The Checkerboard Wall Room
Our most colorful room yet– a checkered accent wall, all six upstairs palette colors, and a space that proves you can tackle big projects one wall at a time.
One Wall At A Time
This room perfectly shows my “one wall at a time” approach! We tackled it bit by bit: first the headboard, then the shelves, followed by the book nook, and finally the checkerboard wall.
Even the checkerboard was a two-parter– left side, then right. I just chip away at projects whenever I have a spare moment, which isn’t often!
What I really love is that you don’t immediately see the checkerboard wall when you walk in– it’s actually behind you. But trust me, you definitely can’t miss it on your way out.
The book nook
Oh, this charming little book nook. It was previously a closet (one of three on that wall alone!) Alex built it out and we found a foam mattress that fit perfectly inside.
The boys can actually access the space behind it through the closet next door, so there’s a secret cave hangout underneath the book nook. They think it’s the greatest thing that has ever existed.
We use it as a sleepover spot now as well. If you happen to have a surplus of closets (what a gift!) this is a very good use of one.
The blue in the space is Stone Blue and the green trim is Breakfast Room Green.
The Swing Arm Sconce
The sconce is worth calling out because I did something a bit silly– I combined the best parts of two light fixtures. I loved the green sconces we picked out to live above the nightstands, but the shape didn’t work in the book nook. We needed something with a long arm.
I found a gold swing arm sconce and combined it with the shade from the green sconce. It was a perfect match! Both were pretty affordable, so I didn’t feel like it was a waste to get the exact light I wanted!
Desk & Bookshelves
The desk was a Crate & Barrel outlet find. It was in pretty rough shape but a coat of Farrow & Ball’s Babouche did the trick. The perfect chair? A Goodwill find! I thought I’d paint it, but I love the charm of the old wood.
Alex built the blue shelves out of scrap wood he had left over and we painted them Stone Blue.
A Note On Color Palettes
This is a good time to talk about repeating color– because I think people assume colorful rooms are just… random. They’re not.
Every color in this room shows up more than once. The checkerboard wall, the headboard, the book nook, the desk– it’s a coordinated palette, and that’s exactly why it feels cohesive instead of chaotic.
It all starts with having a color palette to come back to. Once you have that, the decisions get a lot easier.
Building a color palette is one of the first things we cover inside the membership– join here if you want to start there.
Bedroom Paint Colors
The base wall color is Farrow & Ball School House White and the trim is Farrow & Ball Breakfast Room Green. The checkered wall uses all six colors from our upstairs color palette:
Shop The Room
Artwork & Wall Decor
Everyone loves this clock! Pro tip: remove the plastic cover (look for the screws on the back)
We used the arm from this sconce in the book nook, but paired it with the shade from the green one.
