Before we moved in 2022 I knew I wanted to make Jack’s room a space he would LOVE (Eleanor too, but she was still so little she couldn’t express an opinion).

I had my own vision of what I thought I would do for Jack’s room (I will share that soon along with other ideas), but at the time he was wildly obsessed with trucks and “‘sheens” as he called them. A blue, truck and machine room was his request.

While there is definitely no shortage of truck and vehicle themed room decor or bedding I didn’t want the room to feel too childish. I also didn’t want to have a room style he would quickly outgrow or that would have to be completely redone when his interests eventually changed.

Jack and I both love the way his bedroom came together, I often think it may be one of my favorite rooms in the house even 2 years later. Plus as his interests have begun to change, I know the room can easily (and inexpensively) be slightly changed to accommodate a new theme.

Here are a few tips for creating a space your kids won’t outgrow.

Involve Your Child

The most important thing to me was that the room reflect Jack and bring him joy, it is his room after all. While I of course didn’t want the room to scream “three year old” covered with character bedding and cheesy artwork, I wanted him to love it. He first chose the color (blue) and theme (trucks). I started brainstorming ideas and gave him options along the way; “do you like this bedding or this one?”, “do you like this artwork or this better?”. It was a win-win as he got to have a say and choose the pieces he loved while it being pieces that I found charming as well.

Stick to Neutral Staples

When it comes to the staple pieces of a bedroom like furniture, bedding, curtains, etc. steer clear of the theme. These tend to be the more expensive pieces and therefor harder and more expensive to change down the road. We stuck with blue bedding and curtains as he requested and all picked out by Jack. I also didn’t choose anything too “juvenile” so that even as he gets older the room wouldn’t feel too “toddler-ish” for him. While there are lots of great options in the Children’s bedding section of places like Pottery Barn Kids, I chose pieces that were age-neutral.

You can easily tie the theme in through accents like wall art, decorative pieces or throw pillows.

Keep it Simple

The theme doesn’t have to be loud and apparent, meaning we didn’t overdo it on the trucks and decor. Jack was thrilled with the truck prints he chose and a few pieces I surprised him with. And because the room isn’t primarily based on the theme, it would be easy to swap out the art and a few decor pieces to achieve a different theme or aesthetic.

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Below is my original mood board for Jack’s truck room along with a few samples of how making simple swaps or additions can age the room up or change the theme entirely without a complete overhaul of the colors, furniture and bigger pieces.

Original Truck Theme | Older Truck Them | Sports Theme | Music Theme

Now that he is almost six he is losing interest in trucks and discovering new passions so we are in the process of making a few simple changes to highlight his new interests. All we have had to change so far is wall art and throw pillows which has been both easy and inexpensive.

I hope this guide helps you design rooms that your kids will love that will grow with them in time!