Chic Sophisticated Yet Fun Playroom

This client's new apartment has this room just off the living space which they've designated the playroom. Their goal was to create a fun and inspiring space for their 2 kids to play but to also keep it clean, organized, and as stylish and chic as the rest of their space. 

The chest of drawers, baskets, and toys are all from their previous apartment. We installed floating shelves for displaying toys and small picture ledges in lieu of a bookcase. The 2 smaller picture ledges are for a few beautiful and delicate books. She's shopping for a floor lamp to sit in the corner, just right of the chest of drawers, otherwise the room is just about perfect...

Reader's Questions: Inner Dimensions of Alex Drawer Unit

Jennifer asked about the interior dimensions of the Alex drawer unit. The overall dimensions are 26 3/8"W x 18 7/8"D x 26"H. The interior of drawers are approximately 23 1/2"W x 16 1/2"D x 2 1/2"D though the bottom 3 drawers are deeper. Hope this helps!!

Small Changes to Transform a Kid's Room

This family is in a furnished rental for a limited time and I'm mostly just helping them to feel at home while they're there, especially the kids.

There was talk about getting a new bed and switching out the bookshelves but I suggested some smaller (and less expensive) changes to start. I made the desk and the lamps using pieces from Ikea. I love the child size Panton chairs as do the kids but even more they love the Flor carpet tiles. I knew these would really make the biggest difference in the look and the feeling of the room. And the best part is all these pieces can easily go with them to their next space.

The books on the shelves came with the apt and since there's no where else to store them, I stacked them 2 deep so the kids can use the shelves below and arranged them by color so at least they look better...

Another Favorite Ikea Piece: Alex

crayons, markers, paints:

clay and art case:

puzzles and beads:

books: 

This 6-drawer unit on casters is available in a few different sizes. This one, short and wide is perfect for kids crafts and books. 


Right now it's in this client's open living/dining area so the books are no longer under their coffee table and the crafts aren't piled up on the window sil. We may decide to move it to the kids' room (which I'll show you soon) but wanted to try it out here first since the dining table is used for crafts. 


The kids were so cute when they came home and saw what we did! They thought everything was new (which nothing was) and couldn't wait to dig in...

Organized Girls' Clothes Closet

girl's closet before

girl's closet after

This closet, from the same client in the past few posts, is shared by a newborn and a 2 1/2 yr old. The main goal here was for the toddler to get dressed by herself so we placed things according to use; toddler's clothes on lower rod, baby's on top. She had all the bins, hangers, etc. The rug wasn't quite right in the girls' bedroom but looks so great in here.

Two rows of hooks were installed and will eventually be labeled to make putting thing back more fun; back-pack, tomorrow's outfit, rain jacket, etc. Art will be installed above the hooks and on the back wall above the backpack, possibly framed drawings.

Safety First!

Mounting a television isn't always an option, but if you have children running around, securing your tv is a must (your furniture too). Sanus Systems Anti-Tip Strap seems to have very good reviews online. It screws into existing holes in the back of the tv then to the table it's on and if you want, to the wall.

I don't have a television so I can't tell you I've used it but have any of you? Any other recommendations?

Children's Artwork: Keep or Toss?

(Darren Higgins for The New York Times)

I get asked this question over and over. This article in The New York Times had some good ideas on the subject (mostly toss!).

Reader's Questions: Organizing and Storing Kid's Toys

(large toy trolleys w/wheels)

(color block bins)

(rugby bins)

(elfa mesh drawers)

(deep sweater boxes)

"One area I always have a hard time organizing is kid's closets and toys. Could you do a post on how to tackle all the toys and small bedrooms? My first instinct is to put shelves in the closets with bins and label all the bins accordingly but I wonder if there is a better solution. Thanks for your help."

You don't have to reinvent the wheel just because you're dealing with kids. Like every other area in the house, make it as easy as possible to use and store your things.

Bins are a great solution that can be done on any budget. Designate a category for each bin: legos, dolls, cars, etc. Make a hand written label with a little drawing, or use a label maker with a photo you take yourself and print out, then tape it to the bin/box. And as your kids get bigger, the bins can be repurposed to hold books, clothes, or whatever else. You can also repurpose what you have; a dresser, a bookshelf, or any other furniture you may have on hand.

I strongly encourage parents to teach their children how to organize and make your kids put things back where they belong. Think of a kindergarten class; the room is organized by activity, all things have a place, and ALL the kids clean up after each activity before moving onto the next.

I hope this helps!

Love These!

Use the wall mounted metal Slat Ring all over the house for magazines, towels, jewelry and belts, scarves, put stuffed animals in it in a kid's room...

This long Spontan magnetic board has a little shelf on the bottom. Put it in the entry to hold family notes, mail, keys; in the office; or in your closet to hold inspirational pictures, jewelry, and accessories.

The Fridge Monkey holds any kind of bottles and/or cans. Use it in the fridge, in a cabinet, and/or on a bookshelf for wines. Cut it to fit anywhere...

Of course I love them all more if they came in white!

Baby / Linen Closet

Since the last post was about making room for a baby, I thought I'd show you the walk-in closet I converted from a clothes closet to a baby/linen closet. For before photos, check out my Flickr page here.

We cleaned the existing 12"D shelf and hanging rod with the Magic Eraser, which is THE only way to clean wire shelving. To take advantage of the high ceiling we added an upper wire shelf and at 16" deep it easily holds large blankets and comforters.

The dresser (mounted to the wall for safety) holds clothes and other baby essentials. It's low enough that pieces can still be hung on the rod if necessary. The fabric on top of the dresser is a piece the client wants to frame and display somewhere in the apt, I thought it looked nice there in the meantime.

To the left of the dresser is a hanging hamper and the cotton garment bag holds the wife's off-season and special occasion dresses. I'll show you what we did with her closet when we finish this weekend...

Reader's Questions: Making Room for Baby

(jenna lyon's home via domino. photo by melanie acevedo)

Sayedeh asks "Since you helped us fix our apartment, I have furthered the endeavor, gotten rid of more stuff and continued the organization process. Now we're expecting our first baby and trying to carefully plan how to fit things into our one bedroom. If you have any suggestions on how to manage 'baby stuff' in a small space that would be great! Fitting a crib is a challenge."

Congrats on your pregnancy! Here are a few tips to help you keep the 'baby stuff' explosion at bay...

MAKE ROOM

My theory with organizing is to clear out what's not important in your life to make room for what is. Take this time to go through my process to edit your things down to help make room for the new things about to come in.

Figuring where to put the crib should be thought in terms of practicality. How close do you want it to be to where you sleep is the first step. Then think of what can be easily moved in your space to make room for it. Think also if there's anything you already have storage wise that can be repurposed to hold the essentials.

STOP IT BEFORE IT COMES IN

People tend to go overboard when having a baby, getting everything on the market, and then their friends and family give them so much. Talk to your friends and family members who have a child(ren) to find out what they agree are the essentials, and what isn't worth getting. Knowing what you'll need will make creating proper storage that much easier. And having a place for things is more than half the battle.

Set up a savings account (or similar) for your new one and ask those people who feel the need to give you something, to give to your child's future and not clutter it's present. This isn't always the easiest sell at first, so make sure you get at least one person on your side with the idea so he/she can convince others to go along with it.

Toys are usually an issue and most of the moms I know agree that the more is NOT the merrier. Not only is it a pain to store but it seems it doesn't benefit your child to have so many things to choose from. I thought this article about toys limiting a child's imagination pretty interesting.

MAINTENANCE

Even when you limit what comes in, there's still a need for a system to deal with the clothes, toys, etc that your little one will eventually grow out of. If you want to save certain things for the next one that's great but you must have a system for taking those things out of the mix and storing them in a way they'll be clean and available for if and when the times comes. Mark your calendar for every month or three months to quickly go through things to see what is still relevant. The Container Store Clear Boxes are great for storing what you'll be keeping for later. Be sure to label it properly so you know what's in there (clothes sizes 0-6 months). Just make sure you weigh the cost of storing something vs the cost of replacing it; just remember that you pay for things not just with money but in time, energy, and space.

I hope this helps! If anyone out there has any other ideas, let us know :O)

The Cutest Stuffed Animals Ever

(images courtesy of zooguu)

I had the pleasure of meeting the couple behind ZooGuu at a party the other night. Not only are they great, but when I saw their creations I freaked out! I'm not a gushy person especially over kid's stuff like stuffed animals but come on, LOOK at that little bunny! I hope my sister-in-law likes them as much as I do cause I'm definitely getting my soon-to-be-niece several...