Little Boy's Bedroom Fabric Choices -- Advice Please

16 years ago

I'd love some help, please.

I have a three year-old son and I've finally found some fabrics I want to use for his bedroom, only I'm not sure which to use for what purpose.

I'll want to make (or have made, depending on industrious I am!) a duvet cover, upholstered headboard, tailored bedskirt, pillow shams, window seat cover, and curtain for under window seat storage.

The walls are Pratt & Lambert's Bone White, the ceiling and trim are Benjamin Moore's Calming Cream; we put up plantation shutters (so will need no additional window treatments), and his bureau and bedside table are old Japanese tansus. The artwork I plan to put up is still down in the basement in boxes .... The bed is a twin and the window seat, built into an alcove, is 7'x4'; underneath it is open shelving. I'd like to have a curtain on a rod there to cover it up.

Okay, my fabrics:

I was thinking of this ("blue gondola fabric") for the duvet cover:

and maybe this ("stripey fabric") for the headboard and tailored bedskirt:

and these (ginghams) for pillows (both on the window seat and the bed):

and either of these for the window seat cover:

("flag fabric" -- although it could also be a good choice for the headboard / bedskirt, or even duvet cover)

(although I'm thinking this ["car fabric"] in a different colorway might be better [because the cherry background is vibrant, and I'm somewhat concerned it might fight the blue of the gondola fabric]: it also comes with a blue background [the same blue as the proposed duvet cover])

and then there's also this ("ball fabric"), although it's not my favorite but I thought maybe its simplicity and matching colors might be a good thing:

So, what do you think? Which fabric would you recommend for which purpose? Because of the size of the window seat cushion, I figured it should have a larger scale on it (not one of the ginghams), and I thought the stripey fabric might be too much for it. Or it might be fine ....

I also don't know what to do with the under-seat curtain. Should it be the same as the fabric I use for the window seat cover? I'm concerned if I do the same as whatever I use for the headboard / bedskirt it'll be too much.

I think I'm just confused. I know I am, in fact.

I've really enjoyed lurking and occasionally contributing on this forum for months, so I do appreciate the clear eyes you all bring.

Thank you in advance for any and all advice!

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Comments (7)

les917
16 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
They are charming fabrics, and the colors all work well together! I am a little unsure of using the car and the gondola fabric in the same room - they seem to fight one another.

I would do the headboard in a neutral blue, perhaps the background of the gondola, so that in a couple of years when you have to change out the other stuff, you won't have to re-do the headboard. Let the decorative pillows and shams be the print at the head of the bed.

I would probably do the following:

Gondola fabric for top side of duvet, reverse to stripe.

Skirt in stripe (box pleated, not gathered).

Euro sham in the gondola print, regular sham in the stripe, accent pillow in the ginghams, one on each side, with blue welting.

Window seat in the gondola, back bolsters in alternating ginghams, skirt for shelves in the same stripe as the bedskirt.

I don't care for the balls fabric - it feels very feminine and almost looks like holiday ornaments. The flags don't really feel like they belong with the gondola fabric.
reeree_natural
16 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
They are very nice fabrics for your sons room. .lucky little guy! I wouldnÂt use all the fabrics. may get to busy. I think I would do the red/car fabric for the duvet , a solid for the reverse side, (Navy blue) the stripe for the bed skirt and a pillow sham, and use the "flag" fabric for window toppersÂ if additional decorative pillows are in the plan, use solids and use one of your ginghams for the piping. (a navy pillow with green or orange gingham will look really nice and pull it together )

It is difficult when some many fabric choices are in our ÂlapsÂ I went through it with my daughters room which I had it all custom doneÂ .she really has a beautiful room (I have pictures of it, but does not do it justice at all.. I didnÂt take the right shots / angles when I took them.. So itÂs hard to appreciate it in the photoÂs , but in real life. .it really is a pretty room .

Let us know what you decide.. Ree
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rmkitchen
Original Author
16 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Wow -- I cannot thank you both enough for your thoughtful and helpful advice!

I also have a seventeen month-old son (who is still in the nursery), so I might do similar to both of your suggestions, one for each room. That way it won't be too matchy-matchy but there will be some color continuity between their rooms .... I'm excited!

You have given me just great food for thought. When I finish I'll post pictures.

Thank you again so very, very much!
reeree_natural
16 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
rmkitchen
awh..a 17 month old too! I am sure both their rooms will be adorable...can't wait to see what you decide...don't forget to post pictures! Ree
lorriekay
16 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Very Nice.. but my first thought was too many fabrics .. I would choose only 3
The Gondola
The Multi Stripe
& the one that looks like Balloons on the White/Cream Background
LOVE it!
dogridge
16 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
I love your fabrics! may I ask where you found them? I have a 3 yo son also and am planning to update his room when we move to our new home this spring. Have you completed your project? Can you post pics?
rmkitchen
Original Author
16 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Thank you for your nice words and congratulations on your new home! So exciting.

The fabrics are all from Sanderson Fabrics in the UK. (specifically here, here and here)

Well, the laddies' bedrooms' project has "started" in that I've interviewed three seamstresses and received yardage requirements from one of them. It may send me to the poorhouse ....

Sorry -- no pictures, yet! Maybe in early-mid Spring. ??? Maybe. Hopefully before the boys go off to uni! No, I'm really motivated but finding seamstresses took me some time and then there were the holidays ... go figure. Probably by the end of this week I'll have the fabrics ordered and then we'll go from there.

I decided to do basically what les917 suggested for my 3.5 year-old son's room, and for my 18 month-old, he'll have a striped bedskirt, the red car as one side of the duvet, the flags as the other side of the duvet and also to upholster this chair, and the balls fabric for a neckroll. (I'll also have decorative pillows for Li'l Bit as well as a balls fabric neckroll for my older son.) I think it'll be great! And I could not have gotten this far without everyone's help, that is for sure.

I look forward to seeing what you do for your son's room!

Little Boy's Bedroom Fabric Choices -- Advice Please

Comments (7)

les917

reeree_natural

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Little Boy's Bedroom Fabric Choices -- Advice Please

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les917

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