By Danielle Peterson

Katharine Miller’s inspiration to transform their home office into a new themed bedroom for her son, Christopher, came from his love of trains. That, and the couple was expecting another son! “The room had been my husband’s office so I had to kick him out first because our new son was on his way and Christopher needed a big-boy room,” Katharine says.

Katharine started by painting the room a shade of grey-blue. To keep costs down, she purchased furniture at an auction and at unfinished furniture stores, and recruited the help of her husband and close friends to paint and distress Christopher’s new furniture.

Finally it was time to decorate. Katharine painted the train mural on a 4 X 3 foot canvas, which could easily be taken down if Christopher grew out of his train phase. To create the posts for the “railroad crossing” signs, she first cut 1 X 4 lengths of wood into 6-foot long pieces. Then she painted, stenciled, and distressed Balsa wood to create the actual signs. 

The “Depot” sign was constructed using a 1 X 3 foot piece of lumber, which she painted. When it was dry, Katharine used wood glue and thin nails to attach the painted wooden letters and trim. To finish the sign, she used umber glaze to coordinate it with the rest of the room.

Katharine crafted the window treatments from ticking fabric that she made into panels. She purchased unfinished window hardware then painted and distressed it to match Christopher’s other furniture. “I made sure everything I created for the train room could be removed or transformed to a baseball theme as he grew older,” Katharine says.

The best part about the room? People of all ages love it! “The room has been such a hit with not only my 4-year old, but my 1-year old is in there all the time—he loves it! And when it was all said and done, I have had so many compliments I started my own business decorating kids rooms!” Katharine says.

To see another photo of Katharine’s room, click here!

Not an experienced painter? Take a look at our tips.

Learn how to distress your furniture here.