Don’s Room Refresh- Scallops and Dresser

Last week I kicked off a makeover on Don’s room by switching out his twin bed for a queen iron bed. And, I obviously couldn’t leave the room as is, and decided to paint the walls. I thought I’d show you the new scallops I painted and a little dresser makeover. 

White paint

If you remember, Don’s room was painted with clouds. It felt too heavy to me so I painted over it with white paint. Plus, Don is way more into dinosaurs now, so I wanted a better chance to showcase his current passions. First step, paint the room white!

And boom! It became a blank slate! I know it looks boring now, but hold on! This is the light and bright background I LOVE to add lots of color onto. I’ve come to realize that I like living in a white room with colorful accents are art. This is just the beginning! 

Plus, we took the chance to empty out the room and only bring what was needed back in. With switching from a twin bed against the wall to a queen bed floating in the room, we lost some space so a few small pieces of furniture won’t be coming back in. This makes it so that there’s some breathing room in here.

Scallops

After the room was painted all white, the next day I decided to add the first splash of color with some scallops. The slanted ceilings in here add lots of character, but they do make it a little tricky for decorating. I don’t like the idea of hanging art on the slanted part, so to me that leaves a paint treatment or wallpaper.

To prep for the scallops, I put down painter’s tape across the chair molding. Then, I used a round plastic lid and created my own stencil with a cereal box.

I traced the half circle scallops onto the wall. I got really lucky and 20 fit perfectly on the wall! That meant that I could do 4 of each color. I painted the scallops on the wall one color at a time. That gave each color time to dry so I didn’t accidentally mess up the paint by painting too close to a wet scallop.

Each scallop got two coats of paint. I love how colorful it came out! I could have gone with all green scallops, but this felt more fun!

For the colors, I used Beloved Pink, Coral Fountain, Corn Stalk, Spring Reflection, and Watery.

dresser makeover

In Don’s room, we have the Rast dresser from Ikea. It was $40 and such an affordable way to have a place to store his folded clothes!

PREP

• Clean the furniture. Mix 2 Tablespoons of White Lightning or TSP in 1 gallon of hot water. Use a rag dipped in the solution to clean the entire surface of the furniture you’ll be painting. Wipe the piece clean with a damp rag to remove any White Lightning residue. Let dry prior to painting. 
• Lay a drop cloth on the floor. Put a towel or drop cloth on the floor underneath the furniture you’re about paint. This will protect your flooring from paint drips.

PAINT

• Spritz your brush. With chalk paint, you always want to start with a damp brush. Continue to spray the brush with a spray bottle on the furniture piece with water while painting. 
• Start painting. Dip the paintbrush in the chalk paint and apply it thinly on the furniture. Brush in the direction on the wood grain until you’ve covered the entire piece. Note, you WON’T get full coverage with the first coat. If it’s streaky, don’t panic! I used Dixie Belle’s Driftwood for this project.
• Let the paint dry. Usually you only need to wait 20 minutes between coats. While it’s drying, wrap your paint brush in a wet rag or plastic bag so the brush won’t dry out between coats. If you’re painting a big piece, you might be able to begin the second coat immediately without waiting since it’s probably been 20 minutes since you first started painting. 
• Paint a second coat. Repeat the instructions for the first coat of paint. This time though, you should get full coverage. If you don’t (which can happen if you’re covering dark wood with a light cover) continue with a 3rd coat of chalk paint.
• Wash out the paint brush. Usually tap water will remove all wet paint. If needed, also use mild soap. Rinse the brush until the water runs clear.
• Seal the furniture. If you’re using a clear coat, apply it with a paint brush thinly to all surfaces. I used Gator Hide to finish off this piece. 

I originally had wallpaper on this dresser. It was cute, but peeling up. Since I want something a bit more durable and colorful, I pulled off the old wallpaper. It came up super easily! P.s. if you’re ever looking for a little bit of wallpaper for a small project like this, I suggest buying small pieces from Spoonflower. This is definitely the cheapest way to just get a piece of wallpaper!

After removing the wallpaper, I used painter’s tape to create 1″ stripes on the dresser front. I did 5 so I could have the same colors as the scallops.

Then I just painted them on! I did two coats, and it was SO easy! The wood is a nice warmth and texture while the stripes are a fun touch while pulling in the rainbow colors I love.

OMG- how cute is that?! I ordered a star duvet for Don’s new bed and think it’s nicely playful for in here.

but what about the dinosaurs?

I started this whole makeover with the plan to add more dinosaurs to Don’s room. So where are they?! That’s the next step!

I graved this modern and colorful dinosaur art of Etsy for $10. I re-used his old frames and so it was an affordable way to change up the art. It still needs to be hung up.

I put another piece of dinosaur art on the right side of Don’s bed. It’s a stegosaurus blowing bubble gum. Here’s a picture where you can see it better-

I have a BIG idea for adding some dinosaurs on the wall. Let me show you a mock-up-

The white wall to the left of Don’s bed is SO blank and empty. I took this old picture of his room and mocked up the idea of adding a painted mural to the wall. What I like about this is that I can use my favorite paint colors so it’ll perfectly coordinate with the scallops.

Won’t that be SO fun if I can figure it out?! I don’t know if my painting skills are up to it, but I am thinking about trying. The mural is based mostly on this wallpaper.

I’d need to change it up some more so it’s not a total rip off. I could buy the wallpaper, but it’s expensive and I like the idea of doing a bigger scale and adding an ankylosaurus over the door (that’s the yellow dinosaur- Don’s favorite).

 

So what do you think of Don’s room so far?! Aren’t the scallops and stripes fun? Do you think I should give the mural a go? I think it’d be exactly what the room needs if I can pull it off. I’d love to hear your thoughts!

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