My wheels have been turning lately as I'm getting ready to start on some projects in my son's bedroom. He'll be 9 in the fall and it's time to make some "big boy" changes to his room and how he uses it. My two main goals for the summer are to create a place for him to do his homework and to reduce the amount of toys. You would think 3 boys lived in his room based on the amount of Legos and Playmobil that are in his closet, in storage boxes and spilling out onto the floor.
In addition to being an interior designer, I'm a partner in a seasonal children's consignment sale. Each spring and fall I make it a point to really clean out toys and clothes that Wes no longer uses, but I failed miserably this past spring and now I'm paying for it. With all of this said, it's time to start planning on what I'm going to do so I can start saving my pennies.
Beds
Your child's bed is pretty important. Not only should it look good, but it should be comfortable as well. Soft sheets and a fluffy mattress pad always seem to help keep the little ones in their bed all night. We currently have a pseudo bunk bed, but Wes has been asking for "a bed with a ladder" for years. I'm not sure what boy - and sometimes girls - don't want a bunk bed, but man they can be expensive. I've been putting him off hoping he'll get past it and let me just upgrade to a full size bed, but no luck quite yet. So, I continue to stall on the bed...
I have found some pretty extreme set-ups while doing my research, as well as some great old classics. Here are a few great beds for your {little} one.
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| available from Jennifer Taylor Design |
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| available from Jennifer Taylor Design |
Clothing Storage
When Wes was a baby, I stored all of his clothing in his closet with a variety of drawers, baskets and some hanging. Now, we use a small chest that is part of his bed, but as his clothes are getting bigger we are running out of room. I'm kind of neat freak about folded clothes, so at least the drawers are organized most of the time. I like the idea of taller, narrower chests vs the traditional wide dresser. They give you a slightly higher surface for things you may want to keep away from {little} hands and they take up less floor space. There also so many closet storage pieces available now, that if you are just utilizing the one bar across design, you are not doing your closet justice.
Also, consider finding a piece that can truly grow with your child. I found some great pieces while visiting my vendor sites that may seem a little grown up, but could really work in a child's bedroom. All of these pieces are available from Jennifer Taylor Design.
Quiet Spaces
One of my main goals for Wes' room is to create a quiet place for him to do his homework. His room is on the small side, so I'll probably stick with a traditional student size desk. If you have the room though, a small table might be the ticket. This gives the piece a dual purpose. Not only can you have a place to do homework, but also school projects, layout the train set and even create a wonderful place for a Lego wonderland!
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| available from Jennifer Taylor Design |
Toys and Books
The biggest challenge I have found is where to put away all of these toys and books that seem to multiply like rabbits at night. I have a great piece I found at Ikea (they don't carry it any longer) that has worked really well for all the {little} toys. It's a rack with open bins, of varying sizes. I'm too embarrassed to show you what ours looks like today, but here is something similar.
I like the concept of a piece where you can combine open and closed storage. This gives you a lot of flexibility and as your child moves away from toys, it can be used only for books. Here are some great ideas I found for both toy and/or book storage.
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