Help me with boring kids room!!!

[AniellasMommy]

Ok so I guess I don't remember what it is like to be a kid
My daughters' room is BORING. They don't really play in there very much. I just need some inspiration. (Pictures of your awesome kids room would be great!) Please look at their room and tell me what could be better.

TIA
http://www.flickr.com/photos/29594407@N03/?saved=1

[eirual]

I think you've got a lot of great stuff going on, my first impression though is that it needs COLOUR on the walls!

...and a comfy area rug

[AniellasMommy]

I thought about a rug, Im going to have to go out and get one.
Since these pictures were taken, we have painted a the walls a light blue. This room is in the middle of the (small 850 sq ft) house you can see it from almost every single room so I was limited on color choices unless I really wanted it to stand out.

[wrzos]

Paint on the walls, throw rug, do you want a bed frame? I'm into those, but others aren't. I'd jazz up the bedding too - but that again is my style. I did my son's room and am working on my daughters now, so I'm into it again. Lemme see if I can dig out a pic of his... (all Ikea practically)

I put Ikea bunks (twin over full)
billy bookshelf
robin (I think?) dresser
trofast toy storage in the closet
left the clothes up high, but he doesn't care, he climbs the trofast to reach them.

bedding is duvet covers from Ikea

Hmm.. not finding a lot of pics. Here is the top bunk & wall paint:
http://www.aksamit.org/robert/2007/IMG_4024.jpg

really though, all those things can be seen at ikea. I used their metal strips with magnets along one all to give him art display space, put some round mirrors on the wall for interest, and that's about it. That wall paint is BRIGHT though - really livens up the room. I kept all the furniture white other than the metal bunk, and the trim is all white as well which helps.

[AniellasMommy]

Originally Posted by wrzos

do you want a bed frame?

Im thinking about one I saw at Ikea...I think it would be nice but Im still afraid DD will try to walk off of it in the middle of the night

[AniellasMommy]

Anyone have anymore ideas?
Any essential toys I am missing?
ANYTHING would help seriously

[4evermom]

How about one of those fairy net things? You know, the things that hang from the ceiling and are like mosquito nets but fancier, lol. That would add some vertical interest since things are always so low in kids rooms and it would provide a special space inside.

ETA, like this but cheaper, lol.
http://www.magiccabin.com/productCol...%20Collections
I think they are easy to make using a hula hoop and net yardage. Netting
doesn't unravel so you don't need to hem all the edges. Could probably do it no sew with a hot glue gun.

[AniellasMommy]

Originally Posted by 4evermom

How about one of those fairy net things?

We actually have that net from magic cabin. (It was a gift) but the room is so small, it starts to feel crowded in there and the girls are less likely to play in there

It is really cute though....maybe I will give it anther shot.

[*Moomin*]

What do your girls want? I'm sure they have some great ideas - maybe you could make it a project for all of you to fix up the room a bit?

[ma_vie_en_rose]

It needs bright color. I know you mentioned that you have painted since. I would play up the blue with some accent colors. I would also maybe play with the arrangement of the bed and the toys. If you want to keep the bed in that same spot to maxmize the playspace, that's fine. I would just try to set up specific spaces in there. The kitchen could be one specific play area. Maybe set up some sort of seating area with pillows or a chair that you could have her books with, like a reading nook. The magic cabin net thing could be a great reading space.

Here is a pic of DD1's room. It has changed a little since this was taken. Where the pink chair is, I have put a bistro table and chairs at. She has tea parties there. The pink chair has been moved to the opposite corner with her basket of books to read.

http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f2...2/DSC01416.jpg

The bistro table in action:
http://shennings3126.blogspot.com/20...-you-know.html

[AAK]

You mentioned that she might walk off the bed. That it too bad, but maybe when she is older and less prone to do that, you could do a loft bed so that there is more floor space underneath.

Is there a mirror? My dds love their full length mirror, and it makes space seem bigger. How about a magnet board on the wall. If it is big enough she can change the decor of her room on it. Maybe put up a paper tree and she can adjust it for the seasons.

I agree about the color thing (need more) and did read that you painted. However, maybe you could add some spunk to the room with various circle in a darker blue, or maybe a strip that goes around the room that is bolder, or maybe a garden mural with her hands as flowers on a wall that isn't seen through out the rest of the house--you could even put a rainbow above it.

Good luck!

Amy

[Mary-Beth]

I've noticed that my kids play in spaces with fewer toys. So I keep it pretty organized and rotate toys/books so they are fresh and interesting.
Of course, I don't put up anything they are using and want out...I mean the things that you notice are sitting out and not being used much.

All the ideas have been great...color, a rug, etc.

[ctdoula]

Here's a pic of my house (from realtor.com) and my dd's room. My son's room is the blue/yellow one.
http://www.realtor.com/search/listin...rcnt=83#Detail

[minimunklemama]

Originally Posted by ctdoula

Here's a pic of my house (from realtor.com) and my dd's room. My son's room is the blue/yellow one.
http://www.realtor.com/search/listin...rcnt=83#Detail

Wow,and you are moving???why?
Your house is gorgeous.I want to move in now!!

[ctdoula]

Originally Posted by minimunklemama

Wow,and you are moving???why?
Your house is gorgeous.I want to move in now!!

come buy it please.

We're moving because my dh had a break down due to the stress of his job, so we need to move. We've redone nearly everything here, and Iove this house.

[Mizelenius]

ctdoula: I'm so sorry about your DH. Your house is just adorable. I bet it will sell very quickly . . .but I am sure that will be bittersweet.

OP: Here's what I'd do . . .
(1) Functions. What functions do you want the room to have? A book nook? Open play space? Toy storage? Probably all of the above, so look for pieces that do a double duty. Since the room is small, using its height will be the best way to store things, and while you'll have to be the one to get things down, you can also limit mess that way.
(2) Color. Uniting things with color is the easiest way to get a clean look. Pick a color palette and stick with it, using one main color and 2 accent colors. Since you have the blue, pick 2 other colors that you both think go yet match the intensity of what you already have.
(3) Furniture. You'll find great things on Craigslist if you are patient. A headboard would make the bed really cozy.
(4) Bedding. If the bedding you love is too $, you can get something like a neutral matelasse spread at Home Goods for less than $50 (usually around $30), and then add pillows with the colors of your palette, or animals she loves, or whatever. PIllows are an easy fix. There are also some great, funky vintage chenille bedspreads on e-bay that often go for much less ($20).
(5) Windows. I like your start on the window, but I'd probably bring in a bit more . . .more fabric. Curtains are another cheap fix if you can sew and find inexpensive fabric.
(6) Floor. DEFINITELY a rug! Again . . .Craigslist!
(7) Lighting. It's amazing how lighting can make or break a room. I like a lot of Ikea's paper lamps. They are cheap and give a nice, soft light.
(8) As an extra, you could do some stencils. There are some gorgeous ones out there . . .not just the cheesy stuff you often see.

[minimunklemama]

Originally Posted by ctdoula

come buy it please.

We're moving because my dh had a break down due to the stress of his job, so we need to move. We've redone nearly everything here, and Iove this house.

Oh my,I am sorry to here that.I would buy it if we were looking in CT again but we moved to NJ 18 months ago for hubby's work in NYC.The commute from there would do him in.

[Bird Girl]

Target has plenty of cute room accessories as well. We like the Dwell for Target room decals--super cute and good for older kids as well.

I second the suggestion of a small kids table and chairs. Kids find endless ways to play with a table and chairs.

[EnviroBecca]

Since you want to keep the bed low, I'd enclose it in some way to make a cozy "clubhouse" kind of place. If you have some really stable storage units (look for things with heavy bottoms) you can put them around the bed, some facing in and some facing out, and decorate the backs with pictures. Or you could hang curtains around the bed. Or find some lightweight dividers that the kids can move by themselves--I used to have one that was a chalkboard on one side and map on the other, with legs, and I'd throw a blanket over it to make a puppet stage. Get some fun pillows...I like the ones shaped like animals and such that you make by cutting along the dotted lines on pre-printed fabric; anyone who can use a sewing machine can make them in minutes.

Hang up a lot of their art and other interesting pictures. Cutting up a free calendar from a wildlife organization will give you a bunch of great animal photos. Maps are great educational decor.

Both my brother and I have always enjoyed arranging a lot of small pictures together in a group. It's unique self-expression even if the pictures just come from magazines or something. On some wall surfaces, you can hang them with little balls of that poster-hanging stuff (Plasti-Tak or similar), but it doesn't stay stuck in all situations. Another method is to arrange the pictures on a 2'x3' sheet of paper or posterboard, glue them down with rubber cement (an adult needs to do this in a well ventilated area!), and then tack the paper to the wall or back of bookcase.

Look for STURDY furniture that will enable them to use more of the height of the room: a good stepstool for climbing up to reach storage, and maybe something they can climb up and sit on. For example, I have a piece that's supposed to be a dining room sideboard, must be 70 years old, solid wood and so strong it doesn't shake at all when an adult stands on it. My parents got it for my changing table when I was born; then it was my clothing storage, "clubhouse" on top (I kept a chair wedged in the corner of two walls next to the sideboard so I could climb up), and had toy storage crates in the open space underneath; then it was in our laundry room for misc. storage with plants on top; then my parents gave it to me for my dining room; then it was my son's changing table; now it's the main storage thing in his room, and soon I'll let him climb up on top. You might start out making the top of something a special place for your 4-year-old where she can play with things her sister isn't allowed to use.

Another way to make a "clubhouse" is to get a big cardboard box from an appliance. They can decorate it and tell you where to cut windows. Not the most elegant-looking thing, but so much fun!!

[ziggy]

I totally think you should get one of those hanging chair things from ikea. But that's only because I really really really want one. You could hang it over the foot of the bed.