Arlo’s Rainbow “Big Kid” Room

I’ve shared just about every piece of Arlo’s new big kid room here but I wanted a spot for everything to be in one place so here we are! I had so much fun making some easy changes to transform his room from nursery to “big kid.” I knew I wanted to keep his room in a similar layout and color palette, for both budget reasons and because I really just love it! And I was able to do so by getting creative, DIY-ing a few things to maximize our space and making a few compromises to avoid spending unnecessary funds.

The room has been functioning so well for us, doubling as both a sleep space and a play space, and I’m so happy with it. Here’s a little break down of what we did and why!

A Big Kid Sleep Space

Bed via Facebook Marketplace (The quality isn’t great honestly, but here’s a similar better quality one!)
Gingham Duvet | Gingham Blanket | Green Floral Pillow | Round Velvet Cushions | Cheetah Pillow
Teal Tenango Pillow | Flower Pillow

I knew I wanted a day bed so that it could go along the middle of the wall (under his rainbow wall hanging!), and stay in the same place that our crib was to avoid rearranging the room. But also because I thought a day bed would be more versatile for future spaces (a couch in a playroom or office perhaps?) and for reading, hanging and playing in the current room!

Arlo get to pick out all new bedding for himself which I love (and is all linked at the bottom of this post) and it brought in a few new colors to the space which was fun!

More Functional Bookshelves

As you’ve likely already seen, we were able to keep the same look of our rainbow bookshelves but expand the amount of books they hold by DIYing some IKEA shelves. You can find that tutorial here. It has held up GREAT so far! And our rapidly growing book collection approves. 😉

You can find some of my favorite kids books here!

Creating Functional and Pretty Toy Storage

Arlo’s toys were starting to overtake our very small living room and we knew we needed to change that. Creating these DIY wooden toy shelves have worked out perfectly. They are low and accessible for him to both play independently and help clean up, and they allow for space to store large and awkward shape toys. By DIYing them, I was able to make sure they took up the whole wall to maximize our space.

DIY Wooden Toy Shelves | Custom Photo Calendar
Striped Baskets from The Little Market (They are no longer sold, but you can find similar here) 

Above it, we added a custom calendar with some favorite photos (that convert into art prints after we’re done!) which he loves for counting down to fun things like Disneyland visits and holidays. Otherwise, we kept his same gallery wall in tact to avoid having to patch a TON of holes. (And also because I love it!)

Making A Narrow Closet Functional

ELFA System | Wallpaper
Screw-in Pegs | Extendable Closet Rod

Lastly, when we added the twin bed into the room, we realized we no longer had room for a dresser. So we ended up converting his closet fort back into a closet… but a more functional one this time! We added an ELFA system and an adjustable rod, and use the peg rail I made to hang hats, backpacks and baskets full of clothes that don’t fit elsewhere.

It’s worked out great, though I still haven’t found a good use for that 1930s shoe rack. 😉

Photos by Jeff Mindell

Overall, I’m so happy with this sunny space and how it’s functioning for our family in this season of life! And I’m thrilled that we didn’t have to buy too many items to make it happen. You can find sources for everything (that I have sources for) below!

Room Sources

Wall Paint: Dunn Edwards “White”*
Door Paint: Dunn Edwards “Highlighter”*
Rug | Mint Pendant Light 
Floor Lamp from Target (Facebook Marketplace find, no longer available but find other fun floor lamps here!)

Sleep Area

DIY Rainbow Wall Hanging
Bed via Facebook Marketplace (The quality isn’t great honestly, but here’s a similar better quality one!)
Gingham Duvet | Gingham Blanket
Green Floral Pillow | Round Velvet Cushions | Cheetah Pillow
Teal Tenango Pillow | Flower Pillow
(All other pillows I don’t have sources for unfortunately!)
Floor pillow is a DIY, coming soon!

Book Area

Pom Pom Curtains
DIY Rainbow Bookshelves | Small White Bookcase
Find our favorite kids books here!

Play Area

DIY Wooden Toy Shelves
Striped Baskets from The Little Market
(They are no longer sold, but you can find similar here)
Custom Photo Calendar

Fagus Wood Truck | Wood Car
Wooden Rainbow | Slingshot & Felt Balls
DIY Cookie Monster Foodie Truck | Calico Critters School Bus
Rattan House | Yellow Phone
DIY Up House | Wooden Playground Set
Wooden Camera | DIY Disneyland Castle
Wooden Letter Puzzle by Janod (Similar) | Wood Gumball Machine

Art Sources

Balloon Car Print
Plush Unicorn Head | Pink Cactus (No longer available) 
Chris Uphues Heart Mural* | Arlo Flag (DIY’d by me)
Abstract Art (No longer available) | Pineapple Print
Rainbow Print* | Paint Roller Print | Family Cross Stitch*
Neon Heart | Huichol Yarn Painting | VW Van
“Adventure” Neon Sign* | Acrylic Frames* | Acrylic Poster Hangers*
Star Wall Hook (Similar) | Yellow Wall Hook (Similar)
Cactus Wall Hook ( Similar)

Closet Sources

ELFA System | Wallpaper
Screw-in Pegs | Extendable Closet Rod