Nursery to Toddler Bedroom Conversion

Written By Tarah Ferguson

It’s no secret that I love to design and decorate children’s spaces, so when it came time to convert my son’s nursery to his toddler bedroom, the one thing I knew I wanted to incorporate was a one-of-a-kind big boy bed with room for storage underneath it, because let’s be honest when it comes to kiddos you can never have enough storage for their stuff! Admittedly, this also applies to myself and my partner as well. Minimalists we are not…but I digress…

One of my biggest recommendations when designing a children’s space is to design with longevity in mind. So when investing in items like wallpaper, textiles, art, and furniture, invest in items that can evolve with your children as they grow. This is not only a sustainable approach to design, but also ensures you get the most enjoyment out of your items for as long as possible.

As our children evolve and grow should the spaces they encompass. Starting with a well-thought-out layout and design scheme can set the foundation for magical spaces you and your kiddos can enjoy for years to come…and if you don’t know where to start, not to worry, that is where I can help:).

The making of a big boy bed

The bed was hands down the biggest change to the space. My son loves to play hide and seek at the moment, so I knew I wanted to incorporate curtains into the design so that he could hide behind them and/or just chill in his own zone - which he does independently now and I can’t believe how fast he is growing up!

His dad built the bed, which was a standard canopy style and cost about £90 in materials. I made the headboard and bed skirt using the gorgeous Palm Drop fabric by Beata Heuman. At £120/metre, this fabric was definitely an investment as I required a minimum of 2 metres for the bed, but it felt perfect for the vibe I wanted to achieve and as the pattern is not too cutesy or young, it should definitely last him a couple of years. I sewed curtains using this velvet fabric in cinnamon and added tassels to each curtain for an extra whimsical touch. I added some scalloped wood trim from Camilla Hampton to hide the curtain rod hand-painted with a simple shape design inspired by the incredibly talented artist Tess Newall.

I added this DIMMABLE and RECHARGEABLE(!) wall sconce by Pooky Twinky rechargeable wall light and I honestly love it. The charge lasts forever, it has varying brightness for bedtime story time and my 2 ½-year-old son can easily turn it on and off himself by simply tapping the top. I have a couple of other rechargeable wall sconces in the house, but this one so far has proven hands down my fave.

I also added a papier-mâché Bear head to the top of one side of his bed to draw the eye upward and a bookshelf at the end of his bed using these floating acrylic shelves. What I love about this, is that if my son wants an additional story at night, he does not have to get out of bed to get one. The last thing on his bed is this customized name pillow by the very talented people at Big Little Store. I just think it is so cute, and playful, and perfect for a kids’ space.

Additional details

I moved the bookshelf to where the rocking chair used to be and displayed a variety of his current fave toys and books, fab vintage finds, and cute storage solutions such as this gorgeous raffia storage basket.  Speaking of vintage items, I used several second-hand items in this space, including the doll-house, toy taxi, model ship, and Tigger stuffed animal to name a few, so I would HIGHLY HIGHLY encourage you to check out your local charity shop and/or flea market when designing your kids space (and any space for that matter) as these items add instant depth and character to a space.

I added this mirror and some wall hooks to his space to encourage more independent dressing (and hang some of his current fave Paw Patrol gear). I painted the window sill Baked Cherry by Little Green to add a pop of colour to the space and swapped out the larger dresser for a smaller Ikea Eket 3 drawer unit which I painted in Paint & Paper's Teal and added the Bayswater knobs in antique brass from one of my favourite hardware companies, Corston Architectural Detail. In addition to the artwork that was already in the space, I added personal artwork made by my son to the wall, as well as this cute ceramic lobster by ceramicist Nicola Lebon. On his bedside table, I placed a rocket night light from Ikea, a plant, and a vintage model ship, which I picked up at my local second-hand store.

So that’s it! I am really happy with the conversion, and by the looks of it, so is my son. I would love to know your thoughts and whether you will be implementing any of these items in any of your kids spaces, so feel free to leave a comment below to let me know what you think.

In the meantime, if you are interested in achieving a similar look for your kids’ room, below are links to some of the items I used to achieve this look.

Happy decorating!!

Tarah Ferguson