a simple pallet bed

This is my boy.   

 It hasn't been easy to convince him I could pull off a masculine, teenage bedroom.  In his defense, there are a lot of naked cherubs, velvets, and decorative trims in our home, but I was up for the task and I think somewhere in his cute, narrow mind, he knew it. 

I set out to the fabric store and brought back a few swatches for him to choose from. He liked this fabric for the window treatments and my friend Cindy helped me sew them in her work room.  I knew I'd win him over with the extra thick black out lining on these shades.  This boy likes his sleep. 

We picked out a steel blue paint color and I started bookmarking other ideas for beds, rugs, and artwork. 

I snagged this old telescope at a flea market in Long Beach for $30.  I found a big, framed map junkin' in Phoenix and texted Brody in the middle of class to see if he liked it as much as I did.  He gave me the thumbs up so I bought it for $50.  In an attempt to find a unique storage solution, we bought these lockers for $90 from the old GM proving ground offices. 

Last week {Blake} came over to help me make this pallet bed for Brody's room.

Brody has a full sized bed and we used three, 75 inch 1.5 x 3.5's boards and twenty, 54 inch .5 x 2.5" boards.
 
Blake laid them out on the driveway, cut them to length, and screwed the top boards into place.

When the top was secure, he turned it over and did the same thing on the bottom. 

We used two boards at both ends to allow reinforcements for the heavy casters. 

The casters came from {Material Flow}.  The price of steel has gone up a little since I bought them, but I still think they're worth the money. 

My friend Melanie ran across someone in blog land who created a weathered, barn wood look on raw wood with apple cider vinegar and steel wool, so we decided to give it a try.  We rubbed on two coats and waited for it to dry. 

The instructions said to wait a few hours and the finish would show up.  So we waited all day with no results.  I got side tract for the next three days so I left it out on my driveway until I could decide how to finish it. On my way to church Sunday morning, I noticed the wood had a darker and more weathered look.  Awesome!  I have no idea if the sun had anything to do with it or if it just had to dry really well, but I don't care, it looked good!

Here's a before and after on a scrap of wood to give you an idea of the contrast. 

I gave it one more coat of "stain" and let it dry for another day.  It turned out perfect.

Brody and I dismantled his old his bed and did a thorough dusting and vacuum.  He gained a two pairs of jeans, some church socks and a toothbrush. I reclaimed 4 cereal bowls.

I found sheets at Target and Jilly helped me sew the duvet for his new bed.  I found the fabric at SAS in Tempe for $4 a yard and the trim tape for 25 cents.  Oh how I LOVE that place. 

Remember this small chest we refinished for the {Nate Berkus Show}?  It sits proudly in the corner as a night stand/anything a teenager can shove in the drawers and still close.  I hung these two pictures we bought on a family trip to NYC for his 12th birthday.

Brody and I both love this black cow hide, so we put it on the existing dark wood floor to add texture and softness.  

We still have a few finishing touches, like figuring out how to accessorize this built in bookcase,

and clean this closet.

but we're getting there!  I did the math and so far we've spent under $350.00

On my way out of his room I couldn't resist this note the Nino taped on Brody's door for helping him with after school homework.  I'm in love with these two crazy, adorable boys!