a variation on a traditional tried-and-true boy's room design -- maritime malarkey

Okay, we're guilty.  This is a mildly "themed" boy's room, but it works so well we've done it, in various forms, in three different bedrooms, in three different houses, even in three different states . . . . okay, I know you get it: it's a great look.

This room begins with the inspiration wall, where we cut and pasted in a sort of John Derian-esque way a group of maritime maps of Scottish waters. It's easy to choose maps that have meaning for your family: were your kids born in California? your grandparents hail from Peru? you took a college summer tour of the Catskills? The possibilities are endless!  What really makes this room compelling, though, is its space encircling beadboard and shelf setup.  Amazing look!  Amazing storage! Amazingly affordable.  This particular room was panelled in pine beadboard-look sheets, with off the hardware store shelf plank shelving and premade brackets.  Although this room's panelling was done by a hired carpenter, we've achieved this look twice before using the energy and ingenuity of a beloved family member (thanks, dad!)

As usual, we recycled Pottery Barn and Land of Nod furniture that we already owned, along with a Land of Nod buoy lamp, Target linens and fuzzy blankets, and fairly pricey Williams Sonoma Home silver anchor embroidered throw pillows.  It's the old "high-low" adage; sparkly, exquisitely embroidered 16x16 pillows "lift" run of the mill gray and taupe Target linens. Nice!  This room is finished off with a fun paint trick -- while we painted the existing old house brown stained window frame (in poor condition, and in desperate need of help) in the same taupey gray as the paneling and shelf, we left the window itself as it was, brown stained woodwork.  Creates an excellent "cottage" feel.  At our house, having been lucky enough to live near the beach in California and in Florida, we have many cool vintage beachy-marine things, like the old, old buoy and model ship you see here.  The thirteen year old boy who hangs out in this space with his two tiny baby bunnies, Angus and Rory, loves the beach, boats, old things, oh, and books.  Well, he actually loves soccer more than any of those, but I'm afraid I didn't want to start all over with a soccer room - another theme!  But here, in a room whose design provides continuity and comfort because it's essentially the same room, just in a different house (helps if you move three times in two years, and you're a middle schooler!), he has perfect storage and display space for his books and boats, and oh yeah, all those soccer trophies, too.