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Dylan Dreyer unveils son Calvin's big-boy room — see the before and after photos

The whole family pitched in to bring Calvin's new bedroom to life!
/ Source: TODAY

With baby No. 2 on the way, TODAY’s Dylan Dreyer is getting her home ready for the newest resident! But before the little one arrives in January, Dylan’s almost 3-year-old son Calvin is moving into his own big-boy room.

“I wanted to get Calvin’s new room situated before the baby came because I never wanted him to think the baby was stealing his current room,” Dylan told TODAY Home.

The space for his new room was previously acting as a junk room. “It had our golf clubs, our bikes, everything that didn’t have a home basically went into that room,” she said.

Dylan and her husband Brian Fichera’s first step was cleaning out the room, donating unwanted items and putting the rest in storage. “I can be a pack rat,” she said, looking back on all the stuff they kept in there.

Once the room was cleared out, Dylan got to work on its design. She worked with a designer from Pottery Barn’s free design service to come up with a new look and it was her designer's suggestion to paint stripes around the top of the room. This simple addition to help bring down the tall ceiling and tie the whole room together.

“My husband and I are not do-it-yourself kind of people, but we really wanted to do something ourselves, so that was painting,” she said.

Over the course of two weekends, they primed and painted two coats, transforming the room from a dark gray to a white hue. They then finished the top of the room walls with a wide navy stripe followed by a skinny navy racing stripe underneath.

The paint party ended up becoming quite the family affair. Even Calvin joined in on the fun, helping with priming at the start of the project and removing the painter’s tape at the end.

Dylan said she received some criticism on Instagram from commenters who were worried about her being on a ladder since she’s pregnant. “But I’m stubborn and I’m determined and I wanted the room a certain way,” she said, assuring that she was very safe and secure when she used it.

And all the hard work was worth it. “I remember the day it was done,” she said. “We all just laid on the floor in the empty room and just stared up at the walls and said, ‘We did this!’ It was a small little thing, but we were proud of ourselves.”

As for the rest of the room, Dylan decided not to go with a theme like sports or cars. “We just kind of kept it preppy with colors like navy and white and different accents that tie that all in. Kids toys are so colorful that it adds its own pop of color when you fill it up.”

To keep the room organized, she went with lots of baskets, cabinets and functional furniture.

Calvin has plenty of drawers and closet space for his stuffed animals, toy truck and games.
Calvin has plenty of drawers and closet space for his stuffed animals, toy truck and games.Joelle Garguilo

There’s even a window seat which has cubbies and baskets to hide all the toys.

Calvin's new big-boy bedroom is filled with all of his favorite toys including a wooden train set that slides out from a drawer under his bed.
Calvin's new big-boy bedroom is filled with all of his favorite toys including a wooden train set that slides out from a drawer under his bed.Joelle Garguilo

“I really wanted a space that was his playroom, but at night, it’s all tucked away and he can have a calm place to go to sleep,” she said.

Some of Calvin’s personal decor picks for the room include the rug, yellow blanket on his bed and sequined car pillow.

Calvin is enjoying his new bedroom ahead of his little brother's arrival.
Calvin is enjoying his new bedroom ahead of his little brother's arrival.Joelle Garguilo

“He loves to play the drums, so his drums are adding a nice pop of color to the room,” Dylan added. “And he loves his cars and trucks and his books. Everything (in the room) screams Calvin.”

One of Dylan’s favorite features is the artwork. “There’s one picture when we went to Sesame Street and he met Big Bird — it’s now framed and hanging right above his bed,” she said. “It’s just such a sweet moment that was captured.”

There’s also a sign that says “Brother,” which Dylan said makes it all feel so real. “The reason we’re doing this is because he’s going to be a big brother. It’s wild!”

“I’m just so excited,” she added. “I feel like our house is complete now. Every kid’s got a room and every toy has a home.”