Charlie's {Little Boy} Room
Several months ago we set about turning Charlie’s nursery into his ”little boy” room. I know everyone seems to transition from crib to “big boy” room, but at age 3 you are still a little boy and I wanted his room to reflect this stage in his life. Before long, baseball caps will replace the dress up clothes on the peg hooks and adventure books will out number Richard Scary on the shelves. But not yet, not yet.
This room is very, very small and almost impossible to photograph, so bear with me..
The bed was Andrew's. We repainted it in Ben. Moore's, Chelsea Gray. My friend, Keri, {blog here} started a furniture painting business last summer {she does beautiful work, if you are local}. She exclusively uses Annie Sloan Chalk paint, but was kind enough to switch it up for me.
The check curtains and pillow were in his nursery and looked good against the new gray bed so I kept them. As did the little brown dot pillow on the orange chair. Its ruffled edge isn’t exactly boyish (little boy, big boy, or otherwise!). The walls and ceiling are Shelbourne Buff {Ben Moore}. The color does not photograph well, which is a shame, because I really like it. The room has sloped ceilings and a row of four casement windows {Hence my difficulty getting good pictures. So tricky with natural light on only one side!!}
The sham + quilt are from Lands End {love} and the duvet cover + star pillowcase are IKEA. I have about 5 different sheet sets {mostly Andrew’s old ones} so the bed is made up a bit differently every week. I loved the surprise of clean sheets on my bed when I was little, would they be Strawberry Shortcake or Holly Hobby or the ruffled pink and green flowers? Now it’s pirates, and snowmen, and cars, and stars.... For me, nothing beats fresh, crisp, white sheets, so that’s how I choose to photograph it, but to be clear, Charlie’s far more interested in the pirates!
The other furniture pieces in the room are antiques. The dresser under the windows once served as our changing table {bought at local antique mall}. The large cupboard is an 1800’s pie safe {found through craigslist} and new to the room. The cupboard was stripped when I bought it and missing all but one knob. I liked the way the wood looked and decided to keep it that way {for now} then I sewed simple ticking panels {fabric from pottery barn} for the panels. It offers so much storage space for clothes. The sides are lined with artwork that Andrew made for Charlie when in kindergarten. Each afternoon he’d come out of school waving something new to hang in Charlie’s room. I don’t have the heart to take them down plus they hide the holes in the pie safe sides nicely. :)
In the room are tractors from when Jimmy was a little boy. I remember the day his Mom cleaned them all up and gave them to me. Andrew was just a baby. I was sitting outside on their side door step and she told me sweet stories of Jimmy playing with them when he was young and how she never left them outside, not a single night, so they would stay nice. We miss her very much and it’s nice to have a little reminder of her in Charlie’s room.
There are Noddy and Beatrix Potter books from England that my Nana read to me when I was a toddler. A couple of my old Steiff animals {a bear, named Herbie, that burps when you tip him, bought on the Rue de Marche aux Herbes in Brussels. Which I think translates to street of herbs. Get it? "Herbie?" Well, I thought it was clever at the time! :) And a monkey, named Charlie, that was a gift from my Dad after he’d been away on business when I was very young} watch over Charlie while he sleeps.
I used to remove the Steiff ear tags when I was little because I was convinced they hurt the animals. Charlie, the monkey, looks like he has a pierced ear. My Nana and I made up a song about Charlie {the monkey} that we sang when she tucked me in. I sing it to my Charlie now. There are mementos from Charlie’s {my Charlie, not the monkey. Gesh, this is getting a bit long winded and confusing!!} birthday parties, his birth announcement and other little keepsakes and treasures tucked away here are there. The “Sammy the Seagull” print over the bed is from Wayne Pate {we talk to him each night too, the seagull, not the artist. Now I’m just cracking myself up!}, The small boy on the bike is from Lisa Golightly, and the penguins are an original from Charlie Foley. The small nickel reading sconce is from High Street Market.
I know the area along the side of his bed could use some attention, but given the frequent, unannounced appearances of Charlie’s alter ego...
and the flying that takes place in this small space, I’m hesitate to hang anything over the bed just yet.
His room is sweet, just like him, and one of the coziest places in our house. I still have grand plans for his closet {wallpaper and create a work area} that will happen eventually.
When we settle in with warm milk and our stack of books at day’s end, it takes tremendous effort on my part to get up and let him fall asleep on his own. I want to stay snuggled in and forget the kitchen dishes and mess that awaits downstairs. I could so easily start a bad habit, but most nights I resist, settling for just a kiss before he nods off into dreamland on his own. Every once in a while though, I stay. Like last night. I lay next to his warm, tired little body, inhale the smell of Johnson’s baby shampoo in his hair and Burt's Bees lotion on his skin... Watch his chest rise and fall, listen to his breathing as it deepens and slows, mixed with the sounds of soft lullabies coming from his radio and see his lids get heavier and heavier. Watching your child fall asleep so peacefully must be one of the sweetest things a Mama can see. Then I slowly, s-l-o-w-l-y, lift his heavy head buried deep in the space between my shoulder and chest and lay it on his pillow ever. so. gently. then tip toe out of his room. Bottle it up. G’night.
xo