Help me with boring kids room!!! - Page 2

[weliveintheforest]

LIke some previous posters said, an area rug would be really nice.

I think something around the bed would be nice, maybe if you don't want a headboard something like a nice piece of fabric or a playsilk hanging above the bed like this http://img.timeinc.net/cottage/image...eadboard_l.jpg (sorry I can't find a more relevant picture) in a colour that matches the room/bedding.

or a crown canopy with the fabric tucked under the bed http://www.countrydecoratingideas.co...mages/bed4.jpg

you could also do something with the art work, maybe frame it in matching frames, or group it together on a coloured backround.

[AngieB]

Originally Posted by AniellasMommy

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.

Hang the net from Magic cabin over the bed. I also noticed that most of the toys are in the closet on tall shelves so it's hard for little ones to get to. Maybe take a few at a time out and set them up in the room for the kids to play with and then in a day or two switch toys. Do you have a small table set up by the kitchen? My girls never play with their kitchen unless I set up a table next to it.

[redpajama]

We recently moved from our house (~1800 sq ft, including the finished basement) into a slightly smaller unit in a co-housing community. We are sharing the unit with another family, though, and so we have, for practical purposes, less than half the space we had at our old house.

My kids' room was a challenge, because they have a lot of stuff! At our house, they had a little play area (with a big closet) in our living room, and a "playroom" in the basement, plus each had his/her own bedroom (where there weren't many toys, but their clothes and books were).

Here's how it turned out:
Sam's and Lucy's Room

[mamamelia]

i haven't read any responses, so i'm sorry if i'm repeating.

definitely needs some colour on the walls. a few inexpensive plain wooden frames to frame the "paintings of the week" - that will make it neater than having them just hanging there.

do you have boys or girls? do they like certain colours? everything in the room is a different and bold colour which is great until you want the room to look streamlined. believe me i should know, all of our furniture does not co-ordinate at all in terms of colour and makes the room look messy and plain even when it's not.

we have an all tiled house too and it makes everything look cold and univiting in general... i know my girls only like to sit on the rug and play... so a nice play rug for your tiled floor would be in order.

also, the toys in the cupboard and around the room are not organized neatly and a lot of them are very high and out of reach. go through the toys and de-clutter if you need to, categorize them and re-pack. matching seagrass baskets at child height or on the floor look very neat and can contain all the toys.
another idea if your room is big enough, is to have "stations". like one corner is the arts and crafts area, the other corner has the play kitchen and all the accessories etc...

goodluck mama!

[AniellasMommy]

thanks for so many ideas! I've got some inspiration now!! Ill post update pics when I get it done

[SeekingJoy]

A "big kid" mobile or kite to hang from the ceiling. This could be cute over the bed if the netting makes the room feel claustrophobic.

A colorful shoe organizer (the kind that hangs on the wall with fabric pockets) can add vertical storage and color. It also lets see some choices of things to play with instead of having to remember.

A mural would be fun. I like the idea of stenciling on shapes or animals, if you aren't especially artistic. Or, paint a patch of chalkboard on the wall and let the girls decorate it.

Photographs of the girls, recent and as babies. You can arrange these as part of a growth chart or just a grouping.

Colorful bins attached to the wall over the table and under the window. These can hold art supplies, blocks, play food or whatever the girls like to use at the table.

A clothesline for artwork with cute clips. The girls can even paint/decorate wooden clothespins as a craft project.

A dress up station with a mirror and wall hooks to hang scarfs, hats, etc.

A reading space. Two larger bed pillows with bright fabric can either stay on the bed or pulled onto the floor to play with and read on.

Lighting: layer the lighting in the room with lamps. With an 18 month old, this likely will have to wait, but it will help the room when you get there. A string of x-mas lights can stand in for now.

HTH

This is OT, but where did you find their play kitchen? I am looking for one for the kids, and that one looks interesting.

[AngieB]

Originally Posted by 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.

I'm OT and highjacking the thread, but...........I have been trying to decide for month now if I should get my girls that IKEA bunk bed. Do you like it? Does it seem to be holding up well? My kids are pretty hard on stuf and dh doesn't think it will last.

[AniellasMommy]

Originally Posted by SeekingJoy

This is OT, but where did you find their play kitchen? I am looking for one for the kids, and that one looks interesting.

I am so proud of that one. : We found it at a yard sale for $15 we painted it, stripped the hinges and added the sink (which really squirts water) and a stove top to it. (DH is really creative and handy)

[AniellasMommy]

Originally Posted by AngieB

I'm OF and highjacking the thread, but...........I have been trying to decide for month now if I should get my girls that IKEA bunk bed. Do you like it? Does it seem to be holding up well? My kids are pretty hard on stuf and dh doesn't think it will last.

I would like to know too, the one Im thinking about getting is IKEA.

[janasmama]

You could get some plywood and cover it with some padding and fabric and then attach that to the wall for a headboard. That would be inexpensive and then you don't have to do the raised bed.

Do you have a closet in their room? We took the doors of off dd's closet and I put some sheer curtains over it and hot glued little pom-poms across the top and bottom in a line and then randomly all over the body of the curtains. I used a little cafe rod to hang them so that was only $10 and it's lightweight. (If I had a camera I would take a picture.) Taking the doors off makes the room feel bigger.

Then you can make the closet area be more of a play area or easy access to toys.

We bought one of the storage cubicles from target along with a couple of the bins to store toys in. This gives us shelf space and some bins for the little toys.

I would say that shelving is key to get things up off the floor...this will make the room feel more spacious.

[wrzos]

We have the tromso bunks, and he's had them a little under 2 years now. They are holding up fine much to my surprise! And while we didn't install the ladder yet, as we didn't want the kids up there, nor the baby climbing up it, it really didn't matter as all the kids of his age simply scale up the sides of it and use the top bunk as their ship and fish over the sides...

There is some 'sway' to them when they start swinging from the top, but nothing unexpected if you are accustomed to bunk beds, kwim? I wasn't too thrilled about getting the metal originally, but it has turned out to be a better choice, as there are no dings/scratches in the wood to worry about and the metal powder coating has held up so far.