Average But Inspired

Inspiring creativity with crafts, DIY, and home decor projects.

by

Vintage Airplane Bedroom Reveal

You know how good it feels to finish something you’ve been working on (edit: dragging your heels on) forever?  Like you’re on cloud nine, right?  I am TOTALLY up there right now because I finally finished (like yesterday – no joke), my son’s nursery to big boy room makeover, and I am ecstatic to finally be showing you his vintage airplane bedroom reveal!  This vintage airplane bedroom is filled with easy and budget-friendly DIY details that will grow with the little boy who lives here!

It was a total budget re-do and it is chock FULL of DIY projects that I’ll be spilling the details on over the next few weeks.  It’s also full of hand-me-downs and thrift shop finds, but that adds to the vintage look of it all!  

Before I show you the photos of what it looks like now, let me give you a snapshot of what it looked like as a gender neutral nursery.  It was so cute (I think!), but it was time for my little guy to get his own space that was personalized for him.  This is the BEFORE picture of a gender neutral nursery that's now a vintage airplane bedroom!

But now here’s what you see when you walk into the room!This vintage airplane bedroom is filled with easy and budget-friendly DIY details that will grow with the little boy who lives here!

The DIY flying airplane lamp that sits atop the chalk painted bookcase is one of my favorite things in here.  This vintage airplane bedroom is filled with easy and budget-friendly DIY details that will grow with the little boy who lives here!

This Target bookcase looks a lot better now that it has a fresh coat of paint, and the Ikea Spontan Magnetic Board is also much cuter with a paint job.  (Did you notice the camera on the bookcase?  That’s so I can spy on my little guy while he’s sleeping.  I wonder how long he will allow me to get away with still using the baby monitor?)This vintage airplane bedroom is filled with easy and budget-friendly DIY details that will grow with the little boy who lives here!

And this little personalized banner is made out of envelopes. Fun!
This vintage airplane bedroom is filled with easy and budget-friendly DIY details that will grow with the little boy who lives here!

Adding artwork above the bunk bed was a little tricky. I needed something super flat so that the person sleeping up there wouldn’t get hit by the art, or wouldn’t knock it off the wall.  I came up with this DIY vintage patent art that I am OBSESSED with!  When I was practicing law, I did several patent cases (much to my chagrin – patents were not my thing), so these amazing aviation patent figures are a great nod to my past as a professional and a fun, personal touch to this room!  The super flat canvases also make the perfect backdrop.This vintage airplane bedroom is filled with easy and budget-friendly DIY details that will grow with the little boy who lives here!

And here’s the SUPER FUN chalkboard wall!  Did you know you can tint chalkboard paint to almost any color?  This one is navy blue.  Love it.  (And so do the kids, by the way.)  Wait, actually it is kind of annoying to clean up the dust that the chalk leaves.  So maybe I don’t love it.  At least it looks cool.  This vintage airplane bedroom is filled with easy and budget-friendly DIY details that will grow with the little boy who lives here!

This vintage airplane bedroom is filled with easy and budget-friendly DIY details that will grow with the little boy who lives here!

Here’s the dresser area.  This was my childhood dresser that I gave a makeover just for my boy.  (You can get all the details here.)  I love that we were able to keep this piece even though it was outdated. This vintage airplane bedroom is filled with easy and budget-friendly DIY details that will grow with the little boy who lives here!
And I just about did a backflip when I found that propeller at HomeGoods.  Of course it threw itself into my shopping cart.  Then I added an aviation-inspired print that used to be my Grandpa’s, and some thrift shop upcycles that include my son’s monogram and some special coordinates.  This vintage airplane bedroom is filled with easy and budget-friendly DIY details that will grow with the little boy who lives here!
Some DIY map art above the radiator adds to the adventure theme of it all.  This vintage airplane bedroom is filled with easy and budget-friendly DIY details that will grow with the little boy who lives here!
Being in this room just makes me happy. My little guy absolutely loves it, too, and that’s what’s really important. room corner view
I have to say that as much fun as I had putting it together, I am glad it’s finished now. I have about 37 other projects that I’ve been neglecting, so it’s time to get moving on those! This vintage airplane bedroom is filled with easy and budget-friendly DIY details that will grow with the little boy who lives here!
– Bre

To see where I may be sharing this post, please click here.

Comments

  1. Kristi says

    Oh my gosh Bre! You’ve totally thought of everything – each and every detail brings so much fun and personality to the space! LOVE the chalkboard and those plane patent prints, and that propeller was definitely the find of the century!!! It’s absolutely perfect and I bet that little man of yours absolutely adores his new big boy bedroom!

    Reply

    • Bre says

      Thanks so much, sweet friend! Your kind words are SO appreciated! 🙂 He is definitely happy to have his big boy room. I know your little man can relate now that he has his sweet digs! xo

  2. Christine says

    B, it looks amazing!! Your kids are so lucky to have such a wonderful mom – who is also super talented!! I wish we lived closer and you could help me with Baby Girl’s currently blank walls 🙂

    Reply

    • Bre says

      Aw sweetie I wish I were closer, too! I would litter your walls with gold confetti! (Babies like gold. Right?) xo

    • Bre says

      Hi, friend! Thank you!! 🙂 It definitely was not a painstaking project like your daughter’s room, but I am happy to have it finished and off the list of things to do!

    • Bre says

      Hi, Jenny! Thank you!! Well, the poor little dude only had to wait about seven months for me to finish it. Ha! 🙂 Thanks for your sweet note!

  5. Elizabeth says

    I LOVE THIS!!! It is so so cute. The details are amazing and your lettering on the chalkboard is beautiful. And bunk beds–so fun!! I’m sure those provided some fun. 🙂 awesome job. xo

    Reply

    • Bre says

      Thanks so much, Katie! I appreciate it, especially because your kids have such adorable rooms!

  7. Breanna says

    Bre! This is so cute! And you know I have a soft spot for aviation 😉 I’m sure he absolutely loves it and I hope he appreciates all your hard work. Totally in love with those vintage prints too 🙂

    Reply

    • Bre says

      Thanks so much, Bre! He is definitely excited to have his room all finished! 🙂 And I’m grateful he still likes airplanes (I was confident he was going to change his mind halfway through the makeover).

    • Bre says

      Hi, Lorelai! Thank you! And thank you for the invitation to your party! I am sorry I missed it for this post; I was taking a little blog break. But I will check it out in the future. Thanks again!

    • Bre says

      Hi! We bought them used through a local resale site, so unfortunately I don’t know where they came from! Thanks for stopping by. 🙂

    • Bre says

      Hi! I made it! I got a plain fillable lamp at Target, and then used clear fishing line to hang metal airplanes from Dollar Tree inside! 🙂

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Kitchen Update with Smart Tiles Peel and Stick Backsplash

Last year I helped my sister give her original 1950’s kitchen a budget-friendly but impactful makeover – complete with new and painted cabinets, new countertops, and new flooring. She later decided she wanted to add a backsplash, but she wasn’t sure she wanted to spend the time or money to install a real tile backsplash. […]

Colorful DIY Glass Jar Lantern Craft

This summer I’m determined to make the most of my yard and patio, and I know many of you are feeling the same!  A great way to make outdoor spaces more inviting is with accessories, like outdoor pillows, pretty planters (try these DIY Modern Planters!), and ambient lighting.  Speaking of which, this DIY glass jar […]

The Grain Sack Stripe of Necessity {A Painted Bench Makeover}

It’s always the projects that are supposed to be easy that turn out to be the biggest pains in the you-know-what. That was precisely the case for this little bench.  Though she looks lovely now, she put up quite a fight to get to looking this way.   She came to me from my mom […]

Modern Vintage Bathroom Makeover Reveal

Several months ago I shared my plans for a modern vintage bathroom makeover in my kids’ / hall bathroom. I totally dragged my heels on sharing the finished space. Why? Because my kids are messy little creatures who cannot keep this bathroom tidy. I had to clean it and photograph it in the same chunk […]