Let me just say that I am extremely embarrassed about what I’m about to do. This is akin to posting a picture of myself in a bathing suit. (Ok, it’s not that humiliating. But almost.)
I am about to show you pictures of Kate’s bedroom.
It is the most embarrassing room in my house.
It is a disaster, and I don’t know what to do about it… I need help!!
It turns out, I’ve done this before – here’s a post from March 2009 where I asked for tips on redecorating her room for her 5th birthday. I had completely forgotten about it. My goodness, it looked better then. That is a sad state of affairs.
Ok, here’s the deal.
*cringing with shame*
Here’s what you see when you walk into her room:
Lovely, isn’t it?
The dresser drawers are long and skinny, and they get stuffed so full that she can’t see what’s in there and so she roots around and everything gets wrinkled and it drives me nuts. So then I pile her clean laundry on top, which drives me even more nuts. That wall is also the most open space in her room, and I wonder if we wouldn’t be better served by having a taller dresser or… something.
Here’s more!
This is to the immediate left of the dresser.
The poor girl has been begging me to buy her curtains for about two years, and I haven’t gotten around to it. Those blinds do nothing to block out the light of the street lamp outside her window. Also, the windows are so low to the ground that it makes it hard to put anything under them in an organized manner. She always has 30 books on that bedside table, as well.
Moving around to the left… her bed.
We gave her our old bed when we got a new one about a year ago, and I’ve yet to buy a frame for it. Not only does this look bad, but it means there’s no space for under-the-bed storage. She also likes to sleep with 45 pillows and stuffed animals, including a fake dog bigger than her.
Next we have what is supposed to be… well, I don’t know. A bookshelf? Whatever it is, it is a dumping ground for junk.
And finally, what may be the worst part – her books.
I bought the bookshelf and the Ikea thing hoping they would help the problem, but the books are overflowing and there’s nothing to speak of in the Ikea thing, rendering it useless.
Oh, and I nearly forgot – the piece de resistance – the closet.
I really have no explanation for that.
Clearly, the first problem is that we need to go through her room and declutter. I know that – I even do that periodically. But the girl likes to save stuff and have you SEEN the amount of stuff that comes home with a first grader?
But there is more to it than that – we aren’t using the space in her room to make it as useful and organized as we can. I suspect that a large part of it is the furniture. Her bed is queen-sized, because that’s what we had, and she loves having a big bed. The dresser and bookshelf, though, aren’t all that functional. They were mine when I was a child and they are good quality so I have been hesitant to replace them, but it may be time.
Kate’s bedroom is seriously the bane of my existence (or at least the bane of my house) and I really want to figure out a way to make it better. I just really don’t know what to do.
Please, please comment – I can’t wait to hear your suggestions!
Her room looks like Evan’s but add in a guitar and boys stuff so when you figure out this please let me know. I need help to..I can’t wait to see what you come up with…
OH let me add in Evan doesn’t have a closet. His room is my old office so he has to share the closet in his brothers room. YIPPIE. I am excited to see what you come up with…
Aside from the bed, it looks like you have a lot of small things crammed into the space. Would fewer, bigger statement pieces help? Here are some random thoughts. Get a bigger bookshelf that’s still a kid friendly height. Make the dresser with shelves above a display place for things that are important to her, like trophies. Move the dress-up clothes into a bin in the bottom of her closet (new laundry baskets are cheap and multi-functional). Install a second shelf in the top of the closet above the existing one. Put a box on the lower shelf to chuck all of her completed school papers into that are not suitable for display. Sort and keep only the cool stuff at the end of the year. Place in keepsake box on new, upper shelf. Put some hooks on the wall that are a convenient height for both of you for things like jeans that get worn repeatedly and don’t warrant being hung up. Get bins for things like socks and underwear for her closet. Use hangers rather than drawers as much as possible. It appears that you both are stackers, not filers. Bins, bins, bins are the answer. Ask Anna for help. And does Kate like the paint? It makes me think of Saved by the Bell…
Oh Emily, thanks for letting me know I am not alone! Except I have two kids in one room that looks like that and bunk beds. I have double rails in the closet and it is STUFFED FULL! Please find a solution for us all, lol!
Can we get updates on this? I’d like before and after pictures and a day by day journal of progress!
My mother is an organization freak so Molly’s room goes from chaos to perfectly neat once a week. It’s sort of bizarre, but totally awesome!
We might have a queen bed frame that is looking for a home. I’ll send you a pic of the headboard, it’s silver metal and modern-ish looking, she might like it. I’ll see if it’s hanging out in the garage.
We have the green version of the useless Ikea thing in my son’s closet. There are about three puppets and one lego currently being stored in it. Totally cute, totally useless! You have to shove stuff in the slots.
I would suggest a bed/desk combo, something more ‘teenager’. Maybe go to Ikea and see what she likes? Also? we use a LOT of canvas bins and storage containers and baskets from Ikea in our son’s room. Easier to clean up.
can i please come over and organize this room? you know how i love to organize stuff and kate and i get along swimmingly. i will just need a budget for a trip to the container store. and prolly a stop at justice so kate and i can get matching outfits.
Yes! Matching outfits! Come visit, please!
call me…i got ideas!
p.s. why in the world does she have your 11th grade picture hanging? LOL, just wonderin’…
and p.p.s. I have my tool belt ready…with the look of people posting I’m going to need it! I say Gina comes over, with her matching outfit!, and her and I can get to this project!! YAY!!! 🙂
don’t know if you are into making items, but i LOVE this bed platform.
http://www.hgtv.com/home-improvement/how-to-build-a-bamboo-platform-bed/index.html
you can also purchase the rolling under the bed boxes to store all her books. my girls love LOVE books so i have the under the bed boxes, that way the books lie flat so they can see the covers and know which ones they want. but the boxes have no tops so they can easily pick up books by tossing them in there and pushing them back under the bed. my girls are 3 and 4 so its super easy for them.
looks like you need a closet extender, kind of like this one – http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2324841. that way you can hang up ALOT of stuff and then only minimal items can go into the dresser, maybe even making room for her dress up clothes.
your furniture is really nice, just needs a new painting and new knobs. let her pick some colors out at home depot/lowes and some knobs and have a painting party. super fun! i redid my girls dresser (that i found in someone’s driveway for garbage – they said i could have it) and each drawer is a different color (you could probably get away with just buying the sample paint pots if everything is a different color).
as for curtains, you can buy some really awesome fabric and put it up yourself with curtain clips like this http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/20075947. i have seen some really awesome ways to fold the fabric to make curtains, but of course i cannot think of the blog at the moment to show you an example link. (kind of like this http://www.domesticadventure.com/2009/09/curtain-call/ but that isn’t the blog i was referring too)
but all this depends how dirty you wish to get, or how much effort you wish to put in. hope you have fun!
Sarah M. said a lot of what I was thinking, but I have another idea too. Since Kate is such a reader (like my oldest), why not create a little reading nook under the low windows? Target has those white cubbies that you can stand vertically or horizontally. I think a single column one might fit horizontally under the windows…just add a thick bench style cushion on top, and some colored bins in the cubbies to keep her favorite books or toys on hand. You would be surprised how much stuff those little cubbies hold! Both of our girls have the white, double wide style cubbies in their rooms with their favorite color bins inside. Each bin holds either Polly Pockets, my little ponies, books, misc. stuff. It makes it really easy for them to clean up too because it is “just throw it in the bucket”!
After looking through the pictures again, I realized that what you are using for her bookcase now is what I am talking about! Flip that thing on its side and see if it works 🙂
My two favorite storage solutions ever are:
1. Same as mbw stated above, the Target bookshelf cubes with the canvas totes inside. We have them in our family room, bedroom, office and playroom and jack’s room! We got an espresso finish shelf to match our nicer furniture, and have choc brown totes in them. Some are filled with shoes, some with clothes, some with toys. Books stand up in the cubbies without a tote, and puzzles stack, etc. The shelving unit itself is not terribly expensive, especially compared to a new dresser, and it is versatile enough to grow up with her!
2. Closet hanging shelves…you know, like the sweater storage thingys. It hangs vertically, so takes up less space, and makes use of the large amount of open space in a closet. I have two double-wide ones hanging in Jack’s closet, and it’s so easy to shove clothes into them. Then you can use the dressers for things other than everyday clothes. You could use a drawer for dress-up, a drawer for keepsakes, even a drawer for books that don’t stand up well (soft cover books). The clothes are easily accessible in the closet hanging shelves, but can be hidden by closing the door. (I have one in my closet, too, for towels and linens since we don’t have a master bath linen closet!)
Then, I’d suggest letting her pick a comforter set and paint color, and get some cheap curtains… or 2 extra flat sheets could become curtains with the awesome curtain clips they sell now…no sewing required! 🙂 You’ll both see a huge change in the room which will make reorganizing more fun than just a form of cleaning…and if she picks out something she likes, she’ll be so excited about it!
Lastly…as for the wall space…shelves are always a good and cheap option, but can become just one more thing to clean/dust since they may be too high for her to use effectively for anything but display. A cute mirror and some framed works of art by Kate can personalize the space AND make it look bigger (the mirror will reflect space and light).
In my humble opinion, under bed storage is only effective for stuff you want to keep but will never use, unless you get a bed that has drawers underneath. Otherwise, you will never pull out a tub, remove a lid, get what you need, put the lid back on, and slide it back underneath….too many steps!
Good luck! Can’t wait to see “after” pics! 🙂
It looks like Kate has a nice sized closet. Try this out…. Move the hanging rod up to where you can reach it. Then build some shelves midway up. You can leave a nice sized area under the shelves for toy bins. The shelves then work for folded clothes, books or shoes. We have done this with all of our closets and it really helps to take the mess and turn it into organized junk. Shelves are inexpensive if you do it yourself. You only need a few pieces of 1×10″s or 8″s or 12″, depends on your closet space, and some 1×1’s for support. It is an easy project that my husband and I work together on, we tend to do one closet or room a year. I will try and send you some pics for example. Good luck!
I love all things Ikea!
Since her windows are so low, wasting that wall, maybe try a lofted bed? That way you can put a desk or dressers under the bed, better using her available space.
No help here, Shelby has, at our house, the same bedroom suite…she’s 26.
Donovan’s room finally got cleaned out when he moved out!
And we won’t even talk abou the sewing/computer room!
UP
Oh dude, I have no idea. Her room looks like me and my husband’s room. So I’m right along with you in needing suggestions! Good luck!
Our friend Luanne says that one is either a filer or a piler. I am a major piler and I think that it is genetic. Kate may be doomed.
It’s a girl thing, Jenna’s room looks about the same and I clean and de clutter all the time and in less than a week its back to its current state of a mess. I bought faux wood blinds and they look really nice, they block light, and are so much better than regular blinds.
Well, I don’t have any advice (because, really? Cleaning is not really my THANG.), but did have to chime in to say, YES! Kids accumulate SO MUCH JUNK! I mean, really? Really, preschool? Do you think we need that glitter covered paper mache piece of garbage at my house? Cute colored pictures, sure. Clever crafts with a holiday theme, okay. But the everyday junk? NO thank you!!!
Whew. Glad to get that off my chest! Too bad it won’t help you one tiny bit…
It is hard to get rid of furniture you love but if it doesn’t work it causes more problems. Maybe Jenny or someone else in the family can use it. Could a dresser fit in the closet, freeing up room for reading nook or desk. A window seat like mentioned above would be great under the window with cubes for all the books. Maybe only keep so many books out and then have a stash in the closet to switch out when ready for some new ones. A box/dresser drawer/ bin is great to stash papers in until the end of year and you are ready to go through them. I have a shoe box (diaper box) for each kid at the bottom of the closet and they can go in and dig through the box and get any shoes they want and toss them in when done. It has save me a lot effort. I also got drawer organizers from IKEA to sort out socks and underwear. A place for everything and everything in its place. The pink thing is cute but if it doesn’t work get rid of it. I have seen stuff animals in laundry bins, hung in a net on the wall, I have my kids in a box at the end of the bed that they use to sit on( mulitple uses), also I have seen animal shaped bags that you fill with stuffed animals and use as a bean bag or reading area. The flower thing beside the bed it cute but not practical if you nudge a bookshelf over there she could use the top of it for her needs. Sometime curtains can make a big difference, go for it! A big memory board along with the small tennis rackets would hold more papers and pictures or a collage. Hooks are a good idea that were mentioned above, for dress up, jackets, etc…Although it looks like a disaster taking everything out the room and starting new can be eye opening. Only letting in the stuff that stays. (clothes that fit, toys she plays with, books she looks at)
Getting started and be motivated to get it all done is the hard part. Hopefully these ideas and the ones above inspire. I hope you do post an after.
OMG decorating & organizing is my favorite! I could have that room perfectly organized, labeled and fantastically decorated in no time! The 1st thing I would suggested is doing a chalkboard wall for her. She seems to have a lot of papers and pictures she likes to save, and chalkboard walls are magnetic so she could hang all of her stuff up, and change it as she pleases. Chalkboard paint comes in cute colors now too, not just black and ugly green. Ikea also has a lot of good furniture choices I can think of. I know they have a bookshelf/ storage unit that is square and has removable bins in it, so some of the selves can be used for books and some you can put storage drawers in to store toys or clothes. They even sell a attachable desk top, which would be good for to do homework on. Here is the link —-> http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/categories/series/09064/
Your dressers are nice, but seem to take up too much space. I would suggest either repurposing them in another room, or selling them on Craig’s list and using the money to get her a tall dresser with deeper drawers. Like this one from Ikea —> http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/30192045
I would also suggest a bed with storage built in like this one from Ikea —> http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/S89872909
You could easily fix the closet buy purchasing 3 closet shelves with an attached clothes hanging bars (you can find inexpensive ones at Ikea, Target or Lowe’s). On 1/2 the closet you should put 2 shelves (one high and one low) for hanging short items like pants and shirts, and on the other side you should put one high shelf for hanging longer items like dresses. Then you could put storage bins on top of the shelves. I would also put a storage tub in her closet for her to put her keepsake items in. I might also throw a shoe rack in the bottom, just to help her stay organized.
I picked regular furniture instead of kids furniture, because I thought Kate would be able to take care of it and it would grow with her.
Hope this helps. Good luck!
Don’t feel bad our entire apartment looks like that. Our place is so ridiculously tiny that there is no room for anything. We have 4 small cabinets in the kitchen, no pantry, no linen closet and 2 of the smallest closets you could imagine. I have been trying for years now to get this place somehow organized and I have came to the conclusion that there is no way unless we got rid of 85% of our stuff (which is not going to happen). I keep hoping we win the lotto so we can move!
Good luck! Sorry, I have no suggestions!!!
Looks like my room when I was her age. Instead of building a reading nook in her room, what about moving her clothes a little higher in the closet, getting a small (and low to the ground) ottoman and a lamp and putting them in her closet for a reading area. My friend and I did this in middle school and it was a great way to escape being seen by everyone when we just wanted to read.
You can use the “useless Ikea thing” to store socks, hair bows, tank tops, etc. Clothes that can be rolled would be great to go in there.
NO helpful hints here- but thank you thank you thank you for showing me I am not the only one with messy kids rooms. And I too am guilty of piling clothes on top of the dresser because the drawers are full of… crap.
Good luck finding a good design without breaking the bank!