What? Do I hear a request for more house porn? You got it! 

This was the original real estate picture of Ian's room. I really do need a wide angle lens. This photography hobby is like crack, dudes. Don't get started. 

Then we unpacked and just put things randomly in rooms. Ian pasted pictures of video game figures and his favorite words on the walls, dressers, and doors of his room.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I think this wallpaper was original to house. Circa 1959. It's not a horrible pattern, but it just isn't appropriate for a boy's room. 

Here's the new room. Benjamin Moore Moroccan Red. Ian's room doesn't have the white built-ins like Jonah's room, so we had to buy more white accessories. Like a white board, which was positioned low enough to be an easel. It was from Target. 

 

Mid-century houses are lovely in many ways. We're saving $400 a month in energy costs for a home that's double the size of our old house. But then we have to deal with tiny windows and character-less moldings. I'm not a big fan of curtains, but this room demanded them. These are all from IKEA. It's cheap, but there were meant for drama, not function. 

All the new accessories in this room, including the paint, probably cost $150. The labor was the pricey part. Two guys worked full time for one week to remove the wallpaper in two bedrooms, fix the cracked plaster in the hallway, deal with the painted over wallpaper glue in the bathroom, and then paint everything. I could have done it, but it would have taken three years. 

The wall over Ian's bed is too blank. I thought about hanging a framed poster over his bed, but then what if there's an earthquake and the picture falls on his head? Because earthquakes happen every day in New Jersey. I though about putting up one of those huge wall decals. But then I decided that he needs space to tape up his stuff. An area that he can totally trash. Waaaah! 

We have an unofficial formula for decorating – 1/3 investment pieces, 1/3 IKEA, and 1/3 knackered old thing. Those framed train prints are investment pieces. We bought them for $25 at a train museum in Virginia. They're signed and numbered by the artist. They remind us of a stage of our lives when the boys were obsessed with trains and we visited every train museum in seven contiguous states. The frames were very expensive, but they are lovely prints and they have great memories associated with them. The lamp cost $7 from IKEA. The desk is a beat-up hand me down from Steve's folks. The glass blotter comes from IKEA, too. 

The duvet cover is new. It's from Garnet Hill. I like getting duvet covers from fancy places and then using sheets from Target. Because it is better to look good, than to feel good. Jonah has the same one. I like that the life preservers are blueberry and maroon. I bought this from their clearance catalog. $44.