a modern toddler room for our 2 year old

a modern toddler room – the completed space

(Everything you see, we bought with our own money – nothing was sponsored or gifted). This post contains affiliate links, so we may earn a small commission when you make a purchase through links on our site at no additional cost to you.

When it was time to move our 15 month old son out of the nursery it meant a snowball effect for all of the rooms upstairs. Which also meant I was suddenly faced with at least two, but really three, rooms that needed to be designed for a new resident. The idea of this was super exciting to me but the reality was it was so much work! (but also so much fun) Just a bit slower than I had initially thought it would be.

a modern toddler room – creating a blank slate

The room initially began as our daughters room. You can see how it started here. The mural wall was so much fun to paint and so much fun to see, for about two years and then it began to just look like chaos to me, even when her room was perfectly tidy. So a fresh coat of paint was needed, at least on that wall for sure.

At the time, this room was one of the only spaces in our home that had a completely smooth ceiling, all the others had popcorn. So I was completely enchanted with the idea of painting the ceiling to be the statement feature of the room. I knew I wanted a dusty blue and we landed on Sherwin William’s Meditative, and I love that because it seems a bit ironic for a boys room.

The white walls are Sherwin Williams Dover White and as soon as I painted that west facing wall with the window from green to white, I knew I had made a terrible mistake. It made the room feel so much smaller! This is when the color-blocking idea came to fruition. I purchased a sample size pint of a lighter blue – Tradewind by Sherwin Williams, and painted half of that wall and stopped there because for whatever reason, I loved how the crisp blue line on the white looked.

I ended up painting one more color-blocked space on the irregular angled wall and love the finished look of it all. This modern toddler room also seemed like it was begging for a different colored trim with all these white walls so I painted both the trim and the interior of the door Sandbar by Sherwin Williams. (those $9 pint size samples from Sherwin Williams can really make a difference in a room on a tight budget)

a modern toddler room – the details

The Nursery we had moved him out of was perfectly perfect for a baby and an infant- dark, cozy, the perfect space to encourage good sleep and foster that intimate and special season that comes with that first year. But now that he had turned one and was getting a bigger space, I knew this would also act as a playroom and I wanted it light and bright and cheery! It was so much bigger than the last space. We had room for the crib, rocking chair, dresser, nightstand, toy storage, a Chunk, and even a pickler triangle with a slide.

I am extra thankful for the small walk in closet he has as well so I could put the dresser and changing pad out of the way so we had more room for extra activities and play space.

I love the way all of the wood tones work with each other in here, warming up what could be a very cold space with all the white and blue walls. And I love the charm that that vintage dresser adds as a nightstand in this room. That next to the wingback rocking chair really brings sophistication to a otherwise playful space.

One of my very favorite details of this room is the seagull mobile. Its perfectly simple and adorable and the way it flaps just makes me and Mr. H giddy. Its now a nap time wake up ritual and I love that.

the chunk

One of my very favorite play additions of this room is probably one of the greatest inventions for nonstop toddlers and kids, the Chunk. What a name right? I purchased a Nugget for my daughter’s first birthday and as much as it promised to be the best thing ever, my kids have never been big enough to move and build with it. And this mom was tired of moving a giant square foam thing around only to be told I built the wrong thing.

Nope, bye bye. Thank goodness for Nuggets newest invention – The Chunk. Its like a play ottoman. The best part is it can totally be disguised as a piece of furniture, AND my kids can actually move and roll these smaller pieces. Its so much more fun for them and I couldn’t recommend it more. A perfect and playful but totally functional addition to this modern toddler room.

a modern toddler room – on a budget

I always like to list out everything I purchased secondhand for each space to remind you that it is totally possible to get a designer look on a budget, you just have to be patient and steadfast when looking for the pieces you need.

Happy to link to everything possible if you would also like it, but the disclaimer is that I purchased so much of this while thrifting or after hours of searching Facebook Marketplace.

Facebook Marketplace

Room and Board Crib, Ikea Hemnes storage and baskets, wood blinds, drapes, nightstand dresser, straw toddler hat,

Goodwill

Lamp, frames, rocking cow, gold mirrors

a modern toddler room – some final points

• I incorporated more of the Tradewinds light blue color by painting a few of the picture frames around the room

.• I took off the closet door to make better use of the footprint the swinging door took from the room.

• The window drapes are doubled up with an extra set of white drapes I had from before and I love how custom and extra luxurious it makes the window feel. Plus its extra light blocking/filtering and heat barrier in the hot months.

• Lions, Tigers, and bears, oh my (do you see it??)

• I like mixed media in my gallery walls and this one got both hats AND seashells. And I love how they turned out!

• The “drapes” on the closet are actually a coverlet blanket from Ikea that I found in the “last chance” bin. Always shop there and thing out of the box!

Let me know if I missed anything!!