Hi friends!

We are in the final stretch of summer, school just around the corner, and I am welcoming the return of routine with open arms. As someone who finds real comfort in rhythm, the predictability of a school morning sounds genuinely appealing right now. Charlie has his last week of camp, which means my last week of shuttling — and as much as I love the flexibility to do it, I will not be missing it. What I will be welcoming back is our morning stroll to school, Charlie talking about whatever is on his mind while I slowly sip my coffee and take the long way home through the park. That small ritual has been missed more than I expected.

That said, this has been a genuinely lovely summer. The first in a while where we stayed in the city, and I found something simple and nourishing in that — extra time in the garden, Charlie’s endless neighborhood playdates, the particular pleasure of slowing down without going anywhere.

Last weekend we celebrated our dear friend’s son’s Bar Mitzvah — a beautiful day of community, family, and so much dancing. I was full of tears watching this boy we have known since he was small stand up and speak so thoughtfully about his place in the world. To watch our own kids grow into themselves, their personalities taking shape, their words becoming their own — it is a gift and a trip and an awe-inspiring thing all at once.

Which brings me, in a roundabout way, to this week’s issue. Because that is exactly what I was trying to do with a room.

At long last: Charlie’s bedroom reveal.

Let’s get into it.

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My Summer Project

A few months ago I sat down with Charlie over pancakes and asked for his wishlist. You may remember the list: LED mood lights, a Lego display shelf, a desk, a trapdoor with a fireman’s pole down to the basement playroom, light blue walls, glow-in-the-dark stars on the ceiling, and more room for books. He liked the art in his room and didn’t care where the bed went. A list I could — mostly — work with.

Here is what we did.

Color

After much deliberation, sampling, and research I landed on Benjamin Moore Aspen Skies — a lovely midtone blue that leans slightly green, with just enough saturation to feel energetic and playful without tipping into overwhelming. I took initial inspiration from Farrow & Ball’s Yonder and matched it to this Benjamin Moore equivalent for the budget. I used the color on both walls and trim, adding a glossier sheen to the trim to create definition without contrast. The ceiling stayed white — partly practical, partly intentional. I knew I was adding glow-in-the-dark stars and wanted them to disappear in the daytime.

Storage

The full wall of shelving using the IKEA Ivar system was the most transformative structural decision. Solid wood, modular, adaptable — it allowed me to consolidate his bookshelf and dresser into one large unified system, making the room feel less busy and more intentional. A horizontal line of drawer units and a sliding door cabinet along the base, open shelving above. His books are now easy to see and reach, and — most importantly to Charlie — there is proper space to display his Lego collection. The beauty of Ivar is that as he grows and his interests change, the whole system can evolve with him.

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The Desk

Wrapping the corner and continuing that horizontal line for a built-in effect, I built a simple desk from one sheet of Baltic birch three-quarter-inch plywood. I love the simplicity of it — but I’ll admit I didn’t fully think through the engineering, and the span of the surface was too long without support. So I built a leg. A slightly goofy leg with slots for Lego platforms, letting the play spill off the desk surface and down the side. Do I love it formally? Not entirely. But it is genuinely fun, and Charlie now spends hours there — building Lego creations or reading spy novels. That counts for everything.

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The Rest

After paint and shelving, much of the room stayed familiar — because Charlie wanted it that way. His bed is in the same spot, centered below the window. The corner reading chair came back — a remnant of a nursery hack where I removed the legs from an IKEA chair and added a glider base, since swapped out for a legless, low, and loungy option. Several things Charlie explicitly asked to keep, calling them iconic. The North America vintage map I found on Etsy before he was born. The mobile I made for above his crib. The Schoolhouse clock that warns of bedtime and greets him every morning. I love that he has his own relationship with these objects already — that they mean something to him independent of me.

The new additions: dyed curtains in the wall color, glow-in-the-dark stars on the ceiling, a new IKEA PS 2026 chair at the desk, a tomato lamp, and the tomato poster that has been in his room since he was a baby — staying forever.

This project was more than a room makeover. It was a way of marking a transition — for Charlie, stepping into his tween years with a space that reflects who he is becoming, and for me, learning to follow his lead a little more and hold my own design opinions a little more loosely. There is something quietly meaningful about making a space for someone you love and then stepping back to let it be theirs. The planning, the building, the making — all of it gave me an anchor during a year of a lot of change. I needed a project, and this one gave back as much as I put in.

This morning I asked Charlie what his favorite thing in the new room was. He quickly said his desk — the place where he can write or build legos or just think. I then asked him how the room made him feel. After a moment of thought, he answered — ”peaceful. It just feels like me.”

I almost cried. That is the best review I have ever received.

Resource List

• Paint—Benjamin Moore Aspen Skies

• Flor rug tiles–similar

• Vintage Ritva Puotila Rya Rug–similar

• Curtains — dyed sheers

• IKEA Tarva Bed—hacked to fit headboard under window sill

• IKEA Ivar system

• Desk chair: IKEA PS 2026 chair

• IKEA Strandmon lounge chair

• Vintage Componibili side table– find new here

• Nickey Kehoe Madras Plaid Duvet

• Tomato lamp—similar

• Fine Little Day Tomato poster

• Glow-in-the-dark stars

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The Perfect Plaid

The last piece to land in the room — and the one that pulled everything together — was this duvet from Nickey Kehoe. I always love a plaid, and this one in beautiful linen is a new favorite. The color palette is unexpected: olive green, chartreuse, burgundy, a touch of pink, and royal blue. It is at once rugged and playful with a dash of sweetness — fresh yet feeling like that perfect vintage score. Not to mention the luxurious drape of the woven linen. Sometimes the right textile is the thing that makes a room feel finished. This was that.

What object in your childhood room do you still think about?

Katie xx

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