Hunter’s Big Boy Room

March 19, 2019

I’m so happy I finally got Hunter’s nursery a little more put together and like a big boy’s room!
We typically play downstairs… but there’s been times I’ve wanted to
hang in there and it just wasn’t functional… OR CUTE.
Honestly…it turned into a catch all room for random toys
and stuff cause he really just slept in there!!
Now… when I’m rocking/snuggling him to sleep…
I get to look at this pretty space and it makes me happy!!
I wasn’t looking to do an expensive makeover for this space…
So I mostly used things we had or moved from other spaces… and got just a few things.
I think most of us are in that same boat… wanting to make a space
feel pretty and functional…without doing a total overhaul.
It all came together and I’m sharing the details today!

We had the IKEA KALLAX cube shelf unit in the girls’ room for a while…
but when we did their Surprise Bedroom Makeover with Justice, it got
pushed out to the landing for other storage.
I decided it was gonna be more functional in Hunter’s room
and he needed a place for a few bins of toys.
We already had these Threshold Cube Storage Bins from Target
packed away from another set up… and they were just what I needed!
Hunter is 1 and doesn’t need much to stay happy and play…
so those four bins are plenty of space for his little toys.
I loaded the first row of cubes up with his ‘That’s Not My…’ books and
his favorite Green Toys Wagon from Grandma and Grandpa.
I brought a plant in from another space (from Michael’s) and
put it in a basket from Target’s bargain bins!
That big one was $5 and the small one was $3! (GO NOW AND GET THEM. haha.)
The metal tiered tray I already had…got it from Michael’s years ago.
Not sure what I’ll load it up with for good, but for now I put one of his favorite wooden toys in there.
I think it’ll be good spot to put special things once I gather them up.
Or maybe I’ll find some greenery to put in there.
The abacus is from IKEA, years ago, but they still have it.

I knew I wanted to do a square frame gallery wall using
a bunch of our favorite Instagram photos… mixed in with some artwork I already had.
All the wood framed art is from Hobby Lobby over the years.
The square frames are from Target and Walmart! I was excited to put together a
gallery wall that wasn’t IKEA because I know plenty of you don’t have one close by.
HOPEFULLY you have a Target haha but Walmart had some great frames!
I’m pretty sure the deer is from Hobby Lobby too… it’s been around for years. ha.

The small square frames and the horizontal three image one…are Walmart.
The two larger square frames are Target.
Super affordable! I printed off images from my computer with my own little printer.
Good enough quality in my opinion…I love getting photos up on the wall and
being able to look up and see those sweet faces. Don’t put it off…just get them up there girl!
You’ll be glad you did!

I KNEW I needed to get some shelves on the wall for all of the baby books we have!
We ran out of space on our playroom shelves. Good problem to have!
The shelves on the wall are the MOSSLANDA Picture ledges fromIKEA. 45 1/4″ Length.
We loveee these shelves because you can show off
the pretty book covers and it makes the kids WANT to read them even more.
I found this $9.99 felt ball garland at Hobby Lobby and I’m obsessed with it.

I share more about our favorite books in this post.- Our Home Library.
ALL of our books are from Usborne Books & More.
Can’t beat the price, quality and my kids LOVE them.
I’ve made it a priority to grow our library over the years and we’ll treasure these forever.
The kids use them every day and since adding more to our shelves
we’ve totally transformed the culture of reading in our home.
The power of pretty books! haha. EVERYONE wants to read more when they are fun and pretty!

I took this photo for an Easter promo I was doing but I like that it
shows the soft little set up I have at the bottom of the shelves.
The rug we already had, from Target. It’s Pillowfort brand but I couldn’t find it on the site.
I got the soft floor pillow on sale at Target earlier this month! It’s so soft.
The basket (from Target) used to be in the girls’ room and we use it for all the stuffed animals.

I really wanted to add more soft texture to the room so we put up some curtains!
We had an IKEA curtain rod for another room that we didn’t use…so we put that up.
I had some curtains in the closet from YEARS ago and they did the trick! (Also IKEA.)
I bought this artwork at Hobby Lobby to put over the crib. Isn’t it pretty??
It just needed a little something and I loved the look of it.
This is the crib we’ve used for all of our babies. We got it years ago at USA Baby in Pittsburgh.
It’s LOVED and a little worn… but baby sleeps just fine and it holds special memories!
The chair we have in there we have also had for years and it’s SO COMFY.
TOO COMFY to let go of haha. Even though it’s probably too big for the space…
It’s the Rex Recliner from a La-Z-boy collaboration I did years ago
and I love to nurse and snuggle babies in it!!

Whenever I clean and set up a room the kids are drawn to it…
“MUST… MESS IT UPPPPP…” haha. (moms, you know…)
It’s like cutting up fruits or vegetables…
suddenly they devour everything if it’s cut up!!
But it’s been fun sitting in there with them and
watching them fill up Hunter’s wagon with their books.
Also sometimes a change of scenery helps your mama day.
I especially love this space because there’s a minimum amount of toys so it’s easy to clean up!

We have every single book in the ‘That’s not my…’ series…..
(besides the witch one. not really ino that for babies lol.)
Can you tell we like these books? haha.
The boys have played with books in this series almost every day for years.
LEGIT…almost every..single..day.
We don’t always read them.. but they stack them up, turn the pages, do
the touchy feely spots, count things, find colors…
They really are just super cute and fun. I just got the llama one and it’s freagin adorable!

Thanks for stopping by for the little room tour!
I ended up sharing more of the books than I first planned but it’s just a sweet part of his room.
The main toys Hunter plays with are fisher price little people, books and play food!
That’s just what keeps him busy and entertained.
I’m enjoying having this space feel a little homie and it didn’t take much…
Just a few white frames, Ikea shelves, baskets from the
Target bargain bin and art work from hobby lobby…….
and it felt like a total room makeover!!
I hope you feel encouraged to shop your house, put up some photos on the wall
and make a space homie! You’ll be so glad you did!


  • Lisa
    March 20, 2019 at 7:25 am

    Love it!!! I just switched two kiddos’ rooms and painted them this past weekend. It’s amazing how fresh, fun, and different a little makeover can be! Now to learn from you and your gallery walls and get some stuff up in their rooms!

    • natalie
      March 27, 2019 at 8:49 am

      you got this mama!! you got paint on the walls- I’m impressed!

  • SarahBeth
    March 25, 2019 at 4:42 pm

    Love everything about this Natalie! I’m hoping to add some cube units to my girls’ room when we move. We won’t have a separate playroom anymore 👎🏻 So I’ll have to figure out how to organize toys in their bedroom! Thanks for all the great ideas ❤️