Painting My Tween’s Room {Field Trip by Clare Paint}
I just finished painting my tween boy’s room Field Trip by Clare Paint. I am obsessed with how it turned out! Come see the results and hear my thoughts on letting kids choose their own room design.
My oldest son, Jackson, has always been pretty particular about how his room is decorated. He has big opinions, and he isn’t afraid to voice them! So, as we began settling into this house and started working on planning out his space, I knew he would want to be heavily involved.
I used to spend a lot of time trying to convince him to design a room that flowed with the rest of our house. I wanted to avoid anything too trendy or that I knew he’d change his mind about a year or two down the road. And, if I’m being honest, I wanted his room to be a space that I liked too.
I’m not sure if it’s age and wisdom or just a plain ol’ change of heart. But, lately I’m all about letting my kids have full reign when it comes to their rooms. After all, they’re the ones who have to live there! Who cares what I think?!
Of course, it’s always a bonus when they choose to design a space that I happen to like. Which, thankfully, is exactly what happened here. From the moment Jackson started planning his new room, he knew he wanted to paint the walls a deep green. He had really dark walls at our last house and absolutely loved them. So, I wasn’t surprised he wanted to repeat that. He was very thoughtful about choosing a color, and he finally landed on Field Trip by Clare Paint.
Jackson’s New Wall Color: Field Trip by Clare Paint
Field Trip is a really deep, mossy green. I was a tiny bit nervous when I first started painting because that first coat definitely evoked some, uh bodily fluids vibes. But once I got the second coat on, I knew it was the perfect color. Honestly, I’m considering reusing it in my own room!
I can’t stop thinking that this space feels like a big, warm hug now. It’s incredible what a couple of coats of paint can do! I’m always just beside myself with excitement to watch these spaces come together. Getting rid of the old taupe color in here made a really big difference, and this room feels so much more like Jackson now.
Deep Thoughts on Tween Room Chaos
As I was painting his room, I couldn’t stop thinking about all of the junk he loves to hoard. If I had it my way, the surfaces in his room would be mostly cleared. He wouldn’t have stuff shoved in the corners and everything would have a (neat and orderly) place.
But, that’s not how Jackson wants it. He loves to display every single tiny treasure he’s ever had. All of his art projects and LEGO minifigures and even the kid’s meal toys that he got three years ago. Heck, he’s obsessed with displaying his soccer trophies and he hasn’t played soccer in years. And he didn’t really even enjoy it when he did!
But every single shelf of chaos is a representation of this sweet kid and all the things he loves. I found myself pausing in my painting to admire the little display he’s lovingly created, the evidence all over his desk of the art he’s been working on, and the books tucked into the corners of his bed.
Of course, I’m still gonna make him clean up the trash and all those dirty socks he shoves under the dresser, but that’s a separate issue. It was just a good lesson in letting the kid chaos be. He’s stretching his creative muscles and carving out a space that feels like him. We all need that!
Next Steps for Jackson’s Room
The next big thing Jackson is asking for in here is to paint the yellow dresser. I believe he wants it to be black. This dresser has lived quite a life – it started off as a changing table in Grant’s first-ever nursery. Then, I gave it a makeover when we moved to our last house and were designing Grant’s next room. When we moved to this house it landed in Jackson’s room! He loves the trim but does not love the color. So, in the next couple of weeks I’ll be giving that dresser a good ol’ fashioned makeover.
Jackson is also wanting to create a gallery wall of framed puzzles above his bed. He’s only got one right now, but we’re working on a second. I’m also taking him shopping soon for some new bedding!
It’s really fun to see his enthusiasm for this space as it starts to come together, and I’m having a blast letting him lead the way. I’ll keep you posted on how things progress!