transformations: cooper’s room

I discovered this picture after I had already posted about the loft and was kicking myself for not including it… so I’m including it now. :)  This is the loft as it was during one of our pre-purchase visits to the house. I didn’t want you to miss out on the window treatments in all their glory. They will be in full effect throughout the house, so be excited.

 

The second bedroom upstairs (I think of ours as the first) has been through a few evolutions since we moved into the house. It started like this:

Unfortunately, this is the only picture that I took of this room before we bought the house. Please please don’t miss the DRAPERIES. I feel like “draperies” is the only appropriate word to use in this instance. They were heavy dark curtains that extended all the way from one wall to the other. Again I ask, “really??”

 

We ripped down the draperies as soon as possible, though the removal of the rod took a little more work. It seriously took chunks out of the drywall on both sides of the window, which I then had to patch. Check out that nice golden light fixture above!

We then primed the walls and ceiling, painted the ceiling, and had new carpet put in. Since we weren’t planning on kids for a few years, we deemed the bedroom a game room. We even bought a foosball table for it (off of Craigslist, obviously)!

Not long after we moved in, Curtis had to go to Africa for 2 weeks and was gone over his birthday. I decided to finish the game room in style for his birthday present. I painted the foosball table black (instead of the tacky bright green pattern that it was before), tried several paint colors until I found an appropriate “Carolina blue” for the walls, and gathered all of our Carolina and UT paraphernalia (jerseys, flags, posters, newspaper clippings, knick-knacks, etc.) to use as decor.

 

 
I am sad that this silly picture is the only one I have because it was at the beginning of the process and really shows nothing of the room. Who am I that I didn’t take a single picture of the finished product?! By the end, it was a sight to see.  To take it up a few more levels of craziness, I bought a UT lantern light to hang in the dormer, framed pictures of Michael Jordan and Peyton Manning (in their college years, of course), a dartboard, an orange trashcan and two orange beanbags. Curtis may have been a bit overwhelmed when he came home, but he definitely liked it.

When we found out about Cooper, the room began another transformation. First, the trim was finally painted white (note the dirty tan color in the above photo). Then, we painted the walls tan and created the nursery… albeit very slowly over the next two years, which means that it wasn’t actually done until Cooper was probably 1 1/2. Poor kid.

This is the room in all its finalized glory!

 

If you look to the left immediately as you enter his room, this is what you see. It is the dormer on the front of our house, and provides a cozy nook for this twin bed (Cooper’s “big boy bed” someday?). Otherwise, it’s pretty boring and utilitarian- the only time we use it is to change diapers.

 

On your right as you walk in is the highlight of the room: “Marmee’s quilt”. Curtis’ talented mom (aka Marmee aka Cathy) made this quilt especially for Cooper. I wish you could see it in person because it is amazing… lots of textures and cool patterns thanks to her free-form quilting. Amazing!

 

 
Cooper’s bed… where he’s spent about 1/2 of his life so far. Crazy!  His room is an African safari theme, I guess. Don’t you love the cute animals? You’ll notice more (of the stuffed variety) around the room.

 

A close-up of the bedding: Cathy also helped me in the fabric-choosing process but ran out of time to make the bedding herself, so she got a little help. It turned out fabulously!

 

 
Most of our book-reading takes place in that rocking chair, mainly before naptime and bedtime. It is literally the only wakeful time in Cooper’s day that he is still. His favorites right now are “Llama Llama Red Pajama” and just about anything that has the word “truck” or “tractor” in it. Any suggestions?

Last FYI: one of my very first sewing experiences (with a TON of help from my mom… the other talented seamstress in my life) was adding the fabric to the top and bottom of the curtains. Anyone who wants to tell me how incredible that looks, please don’t hesitate. :)

Thanks for checking in! Now I’m off to pack for Windy Gap Women’s Weekend. So, so excited!