Bloom As You Are

BIG KID ROOM

A dreamy big kid room that’s made for sleepovers!

LOCATION: Toronto, Canada

THE KIDDO: 3

FEATURES WE LOVE:

Canopy bed that converts into a loft bed
Trundle bed for sleepovers
Montessori self-care station
Reading nook
Toy hub
Open and closed storage
Stuffie storage

““I love it! The girls are having their first sleepover now. Everything was a big hit!”

The Tricky Space

My client’s 3-year-old was ready to transition from crib to big kid bed. And with her 4-year-old cousin coming for a weeklong sleepover in just a few weeks, they wondered if we could transform the room in time!

When a kiddo makes this transition, it’s the perfect opportunity to reimagine the whole room. Cribs, gliders and change tables take up valuable floor space — and when I’m designing a room to grow from big kid through to the tween and teen years, those nursery pieces typically don’t make the cut.

This room was on the smaller side, so optimizing the functionality and flow was especially important. A traditional bed-and-nightstand combination would have blocked access to the closet doors, and the family wanted to keep the existing dark navy carpet but weren’t sure how to make it work with a softer colour palette.

There was also a built-in shelf that provided plenty of useful storage, but some of its open areas were creating visual clutter in a room meant for calm and rest.

The Transformation

I kept the bed in a similar orientation to the crib, which helped preserve open floor space and maintain easy access throughout the room. My client wanted a beautiful canopy bed with a trundle that could grow with her for years — even converting to a loft bed in the tween years — so we landed on the Oeuf Perch Nest Bed. Its smart design gave us the functionality we needed without overwhelming the room.

To create a softer visual transition between the dark navy carpet and the sleeping area, I added a whimsical flower-shaped rug with irregular petal and leaf edges. It ties the palette together beautifully — and makes the bed look like it’s sitting in a bed of flowers. How sweet!

I always look for opportunities to support kids’ autonomy and independence, so I made sure the things she uses every day were accessible at her level. A Montessori-inspired self-care station gives her the independence to get herself dressed, while a low, accessible reading nook makes it easy for her to choose a book and curl up with a story.

I also used simple baskets to contain the visual clutter within the built-in shelving, along with a large floor basket for stuffies. The remaining low, open shelves became a quiet-activity toy hub for puzzles, blocks and pretend play — keeping the bedroom functional without turning it into a playroom.

Install happened while the family was away on a trip, so the little girl and her cousin came home to their brand-new room, just in time for their weeklong sleepover. Now that’s what I call a Reveal Day!