Pearl's Big Girl Room Reveal!

**This post is sponsored by Minted. But of course, all opinions are my own.**

If you had told me this time last year that my brother and his family would be our actual next door neighbors come Christmas, I would have laughed. Not because that wouldn't have been amazing, of course! But because our neighbors weren't looking to move, and their family wasn't seriously looking to buy at that time, and well, the thought had just never even entered my mind!

Well, if you've followed along on Instagram or our Daily Life IGTV episodes, then you know exactly what happened! This past July my brother, Taylor, his wife, Kelsey, and their two kids, Pearl (almost 3) and Gray (almost 1.5) moved into the house right next to us. Sometimes I still look out the window and think "Is this real life!?!"

I remember stopping in at their rental house earlier this summer to hang out for a bit and Kelsey telling me two exciting things --- that they're expecting Baby #3 in February of 2019, and because of that, they're looking to buy a house. Half joking I said, "Well, I think our neighbor Bob is looking to move before too long, maybe you could live there." And once I'd uttered the words it was all T.J. and I could do to not get our hopes too high. Heck! The house wasn't even on the market yet?! Within two weeks time, Taylor and Kelsey had come to see the house, put in an offer, and purchased their first home. I vividly remember this brief moment where a guy who looked very much like Santa Claus came to look at the house too, and T.J. and I were creeper watching from our windows saying "No Santa! Don't buy it! Go away, Santa!!!

From the moment they moved into their new house, Kelsey and I have been talking about all the plans, minor renovations, cosmetic fixes and room makeovers the house could use. So, naturally, I am thrilled to reveal the first (of many!) completed project in The Courtney House --- Pearl's big girl room.

I am honored and excited to be working with Minted, yet again, on such a fun project. Minted now offers a large selection of their artwork in the form of removable wall murals. Seriously go over and look at them because they're incredible.

We chose the mural titled "The Meadow" for Pearl's room because we loved the colors and felt like it was fun and full of energy, much like Pearl. We considered a few others that felt more "little girl", or calming, or geometric, but in the end, landed on this one because it was something she could grow into and keep on her wall for years to come! (Although, bonus: it is totally removable if it ever came to that!)

Before the mural even arrived, we (and by we I mean T.J, Taylor, and my parents) ripped out the carpet in Pearl's room to reveal the original hardwood floors underneath! Then we painted the entire room a bright, fresh, white. (My favorite white is this one, right off the shelves.) Instantly the room felt entirely new and different! It was now a blank slate for us to turn into something beautiful.

Here are a few before photos of the room. As you can see it was various shades of tan, gray/green, and was in need of brightening up!

As soon as the mural arrived, we hung it in only a few hours time. It went onto the wall quite easily and wasn't too hard to line up with the next piece for that seamless look. Plus, the few times I didn't get it quite right, I was able to peel it back a few feet to realign it and get it right! Super easy. I was really impressed with the quality of the mural too. It was much thicker and smoother than I was expecting, which was great!

Pearl and June had been in the basement watching a movie while Kelsey and I were hanging the mural, and when they came up to see it they kept asking if the walls were still wet, because it looks like giant paint strokes! Kelsey also told me that the next morning after we'd installed the mural, Pearl kept referring to it as "her masterpiece." 😂 Kids are so funny!

Our inspiration board for the room included pinks, yellows, golds, whites, and wicker accents. We wanted to pull out and highlight the pinks and golds in the mural, yet still throw in a few nods to the mints and blue shades too. We hung shelves to make a little reading nook, complimented perfectly with a wicker chair Kelsey had thrifted a few years back.

We swapped Pearl and Gray's dressers with one another since Gray's was smaller and fit better in the space we needed it to go, and then hung a rattan mirror above it to add personality and depth.

It's so interesting to help bring a new house to life that looks so similar to my own, yet is also totally different. Their house is a little bit larger than ours and their staircase is in the middle, creating that perfect speed-force-running-circle for the kids to loop around 800 times a day. Our staircase is off to the right side of our home against the wall, so that already makes our houses feel different from one another. But when it comes down to the trim and window details, the floors, and overall feel of the house, they're very similar. Ours was built in 1929, and there's would have been built next in line after that, most likely by the same builders!

Pearl's room loosely mirrors our master bedroom since they're both the bedrooms in the back of the house. Pearl's room includes the entrance to the attic, whereas ours is in our upstairs hallway.

Both Kelsey and I just adore the way her room turned out. Pearl has already been spending so much more time in it now that it's freshly painted and styled to reflect her personality and interests. The mural really did take the entire room from blank to beautiful. It was the perfect springboard to guide our other design and decor decisions off of, but that wasn't a surprise at all since Minted is always keeping design forward consumers like Kelsey and myself in mind when the source their art and artists.

Let's end on a few of the photos side by side, cause let's be real, there are few things more rewarding in life than a good before and after photo. These photos also confirm that I would happily design and style kid's rooms for the rest of my life. 😍

Now that this room is completed, on to the next one!

Let me know in the comments which Minted removable wall mural you'd hang in your house and what your favorite part of Pearl's room is! Or, let me know if I can answer any questions for you!

P.S. I would love to see this Minted mural in my house someday!