Connor's Teen Bedroom

After completing the updates for Kaitlynn's bedroom a few weeks earlier, it was time to move on to Connor's. I had been contemplating how to decorate his room for a while, and he was no help when I asked him for ideas. The only request he made was to have some color-changing LED lights installed. Somewhere along the way, he also decided that he wanted to be surprised with a room reveal like we had done for Kaitlynn. Normally Connor is NOT a fan of surprises, but I later found out that he opted to be kept in the dark about his room so that he wouldn't have to help with the painting or decor installation. Stinker!

I was really stumped with what to do for his room, but we started with his existing Houston Texans bedding, a coat of red paint on a couple of walls (thank you, Jeff!), and some printed wall photos of my favorite sports images from his years of football, baseball, and basketball. I found a few fun decor items here and there, like a glass lamp that we filled with baseballs and some cool wood and metal shelves that matched his existing bed. Jeff installed the LED lighting on the ceiling to trim out the painted walls, and then we began filling in the decor with some existing sports items and some memorable photos of friends and family. Jeff even painted a wall in Connor's adjoining bathroom along with a picture hanger that we used to display some sports medals. The room slowly but surely came together, and we all loved the finished result. It truly looked and felt like a cozy teen hangout, complete with some additional seating and a ladder desk for a small workspace.

When it was finally time for the surprise reveal, we couldn't wait for Connor to see his new room. To be honest, I wasn't sure how much of a surprise the room would be, simply because we had used the same color scheme and Houston Texans decor for many years. But with the many personal touches and new items here and there, I was really hoping he would love it. I videotaped his response and took some pictures as well.

Drum roll...he LOVED it! He was shocked at how the room had been transformed, and even I had to admit that it looked quite different from before. He was all smiles as he took it all in, and he kept noticing new little things here and there all around the room. His favorite part, of course, was having the LED lights and finding out that he could program them through his Alexa device. He also loved the little plaque at his desk that says, "I'm kind of a big deal." (It had Connor written all over it, ha!) Other favorites included his new baseball lamp and the wall-mounted metal rings to hold his game balls that he has collected through the years.

Another successful bedroom project in the books! It was so rewarding to see him soak it all in, and it soon began to sink in for me that this is likely the last bedroom he will enjoy before he flies the coop in a few short years. Ouch.