School is Almost Out! How to Organize Children’s Rooms for Summer Fun

Labeled Storage

Storage is key when it comes to keeping children’s rooms organized and functional while still staying fun and accessible. One of the best ways to best utilize storage is with labeled bins. For the little ones who can’t read yet, pictures of what should go inside the bins will do the trick! Try and make clear categories like blocks, books, cars, dolls, games etc. 

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Create Defined Areas

Creating defined spaces is another great way to organize your child’s room for fun. Books are a huge part of many children’s rooms. Create a reading corner by putting a comfy chair or floor pillows near a bookshelf so it is clear what area you are defining. You can repeat this process with the other areas like toys, art, and games. 

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Display their Art

One of the most fun ways to get your child involved with the decor that goes up in their room is by creating a display area for their artwork. It is important to make this area easily accessible for your kiddo to reach. It is also important to make this an interchangeable display. This can be accomplished by using things clipboards or clothespins to hold the art up with!

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For more ideas on how to organize children's rooms, check out this week's video here

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Magnetism

Few things excite me more than finding a unique solution to a challenge. Sometimes the answer comes right away and sometimes I have to think on my presented obstacle awhile.  One of my favorite challenges of late was deciding what to do with this door.  

This space had to go from a home office to a toddler's bedroom, thus an outside door wasn't a positive feature.  At our first meeting, the clients proposed having their handyman fill in the door and seal it off.  What they needed my help with was hiding it.  We decided an armoire would be a good solution.  Easier said than done.  No furniture piece was tall enough to completely cover the former door opening.  A custom piece really didn't make sense in this instance, so I was back at square one.

As someone who is in love with my profession and an avid reader, my head is always buried in magazines and websites to learn about new products and ideas.  So, I started to think back to some of the pages I pulled from decorating magazines as inspiration.  I went to the file where I store those tattered edge pages and started digging.  Aha!  There it was.  The answer to my conundrum.   I didn't have to hide the sealed doorway, I could use it to our advantage.

I reconvened with my clients and presented the option of either turning the old doorway into a chalkboard OR a magnet board.  A women after my own heart, the idea of cleaning up chalk dust did not appeal to the mother of the toddler so we went with the magnetic option.  We kept the doorway framed out and painted it to match the rest of the woodwork.  The door received a coat of RustOleum's magnetic primer and then the wall color- Sherwin William's Resolute Blue overtop of it.  The result was a place for creativity to ensue.

Kid's Rooms

Last night's episode of Design Star got me thinking- so many of us ignore our children's rooms. Kids are messy and outgrow things quickly but they still deserve a great space of their own. There are SO many ways to create a beautiful space for them that won't break the bank.

My suggestion is to select classic styles and finishes for your larger, more expensive pieces (ie- furniture). If you are beginning with baby furniture, select a bed that converts from crib to toddler bed to twin bed. That one piece can see the child from diapers through high school. Keep in mind that styles get discontinued so it is wise to purchase all the conversion pieces when you buy the crib, otherwise you may be back at square one in a few years.

Once you have the staples, it's very inexpensive to change the paint color every few years if desired. The finishing touches can be a number of things- custom murals, bold and graphic fabrics to bring out their personality, vivid paint colors, personalized items (monogrammed linens, name canvases, etc.). Personally, I like to give clients a mix of custom and store bought items. This allows me to give them a few unique/ big impact features that may cost a little more but then complete the space with some less expensive (but not less fabulous) items. For example, if I am painting an in-depth mural in the room we may bring in ready-made window treatments that look great but are more cost-effective than custom ones since most of the budget went into the mural as the "wow" factor. Another example- if I bring in really fun bedding for the child and window treatments that cost a little more, I will select a simple, cost effective rug like a fun shag to round out the look.

The possibilities really are endless AND attainable for any budget. So don't neglect the kids in your life!