Parker's Room Refresh

Before

After

Before 

After

Before

After

Before

 Before

 After

Storage and Details

Most of the toys moved to these clear plastic Ikea bins under the loft bed.  They're hidden by the curtains.

It was important to Parker's mom that he be able to see his toys so that he will play with them.  These bins rest on cup hooks screwed into the wood on the bed.  They can removed by simply lifting the off the cup hook, contents played with, cleaned up, and returned to the hooks.  I made the chalkboard labels by painting printer labels with chalkbord paint. 

 All of the toys that wouldn't fit in the plastic bins went in this thrifted vintage crate.  I attached the casters, gave it a white wash stripe around the top, and added the rope handles to the pre-existing holes.

I had a piece of pegboard cut to fit the bottom and used dozens of wood dowels to separate toys so that each toy has its own slot.  When the toys change, the pegs can move to accommodate them. 

Here is the slot where the Battleship game goes.  I painted the pegboard with chalkboard paint so that each slot can be labeled for easy clean-up.

I knocked-off the Urban Outfitters light-up marquee letter ($179) with red foam core, silver spray-painted poster board, and special LED poster lights that run on a battery, all for about $15.  The lamp is thrifted.  I painted the base and the shade.

Parker loves math and numbers, so I attached stenciled numbers to a bunch of clipboards and Mod-Podged over the top for durability.  Now he has an easy way to put up calendars and his school work.

We used a thrifted frame for the map of California which was free from AAA.  The Bygel rail system from Ikea helps Parker to organize his desk supplies.  Rachel already had the corkboard squares.  I doubled them up (they're never thick enough for a typical pushpin) and covered them with leftover fabric for additional places to pin keepsakes.

These stainless steel shelves ($10 each) are from Ikea's kitchen department.  A great way to make use of a small amount of vertical space and get clutter off of the desk and other surfaces.

While I don't have a boy, I strongly suspect that they all have these teensy pieces of ephemera lying around.  A fishbowl collects it all for easy clean-up -- and it can all be seen by little boys who are looking for some dice, a spare battery, or that small Lego that was missing. 


Because we kept all of the major pieces of furniture, I was able to freshen up and organize Parker's room for around $300!  I installed this room in three phases, one week at time.  Parker has been able to keep it cleaned and organized all of this time, which I know his mom is happy about.   And she's happy to report that he uses his desk now. 

Next up, his twin sisters' room!