Clean Room Conundrum

I love the Land of Nod. I’ve never actually purchased anything from there, but they have really great pictures, and lots of things that I’d like to buy, not to mention all of the things I’ve almost purchased…but I am highly selective when it comes to spending my money, and this isn’t exactly the dollar store.

Now on a nice day, my superhero’s room is neat with a visible floor.

His stuffed roommates sit together up atop his bookshelf.

While everything else is concealed behind the closet doors.

But we need a better solution for the more normal days when things aren’t so tidy. Something open that makes it easy for my little one to clean up after himself, and find things without dumping absolutely everything he owns out onto the floor at once.

I think these are nice, but they hang too low to be practical for us.

I absolutely adore the look of these,

but we would need about $600 dollars worth.

And as beautiful as they are, I don’t want to spend that much on  any furniture for his bedroom. Needless to say, I’m still looking for a good solution to manage his mess…any ideas are very much welcome and appreciated.

Until next time, have a great day!

Related Posts:

• The Boy's Room: Take 1
• The Boy's Room: Take 2
• Room Reveal: Partially Finished
• Wardrobe Makeover
• A Little Mammut Makeover

Ikea Fjellse Twin Bed: Part 1

I’ve decided to go with an upholstered bed for the little one. I’ve been doing quite a bit of blog surfing lately and I’ve seen a variety of upholstered headboards. I love upholstered headboards. I’ve wanted one for my bedroom for a while, but I love my bed, and have no desire to change it. Plus the ones I’m most attracted to (like the over $4,500 tufted bed below from Horchow) are priced above the thousand dollar mark, and for me in my current situation, that really isn’t practical.

I found a few blogs that provide plans for brave DIYers to build beds themselves, but I wasn't quite ready to take the plunge into building my own furniture. Then while perusing the Ikea website,I came across the Fjellse. For less than $30 (at the time of this post) you get a solid wood bed frame. Total score!

Since the nearest Ikea is over 2 hours away, I had to order it online, and the shipping ended up costing more than the actual bed. Not a huge deal, considering the cost of purchasing a brand new bed from one of my favorite kiddie furniture stores. Delivery was quick and the bed came in 2 boxes. Both packages arrived on the same day in good condition. I was a little hesitant to buy a bed so cheaply online, but I figured since it was solid pine, worst case scenario, I could use the wood for something else.

In the big box, the actual bed frame.

In the little box, the slatted bed base (which must be purchase separately here).

On top of the box, my eager helper Zoey the Destroyer.

It comes with all of the tools you need for assembly, (except for a flathead screwdriver, but you really only need that for holding, not actual screw driving) which is great if you just need starter furniture and don’t have a ton of tools.

I used Mr. 7-Hands. He’s one of my favorite tools.

For me, the key to a successful Ikea assembly, is organization. First the little pieces.

Then the big pieces.

The directions suggest you have a friend around to help,

But I found that a chair works just as well.

And in almost no time at all, I was finished.

Overall, it was a quick and easy assembly. It took under an hour, and the bulk of that time was spent adjusting the chair to hold the pieces properly. The bed is solid and I’m content for the moment. It’s shorter than I expected, even though I read the measurements, but that’s easily fixed. Now off to plan my hack to pretty it up…

Until then, have a great rest of your day.

Related Posts:

• Ikea Fjellse Twin Bed: Part 2
• Fjellse Turned Storage Bed?
• Kivik Loveseat and Chase
• Sunny Lack-a-like Bookshelf
• Room Reveal: Partially Finished

the Boy’s Room: Take 1.

Long before I started packing for the big move, I had planned out the décor for the entire house.

I knew what color walls would be painted, what furniture I wanted and needed to buy, and where I wanted said furniture to be placed. And this I decided for a house that I wouldn't actually see in person until after I had actually moved across the country, on the day I arrived in a new city, in a new state.

Needless to say, there was a bit of an issue once I actually got here, and stood in the spaces I had to work with. Even with the power of Google maps, pictures, and virtual tours, they only show so much.

And I learned that it’s difficult to tell how spaces will be used until after they’ve been lived in for a while.

So since I’ve been here for a little while, and learning the way that it lights up during the day, and in which rooms I live execute tasks, I have completely revamped my décor scheme.

The first room up for a makeover is my son's room. Not so much because the space isn’t what I was expecting (because actually, out of all of the rooms, that was the one room that only needed minor tweaks), but because 3 year old boys are temperamental.

Initially, he insisted on having a Buzz Lightyear themed "big-boy" room. But the thing about themed bedrooms is that children’s tastes change so quickly.

I do want to let him have a say in the way that his space looks, but not so much say that it looks ridiculous. I really like pretty, and even though he is a boy, I do think it’s OK to make his room look pretty.

I came up with this little mood board:

Fabrics from Serena and Lily, drapes, bed, nightstand, rug, and storage from the Land of Nod; Mythic paint, and accessories from Ikea.

In addition to that, we already have two  Mammut chairs from Ikea, and a navy dresser, bookshelf, TV console thing we inherited from my brother. I figured with all of that, a few more little accessories, and a some framed Buzz pics, I could create a cute and fun place for him to play and grow. And when he eventually got over Mr. Lightyear, it would still be nice.

But that was before he discovered comic books. At the moment, he is completely taken with anything and everything with a Marvel comic character…well Marvel heroes and Batman. My 3 year old wants black and grey (which makes me VERY happy).So I’m back to the drawing board to somehow incorporate Iron Man, War Machine, Spiderman, the Incredible Hulk, Thor, Capitan America, Wolverine, and so on…well them and Batman, and create a scheme that is easily changeable, and will last a a few years. I’m off to go ponder…

That’s all until next time.

 

Related Posts:

• The Boy's Room: Take 2
• Clean Room Conundrum
• Room Reveal: Partially Finished
• Wardrobe Makeover
• A Little Mammut Makeover