Today I’m sharing with you the state of Rowan’s room address. Four score and seven years ago…oh wait…that’s a different kind of address. Regroup. Let’s talk about the status of Rowan’s big kid (or big girl) room and her updated kid’s bedroom layout.
If you’ve been following along with us on the blog, the last time we talked about “Rowan’s room” was when it was the nursery. Now Bea is in there and we’ve moved Rowan into what used to be the guest bedroom. But that was three years ago. We’ve got some catching up to do and that’s what today’s post is all about.
Timeline Of Events
Before I get into the details of where we stand with this little girl’s bedroom and what’s next for the design, here’s a little timeline of events. Good rooms take time, right?!
September 2019 – Started replacing the 7 second-floor, double-hung windows
January 2020 – Finished installing the windows and new trim
March 2020 – Made a super rough girl’s bedroom design plan for our just turned three year old
April 2020 – Ordered a bed
July 2020 – Painted the bedroom pink
August 2020 – The bed arrived and we officially move Rowan into her new room
And scene. Sadly, we haven’t made any progress on Rowan’s bedroom since then.
What’s Finished?
The basics of a girl’s bedroom are here. There’s a metal bed from Wayfair with some fresh Urban Outfitters bedding since we didn’t have twin bedding. I found a vintage wardrobe at the thrift store for less than $100 that stores all her clothes perfectly. There’s a fresh coat of pink paint, Morristown Cream by Benjamin Moore to be exact, with a set of blackout chambray curtains from Target and a fluffy rug from Wayfair (which is looking WAY less fluffy these days).
Eventually, we did build a set of DIY floating bookshelves for her room. Then two Christmases ago, “Santa” brought her The Nugget play couch in Sandcastle. Parents, this may be the single most played-with thing we…I mean…”Santa”…has ever brought. I almost feel like we need a second one of these because I drag it up and down the stairs for playtime often enough to justify the purchase.
Is This Girl’s Bedroom Done?
No, no, no, no, no dear readers. Rowan’s big girl room is nowhere near done. And there’s not one tuck-in or late-night snuggle in her room where I don’t feel guilty about that. There are so many things that I’ve really wanted to do in this sweet, little girl’s space. Like adding lace trim to her curtains, coming up with a toy storage solution, and hanging some art. Her room has an incredible base layer and just needs that last layer of thoughtful styling.
Why Didn’t We Finish Her Room?
The biggest reason I haven’t finished her bedroom is because I felt like I was finishing it for me and not her. At three years old, our daughter wasn’t ready to help us make design decisions or tell us what she wanted in her room. The only direction I received from her at the time was to make it pink! Hence the wall color.
I didn’t love the idea of spending the next year slowly adding decor, spending precious time and money on it, if I knew soon she would have opinions. I really wanted to involve Rowan in the design process and include her in the decision-making. Now, at six years old I feel like she’s READY ready.
What’s Next?
This weekend, Rowan and I sat down and dreamed and schemed about her room. We looked through the kids’ room design books we found at the thrift store, scoured Pinterest, and perused Instagram. SO MANY ideas! We may have made a list of necessary things like fairy lights and a cozy reading spot with her play couch near her bed.
Ideas are all well and good but what we really need is a plan. And because I’m not exceptionally great at planning on paper, preferring to play around with things in the room, Rowan and I legit got to working in her room. We quieted the room, taking everything out but the big pieces, and sat on the bed together thinking.
Note…I took these pictures after quieting her room. Normally, it’s full of toys, stuffies, and other treasures. I wish I had taken a few “played-in” pics before we started but I totally forgot.
Kids Bedroom Layout
The first thing we decided on was the layout. The original kid’s bedroom layout was fine for a three-year-old just getting used to sleeping in a twin bed. The bed pushed up against the wall served her well for a while. But lately, Rowan has not loved it. She’s been asking to slide her bed to the middle of the room so she could get in and out of bed on either side.
I’m not gonna lie, that would be so much more convenient for the parents who regularly get stuck in a sleep snuggle against the wall and have to stealthily maneuver over the sleepy child to crawl into their own bed. While I loved the idea of it, I had this preconceived notion that moving her bed to the middle of the room would cut down on her play space. Instead of having one ample play space, she would have two smaller ones.
But we tried moving it a little bit, just enough to move the nightstand to the other side of the bed.
Huh…that’s not so bad. So we moved it a little more, where both Colby and Rowan were requesting, to the middle of the room.
You know what…this is good. We moved the nightstand and the play couch as well and all of a sudden inspiration is striking and we have a rough space plan for the room.
The Bedroom Plan
After Rowan and I nailed the bed placement we came up with a couple of zones for her room. One, a reading nook with lots of plushy things on The Nugget. And two, a desk “to build things” on. Armed with a rough plan, we dove right in and got to work today first by hitting up the thrift stores together.
Have I mentioned I love this age? Six has been so fun. I had a blast today scouring the thrift stores for treasures. Rowan was really into it, digging through piles for just the right picture frame. There was also a bonding moment over my new favorite Taylor Swift song and suddenly I had visions of taking her to a concert. The future is bright baby girl!
While we didn’t find the big pieces we were looking for, we did find a few “elegant things.” Rowan has decided she likes elegant things like vases of flowers, old oil paintings, and china tea sets. It’s adorable.
Let’s dive into our big to-do list and plans for this room.
Update The Nightstand
Rowan’s current nightstand is not a nightstand. It’s an old, living room side table that I’ve had with me since my college days. In the old kid’s bedroom layout, this table was tucked against the bed and also the play couch, which meant it was often kicked over. The poor plant. Actually, poor lamp. It’s in a sorry state of disrepair and I’m worried we can’t put it back together again.
But the nightstand. The goal is to find a thrifted nightstand that we can paint, preferably one with drawers for added storage and a larger, rectangular top. We’ve hit three stores so far with no luck. Hopefully the flea market this weekend will provide!
Create A Reading Nook
Rowan is loving The Nugget turned in the corner in her room. We’re planning on creating the coziest reading nook with a pile of pillows and blankets. I also have grand intentions of putting my subpar sewing skills to use sewing a canopy. It will be a nice warmup to the sewing Olympics which is Halloween costume sewing.
Add A Desk
One of Rowan’s most requested features was to have a desk in her room. I was not opposed to a desk, especially since she tends to clear her nightstand move it to the middle of the room, and also steal my desk chair from the hallway, creating a desk space.
With the original kid’s bedroom layout, a desk just didn’t fit. But once the bed moved to the middle of the room and The Nugget tucked in the corner, suddenly a 4′ chunk of wall space was opened up. It’s the perfect size to tuck a small desk and a chair.
Art Gallery Wall
Naturally, above the desk (on the big blank wall below where her bed used to be), Rowan and I have determined it’s the perfect spot to create a gallery wall of art curated by her. We’ve already thrifted one piece of art. Let’s just say, I’m really proud of myself for saying yes when she asked for it because it’s 100%, not something I would choose but she loves it. She has also requested a puppy print, something cheetah, and to make a piece of art with me.
Build A Book Rack
Unfortunately, moving the twin bed to the middle of the room meant that the floating bookshelves we built will have to come down. But bonus…we have an even better idea! There’s some unused space behind the door to Rowan’s room that’s the perfect space to build a book rack. It peaks out from behind the door, tucked next to the curtains and I am convinced it will be great.
Build A Bookcase
One of the rules in our home is that any toy or item that is special to Rowan MUST live in her room. Anything in the living room or on the toy shelves downstairs is free for little sister to play with. And let’s just say, little sister is a bruiser when it comes to toys and books. Colby nightly repairs the broken toys for the following days’ thrashings. The kicker, there isn’t really a good spot in Rowan’s room to store anything. Other than the floor and the floor is not an option. Her room desperately needs storage and places to put things.
We came up with a plan to build a bookcase beside the window near the bathroom door. It’s an unused spot and the perfect size for a deep but skinny bookcase. It may even end up as an American Girl doll’s house because Rowan’s American Girl dolls are about the only thing she won’t let Bea play with.
Find Or Build A Toy Box
Like most kids, there are so many small toys perpetually played within this little girl’s room. Cars, legos, dog figurines, Paw Patrol toys, etc. We have an everything must be picked up off the floor before bathtime rule and often all these things just get thrown into one large basket. I think it would be nice to either buy or build a toy shelf like this one from Target. Then maybe some things she’s working on can be left out on top of the shelf to be played with again in the morning.
Add Lace To The Curtains
And yes, I am FINALLY going to sew some lace trim on Rowan’s curtains. There’s just something about the juxtaposition of lace with chambray that I love.
Don’t You Already Have Projects In The Works?
Yes, but I need to feel like I’m making progress on the house, and finishing Rowan’s room, which is one of our big goals for the year, will help.
Also, the projects that we have in the works right now are BIG projects. Like completely rebuilding a shed to turn it into a playhouse, doing some exterior repairs like replacing the roof flashing and painting the front of our house, and renovating a bathroom. I need a project that I can do during Bea’s naps or in 10-15 minute increments with our children. Tiling a bathroom is not that project.
I’ve caught myself all summer long focusing on what I couldn’t do. I couldn’t screw down the cement board in the bathroom because Bea was napping and the drill is too loud. Or I can’t paint the front of the house because it’s raining…again (seriously…it has rained every day, often severely, this summer which is highly unusual). Or I can’t work on this other project because by the time I get all my supplies together, it’s time to go to swimming lessons.
This past week, I tried to focus on what I COULD do. There are four more weeks of summer vacation for Rowan before she goes back to school. I could work on her room with her. We could explore the thrift stores and haunt the yard sales looking for a vintage desk for her room. Or we could make a custom art piece while Bea is napping. It’s been a refreshing mind switch.
So there you have it. A little state of our little girl’s bedroom design address and an updated kid’s bedroom layout. Fingers crossed we find the right desk and nightstand soon!
PS…Show of hands, who else gets caught in a thinking trap focusing on what can’t be done? I can’t be the only one!
PPS…This post is bring back fond memories of all the times I rearranged my bedroom as a kid. At least once a month! Who else compulsively rearranged their bedrooms?!
