When my 10 almost 11 year old boy came to me and requested a room makeover I was equally sad and excited. As those of you who have been around for awhile know my son’s previous room had a bit of a Star Wars thing going on and being that my hub and I are HUGE Star Wars fans it was hard for me to see that room fade away into a galaxy far far away. But my boy was ready for a change, and I was up for a challenge.
A room makeover meant reevaluating the furniture arrangement as well as determining how to make the room function better for a *gulp* middle-schooler. #howisthatpossible #ihaventagedaday So to make a long story short the boy’s bed got moved to a different wall to make room for a dedicated study/homework area.
Being that his room has a weirdly angled wall/ceiling thing going on and that he doesn’t have a real headboard because we use his queen size bed like a day bed, I decided to line the wall where the bed sits with wood to give the illusion of a headboard and to make the angled wall less awkward and more of a fun focal point. Working with the awkward rather than pretending it doesn’t exist almost always works to your advantage.
For this wall I used the shorter length tongue and groove wood panel packs that you can buy at the hardware store. They are a bit price-y for an area this size, but I liked this option for the ease of installation. Being that this wall is directly behind the bed it was also important to me that this wood wall be very smooth to the touch and these panels come that way and require zero sanding.
No doubt the only reason I was able to tackle this wall in a short period of time is due in large part to the nail gun I finally ponied up and and put to use. I don’t know why I was so afraid of power nailers before? That nail gun is a dream and makes working with wood so super simple!
This project was also a great beginners wood working project because there are no angled cuts. I used a compound miter saw to make all the cuts needed but a hand saw and miter box would have done the trick as well…..would have taken much longer……but would have worked.
I trimmed out the top with a piece of flat moulding and then water downed some white trim paint to create a wash. I love the way the white wash brightened up the room but let the texture of the wood shine through. Also being that I used a semi-gloss white acrylic paint to create the washed look it gave the wood a really pretty sheen, so when the light hits this wall just shines.
If you’ve been wanting to tackle a project like this I say go for it! It’s a whole lot of design bang for very little diy effort…..and as I always say, if I can do it a monkey can. #seriously My main diy motto is “done is better than perfect”. Trying to make something perfect can make a fun project turn sour very quickly. Roll with the punches…..paint and caulk are a non-professional diy’ers saving graces. 😉
Last but not least, the boy very specifically requested a chalkboard wall and I don’t think black is ever a bad idea. My favorite parts are the hanging wire lamps which were a Target purchase from a while back that I gave a little makeover with some metallic silver spray paint and a sanding block.
I’m also in love with his new bedding situation. The striped quilt can be found here. The cross pillow I picked up at Hobby Lobby; never underestimate the Hob Lob y’all! The chambray and red and white stripe pillows were a TJMaxx find. The plaid blanket is from Old Navy a few years back. And last but not least the sheets with little crosses are from Target.
For deets on how I made my boy a platform bed to store his many many books ( I love my book loving kiddos!) check this post here.
Perfect for a tween boy!! My daughter still loves her chalkboard wall.