Dream Playroom Makeover~Part IV~Finished!

The playroom is finally finished. Over the past few days, I discussed the overall plan design for this playroom. The client wanted a playroom for a seven year old girl. I created this playroom with four distinct areas: 1) The closet. 2) The vanity. 3) The desk. and 4) The reading area. Above is a photo of the new chair and bookshelf. This was a very small room and I wanted it to be a room for play but also a room she could grow in. I wanted her to be able to create art as well as do homework and read. Since the area was so small, I used a low back recliner in the seating area. This chair is comfortable for reading as well as relaxing. A black pillow edged with feathers adds a little whimsy to the space.

Because the space was so small, I wanted to use a narrow bookshelf. This bookshelf, by Home Decorators, is only 18 inches wide. It's not only the perfect size, but it has little lips on the back of the shelves to keep the books from falling off the shelf. Above you can see the cow that I originally purchased at a second hand shop, then repainted and added some bling.

A better picture of the chair and the bookshelf.

Sweet accessories such as pictures of her little friends.

The black accessories were found at Target. They were less than $5 each. The mirror, picture frame and cow were second hand finds. The cow and mirror were repainted.

The kitty adds coziness to the bookshelf and keeps the room from looking too grown up.

Before picture of the room. Notice all of the books and toys. I sorted all of the toys and books then worked with the homeowner to donate a lot of the items. I would estimate that 65% of all of the items in the room were donated. Now, the little girl just has her favorite toys.

After picture of the same area. The chest of drawers were from IKEA. The rug, which I absolutely love, is from Home Decorators and was around $230. While we could have used a cheaper nylon rug, that is sold in many of the children's sections, I opted for this one instead. It has a great feel when you go in the room. The homeowner agreed. I tried to spend the money on the items that they'd have a while and less money on the accessories that she would grow out of. The old carpet was replaced with wood laminate flooring.

More before pictures.

The same area after I made it over. Moving clockwise around the room, you can now see the desk area. The chest of drawers are from IKEA. The chest of drawers on the left stores her Barbie dolls and their clothes. When I started organizing this room, she had 54 Barbie dolls! I only had one growing up. The desk they had, I just repurposed it here. A newer desk may have made the space look too grown up. The heart cut outs on the desk help retain a youthful look. The top is worn so if she spills paint or anything, it will be fine. The chest of drawers on the right, holds coloring books, paper, sticker books, stickers and any art supplies.

I made the valence from a single panel. I edged it with black trim and used the remaining drape to recover the chair.
I added a picture of her pedicure in one frame and her manicure in the other one on the other side. I added a polka dot ribbon to the white shelves.I added glass tops to the chest of drawers. For the tops of the dressers, I added black and white gift wrapping paper. I was originally inspired by these black and white Hannah Montana coloring papers that the little girl had however I could not find any in the size to fit these chest of drawers so I used the wrapping paper instead. A to Z iron bookends complete the look.

A picture of the desk area and chest of drawers.Picture of the desk with the heart shaped cut outs. I had the chair painted and recovered the seat with the drapery fabric I had leftover from the valence.

Moving clockwise around the room, here is another before photo.

The same area, after the makeover. I used magazine holders from IKEA to store coloring books and school papers. Moving clockwise, you see the vanity.

I created the headband holder from a paper towel holder. It works brillantly. I used craft organizers to hold her hair bands. A pretty wallwords monogram is placed beneath the glass top of the child's desk that I used for her vanity.

The necklace and bracelet holders I found in the craft section of the store. I repainted them white and added scrapbook stickers. A black wood oval mirror completes the vanity.

A zebra box holds her nail polish and is a fun accessory. She just loves it. I added a black and white polka dot bow to the chair for a little color.

Simple routines on the pullout shelf will help instill organization.

A pretty view of the vanity.

Behind the door are LOL hooks! I found the hooks in a hot pink color and spray painted them black to match the room.

Moving clockwise around the room, the chalkboard is on the other side of the door. The chalkboard was in the room in the beginning and the child uses it. I simply added some magnetic holders to the top to store her chalk. Above the chalkboard is the letter "e". I swapped out the original ribbon for one that coordinates with the rest of the room. The closet doors recieved new hardware that matches the vanity. I chose smaller hardware that was easy for little hands to grasp and open.

A picture of the closet before. It was not very functional.

A picture of the closet after the Rubbermaid shelving system and newly painted.

And finally, the reading area. The little girl loves to read here and play her Hannah Montana guitar. Overall, she loves the space, as does her mother. She does her hair at the vanity every morning, does homework at the desk and loves to play in there. She loves to bring her friends over. And that is the best part. A room that is used and loved.

Since this project was a success, I've been asked to makeover the little girls bedroom. It's already been painted a hot pink and I began brainstorming and came up with a princess theme inspired by a tiara I saw on a pillow. I drew up plans for the room, including a giant tiara, which I was going to hand paint over the queen size bed. I decided to talk to the mother, to get some ideas of what the little girl would like and it appears I am thinking a little too young. The little girl wants a "rock star" bedroom. I would imagine it may have been inspired by Hannah Montana! So a "rock star" bedroom it is! I have a ton of ideas for that...I'll do a stage...

To see the entire playroom makeover, click here.

Note: I am a Professional Organizer/Home Stager and run a business called, "Dream Organizers." My motto is, "Keep it simple. Get organized. Make it beautiful."

Dream Playroom Makeover~Part III-The Desk

In the past two days, I discussed the overall plan of the playroom featuring four distinct areas: the closet which holds the toys and is also a play area, the vanity, which I showcased yesterday, the desk, which we'll talk about today and tomorrow will be the reading area and the big reveal! You won't want to miss all of the final accessories-the chair, the rug, the bookshelf and a few more surprises.

Today's post focuses on the third area of the playroom, the desk area. First, I worked on the overall space plan. While I wanted a clean, modern design, I did them in a traditional way, using pairs of things to create some symmetry in the room. While the overall color scheme was white and black, I tried to keep a lot of white in the room, since the little girl was only seven. I started with two IKEA three drawers chests, along with two picture frames and two shelves from Target. Early on in the project, I came to the home and saw the little girl who recently had a manicure and pedicure. I thought it was so cute, I snapped some pictures but wasn't sure where I would use them. I knew she would be seven only once and thought this was a great way to capture the little girl in her and also create a nice memory for the mother. Here are the before photos of her manicure and pedicure.

I framed the photos and put one on each side of the desk. At this point, the room is still very plain, in need of some customization. I tried to personalize this room as well as embellish a lot of items, so many in fact, I could have called this post, "before and afters".

Photo of the chest of drawers and shelf without embellishment.

Next, I added some detail to the shelves. I purchased some black and white ribbon and used a glue stick to attach it to the shelving. The ribbon can be removed later without damaging the shelf.

For the shelf accessories, I simply went to the dollar aisle at Target, at the front of the store, and purchased these little black vases and some black animals. I used two on the shelves and I am using the other ones on the bookshelf, which you will see tomorrow. I embellished them with polka dot ribbons and added some gerber daisies for a pop of color. You can see photos of her pedicure and manicure in each of the photos.

Photo of the pedicure above and her manicure below.

Another photo of the room.

In the three drawer chests, I used the one on the right to store her sticker books, coloring books and/or school supplies. I labeled each of the drawers and kept things very simple to make it easy to put things away. I also downsized a lot of stuff. When I started she had three gallon zip loc bags of crayons. She has less than one now. At seven years old, or any age, you have to keep things simple and have less stuff. The more stuff they have, the harder it will be to stay organized. I also talked to the mother and daughter about the one in/out rule. When you buy something new, something has to go. In the entire room, you will also notice that I create finite amounts of space for things. That helps keeps things manageable.

Picture of the labels on the drawers and the old carpet.

To keep things youthful, I added some color to the top of the three drawer chests. I found this print in the gift wrap aisle and thought it would be perfect for the dresser tops. I purchased glass tops for each of the dressers. I purchased magazine holders at IKEA and then attached labels to the polka dot ribbon and put that in each of the label holders.

Next is a picture of the shelf, picture frame and three drawer chest.

Another photo. The polka dot ribbon really pops against the green walls.

In many of the photos, you will notice the valence. I found this panel at Target and loved the print. I purchased one panel and made the valence for the room. The width was perfect. I then embellished the bottom of the valence with some black trim with some black beads that sparkle when the sun shines in.

Next came the chair. While our vanity was child size, I wanted to reuse the desk she already had in another room in the house and reuse a chair as well. While I used an adult chair, I also painted a small wooden stool under the desk for her to put her feet on. The before picture of the chair is very formal and not suited for a seven year old.

I used the leftover fabric from the drapery panel that I created the valence with, to recover the chair. Better, but still a little drab.

I had the chair painted black and suddenly, it all came together.

And now, the desk with the chair. The heart cut outs on the desk keep the room sweet and not too grown up. Had I used a regular desk, it would have made the room look too grown up. As she grows, the desk could be upgraded and the room would still function nicely.

While I am on the topic of before and afters, I'll show you a cow that I madeover for the bookshelf, which I'll show tomorrow. This room cost approximately $1300 or so-most of the budget went for the bigger ticket items like the new wood laminate floor, the rug, the bookshelf, the vanity and the chest of drawers. For the accessories, I spent very little. I found this cow at a second hand store and repainted it then added a little bling.

Below is a picture of the cow after the makeover. I purchased a little bling at the craft store then tied it around her neck with the same polka dot ribbon.

And finally, a view of the vanity and the desk area with the valence, picture frames, shelving, chair, magazine holders and three drawer chest of drawers, all embellished.

And a final look of the desk area. You will also notice that I placed the desk in front of the window so she can get natural light when she is creating artwork as well as doing homework. The tree is a white flowering crab apple that looks beautiful against the green walls in the spring. In addition, there is a koi pond and fountain in the backyard. You can see the fish and hear the fountain when you sit at the desk.

Be sure to come back tomorrow for the big reveal! You'll see the reading area with the bookshelf and chair, the new wood laminate flooring and the beautiful black and white rug. You will be amazed at the transformation!

To see the entire playroom makeover, click here.

Note: I am a Professional Organizer/Home Stager and run a business called "Dream Organizers". My motto is: "Keep it simple. Get organized. Make it beautiful."

Dream Playroom Makeover~Part II: The Vanity

One of the goals of this playroom makeover was to create a vanity for the little girl. I wanted a place where she could do her hair, keep her jewelry and to begin to plant the seed of a place for everything and everything in it's place. When I did this room, I wanted it to have a clean, modern feeling but also I wanted her to play in it and didn't want it to look too sterile. The easiest way to do this was to bring in something old to balance the new items in the space. Since she was going to sit her to do her hair, I wanted something that was child size and this desk was the perfect item. I spoke with the homeowner regarding the need for a child size desk and she actually found the item and purchased it. It turned out to be the perfect vanity. Let's see what I did with this.

Picture of the child's desk (vanity) before. Notice the old hardware.

One of the first things I did with this desk was to have it painted and to replace the hardware. I loved the old hardware however it wasn't very functional. The handles were hard to use and very challenging for the little girl. I added new shiny nickel round knobs that were easy for her little hands to use.

From there, I purchased these unfinished hooks to hold her necklaces and bracelets. I painted them white and hung them above the desk. The hooks are large so she can put things away easily, which was one of the original goals of the space, to make organization easy. Had I used smaller hooks, the necklaces might fall off the hooks or she would have knocked them off easily.

Next, I purchased some of these little stickers for the desk area and for the jewelry holders. I found them in the scrapbook section at Target.
You can see where I started to add the stickers to the jewelry holders. I took the letters and spelled out her name and the word, "star". I added the remaining stickers to the holders and used Modge Podge to seal them.

The flowers below will hold her bracelets.


Once I knew how I would store her jewelry, I started to think about her hair accessories. She had a lot of headbands and I was looking for a creative way to store them. I decided to use a paper towel holder. I mounted the paper towel holder to the side of the desk and then put a roll of paper towels in there and placed the headbands around it. It looks great and cost less than $3.00. Now she has a place to store her headbands.

In the top drawer, I created some space to store her hairbrush and combs. She was staying at her Grandma's when I took this photo so all that was left was her combs. She absolutely loves this drawer. She exclaimed, "For the first time in my life, I have a place to store my hairbrush." Remember, she is only seven years old. Who knew this was so important. LOL!

Hair bands and hair clips are stored in craft organizers that fit nicely into the top drawer.

Next is a photo of her hair supplies. You can see that everything is accessible with her headbands on the left and her hair bands and hair clips in the center drawer. Her hairbrush is on the right, and yes, she is right handed. I used some of the other stickers on the top of the desk and the remainder on the necklace holders. I just set the stickers under the glass top. The stickers were inexpensive and she can change them as she gets older. Remember, one of the goals of this room was that it would grow with her.

To personalize the space, I added a monogram from wallwords.com. (See photo below). I liked the floral pattern on the monogram. Next, I added this fun little box for storage.

This little box is the perfect size to store her little bottles of nail polish. She has some nail art and fake nails as well. It also helps reinforce the idea of organizing everything. We now have one spot for all of her nail supplies. Who wouldn't want to stay organized with a pretty box like this!

Next, I focused on creating some simple routines for her. She can read so that isn't an issue. For children who don't read, you can use pictures. I kept the routines very simple. She was so excited to see them! I placed them in a plastic page protector and taped them to the pull out shelf.

Here is a picture of the desktop and the routines. You can see the necklaces on the right. She has already added a picture under the glass top.

Another view of the vanity. You can see the new hardware in this photo.

In the photo below, you can see the chair. I superglued a bow to the back of the chair to add a little whimsy. The black and white polka dot ribbon is girly and repeats the black and white color scheme.

Another view of the vanity.

Next, I wanted a place to store her empty school bags. I found these LOL hooks but they were in the wrong color so I painted them. Here is what they looked like before.

And here is the after photo.

The LOL hooks are next to the vanity area behind the door. The black really pops against the green walls.

One final view of the vanity.

A black oval wood mirror completes the vanity.

Come back tomorrow for more makeover pictures!

To see the entire playroom makeover, click here.

Note: I am a Professional Organizer/Home Stager and run a business named, "Dream Organizers". My motto is, "Keep it simple. Get organized. Make it beautiful."