Dramatic Blue Paint Makes This 100-Square-Foot NYC Bedroom Feel like “the Sea at Night”

When Rebecca Longshore designed her apartment’s 100-square-foot second bedroom for her now-3-year-old son, she dreamed up a travel-themed nursery, complete with wallpaper from various cities around the world. The room undeniably became his space — and so, when Rebecca brought home her second son, now 11 months, she knew she wanted to change up the space that they’d share. 

“It was always used for our oldest son, but when he transitioned to a toddler bed, and we moved our youngest son into the room, we wanted to make it feel more like their room instead of our oldest son’s room,” says Rebecca, Apartment Therapy Media’s senior vice president of creative content and audience engagement.

She drew inspiration from family history and transitioned the room to a maritime theme (the boys’ grandfather and great-grandfathers were in the Navy and loved boats, and the boys have middle names from those family members). She based the color scheme on the artwork of the boys’ other grandfather, a painter. 

“I wanted the room to feel nautical but almost like they were at sea at night,” Rebecca explains. She painted a dark blue accent wall, applied a blend of wave and sailboat decals to the walls, and strung twinkle lights to mimic the night sky on the ceiling. 

Rebecca selected this Max & Lily lofted bed for her older son because the dark wood had an “old sailboat feeling.” The nook underneath is perfect for play; Rebecca hung lights in it so that it resembles a “magical cave.” Her younger son sleeps in OUEF’s Sparrow Crib, which was gifted. 

“We took our kids’ school projects that had an ocean theme and put them above the bed,” Rebecca says. “The yellow rug is to mimic the feeling of the moon reflecting on the water. We had the West Elm curtains already and thought they fit the theme perfectly.”  IKEA EKET cabinets store toys vertically, and Rebecca’s grandfather’s painting truly brings the room together. 

Rebecca and her husband completed the makeover over three days, painting and hanging the decals while their children were in school (and hiring someone on TaskRabbit to assemble the bed).

“I love that the room feels magical,” Rebecca shares. “That’s exactly what I wanted when I was thinking of redesigning the room. I wanted the boys to feel like they were in a special, magical place when they were playing in their room and sleeping at night. I also love that the room has so many ties to our family and their namesakes.”