The Tween Room

Lev's tween room is complete. We both love it, but I express way more enthusiasm than he can since now he is too cool to emote. I'm even blogging about it!

When we moved in I created what I thought was a sweet and sassy space for him. More me than him, granted, but sweet. He was okay with it, until he decided he was over it and that he wanted MODERN, BLACK, GREY. I'm not one to deny my child expressing an interest in interiors (I have grand plans of my children taking over one day. Ha!) and I like an excuse to change things around the house. So away we go.

I didn't really want to paint his room all black but I thought a half black accent wall could be interesting. I also thought black on the lower half was a practical way to hide the grubby grey marks my kids leave on the walls near their bed. Do yours do that too?

Clare reached out to me and asked me if I wanted to try their paints. I was curious about the new product line and how they simplify the selection process with only a few well chosen fail proof tones. My clients have a really hard time with whites and I think it is interesting that if you can't hire a designer to help with a color consult, there is a new way to narrow down the search. I also was sold on the zero VOCs which was pretty important for the room my son sleeps and plays in. We picked Blackest and Fresh Kicks, the darkest black and the brightest white they have after looking at the samples.

Some painting tips before you start your weekend project:

1) I move all the furniture away from the wall and cover it with a drop cloth. Then sweep all the dust on the floor and floor base away as well as wipe away the dust from walls. It sucks to paint dust into your fresh coat of paint.

2) Its a pain when you are eager to get started, but I always use blue tape on all of the edges (including the ceiling) to give me clean lines. Its much easier than doing it by hand. I have learned to put the tape down pretty firmly. If you don't, the paint will bleed through and ruin your straight edges when you peel off the blue tape after the paint is dry.

3) I turn my clothes (even crappy sweats) inside out to keep paint stains under control. I also wear a scarf in my hair to keep paint from getting in there (its hard to get out of hair)

4) Since I was doing two colors, I waited for the first color to dry completely before blue taping and starting the second coat. Notice I didn't paint the whole wall, only the top portion in white and a little past the tape line.

5) Don't paint straight up and down. Paint zigzag diagonal and up and down so you can't see the roller lines.

What did I think of Clare paint? I loved it! Its smooth and thick, not milky like a lot of paints so it goes on easily and doesn't require a lot of coats. It doesn't drip allover the place and it dries very quickly too (30 minutes-1 hour). It is a little pricier than standard off the shelf brands (like $50 vs $25 per gallon) but for a DIY project that's going to save you frustration and time, I think its totally worth it.

You may recognize the plywood daybed I designed is now a platform twin bed. The design does double duty. Goodbye bunk bed. Also, the framed Block Shop prints were another DIY. We went to a nice event Block Shop threw where we screen printed our own tote bags with their motifs. When we came home I thought the prints were too pretty to use as totes. I cut them up into squares and framed them. They look great with the graphic wall.

The last bit of the new room was an adult size desk for Lev to sit at and do his homework. I know he wanted everything modern but I insisted on a bit of vintage with storage for the one piece. Its also nice to have worn wood warming up the stark black and white room.

Above the desk I installed a large Croation Tree wall fabric sticker from Sian Zeng. It adds a touch of magic and whimsy that I still wanted for my little boy no matter how mature he thinks he is. It looks like I hand painted it and the black and white tones are perfect for the room.

To get the look, you can recreate this room. Rug, Side Table, Bed, Desk, S Chair, Blackest and Fresh Kicks paint, Wall Sticker, Checked Linen bedding, Framed Block Prints, Planter