggested that I repaint them the same color of our Master Bedroom walls which we love. It’s called Retreat by Sherwin Williams.

The wall color in both the kids’ room and the guest room is called Play It Cool by Sherwin Williams as well. When we first moved into the house, I knew I wanted to experiment more with color. Our last house, The Auburn Farmhouse was designed in very neutral white and light grey colors. This time, I wanted to stretch myself and do what I have never done before: live colorfully… or neutrally with hints of color.

The grey paneled wall was the second thing to be installed after the Spice Bamboo flooring from Lowes. It’s actually outdoor siding that we measured and cut to fit the one wall to create an accent. I wanted vertical shiplap but after we first moved in, we didn't have the time. The house was in shambles and unsafe so we had to move fast. This was my one moment to get some kind of quick texture on the walls and Sean went for the idea.

It was time to decorate. I wanted goose neck sconces for some practicality and personality. These ones from Amazon are absolutely incredible and the price point is the best part. Five Hundred other people seemed to think so too.

This barn door hardware made into the letter “D” is SO incredibly special. Declan’s grandfather had it sandblasted and painted for him to use as decor or just as a gift in general. It came from an old barn that he had knocked down. It is truly a treasure that I hope is passed down for generations.

Honesty time: the beach photos in their room right now belong to the photo ledge in our living room. I will be replacing them soon with very large black and white photos of the kids that are almost double the 11 x 16 inch frames along their bedsides now. These frames are way too small for the current blank spaces next to their beds. But what cute place holders?

D + A’s shared dresser is an Offer Up find that I repurposed several years ago. I’m so lucky that the deep green worked out so perfect in the kid’s room. The color was a mix of what I had on hand! I couldn’t recreate it if I wanted to. These knobs from Amazon were also a fun nautical touch that the littles honestly can’t keep their hands off of.

And if Amazon isn’t represented in my home enough, I finally chose the perfect rug for this room from there as well. I wanted a modern geometric/color block type feel to the space and the rug combined modern with neutral colors perfectly.

We love us some good dino impressions in this house so we had to incorporate some dinosaur friends into this fairly gender neutral space. Addie may even like them more than her brother… it’s up for debate.

Now for an introduction of our newest member of Team Wayne: Spidey. Declan thought the fish’s red and blue looked just like his favorite super hero Spiderman, thus, Spidey was named and adopted. My mom gifted us with the mini beta fish tank for Christmas and told us that “Addie just seems like a fish girl.” Thanks mom. Surprisingly the crazy humans don’t disturbed him and they just live for feeding time every morning.

This rocker from Hayneedle is one that both my first and second born were nursed in for many, many hours. They have grown to love it so much especially for the fact that the two of them can read sitting side by side comfortably in it.

Fun fact: I graduated college with my teaching degree in elementary school and my favorite class was Early Childhood Literacy aka Kids’ Books! I’m obsessed with Caldecott winners and other classic books with which I grew up. I’m also a huge fan of the new superstars as well like Jimmy Fallen’s Everything is Mama and Your Baby’s First Word Will Be Dada.

My kids’ and Sean’s personal favorites are The Day the Crayons Quit and Dragons Love Tacos 1 & 2. Speaking of the kids… better let them in.

I don’t want to forget to mention the adorable Shining Light Dolls that Declan and Addie current both cherish. I actually just finished explained to D that if he talked to Francis, maybe he can help with the bad dreams he’s been having.

Addie affectionately refers to Our Lady of Guadalupe as “Mary” and also can’t not sleep without her other bestie “Joanie.”

To whom it may concern: we need more Shining Light Dolls!! I have requests for St. Ann, St. Elizabeth, St. Maximillian Kolbe, St. Kateri Tekakwitha, and Our Lady of Fatima and Lordes. Please and thank you.

Like always, let me know if you have any renovation or diy questions. I can only offer mine and Sean’s humble opinions. We are growing each and everyday within every room and project that we take on to learn the most we can on the job.

I’m sorry if I can’t give more detail on the day to day of what Sean does at a current project that he is working on. The most recent one is the Baby Boy House! It is designed with blue accents to pump us up for the coming of our little man in early April (or late March).

Personally, I can offer you, humble advice, friendship, inspiration, comradery, and maybe a few laughs. I have no desire to turn the blog into purely a “mom blog” but, unfortunately, “mom” is what I am. Hopefully, it can seamlessly fall into the gaps of self-proclaimed and aspiring designer and real estate investor.

And as hard as I could try, I don’t think I’d be able to stop photographing these goons if I tried. Some things and little people are just meant to be seen.

Oh wait… there’s more. Don’t forget to check out D + A’s CLOSET. Within this very same room, behind those inconspicuous white double doors is something amazing. Clink the link if you haven’t already seen it!

Ann | Design