Simply Organized of NWA: Lucy's room

re·claim

riˈklām/

verb

gerund or present participle: reclaiming

retrieve or recover (something previously lost, given, or paid); obtain the return of.

"he returned three years later to reclaim his title as director of advertising"

synonyms:

get back, recoup, claim back, recover, regain, retrieve More

Obtaining the return of order in my three year old's room is exactly what I did this week.

I spent about four hours in this small room. I took everything out except the big furniture. I cleaned it, especially the floor, under the bed and inside the closet.

Getting Started

I recommend clearing everything out of a space you are working on because it gives you a clean slate. It gives you new perspective. Sometimes when I walk into a client's house and make a suggestion they'll say, "I never thought of that." It's because I see your space with fresh eyes and a clear goal in mind.

Reading Nook

Because I practically emptied this space and took my daughter's personality and age into mind I asked her if she wanted to make the spot under her table a reading nook. She loved it and also brought a puzzle into her space and worked on it really hard for quite a while. It makes a great fort when you add some blankets to the mix!

The closet

I spent a lot of time here. It's seasonal change time so I took out all the summer clothes from her closet and her dresser. I boxed them up and labeled them, "Consign in Spring" and put them in the attic. I already had her Winter clothes out of the attic so it was easy to make that transition. Having the floor cleared of clutter also helped me work efficiently.

This little system (see below) has always been the key to my success when dealing with my kids' clothes. Just like in the laundry room, I have a home for clothes that are outgrown. I also have a home for clothes that are for next season. I can't begin to tell you how this simple system helps me!

I had these black crates sitting around and these cloth cubbies were playroom rejects. They fit inside these crates nicely and I can use them to store blankets, shoes, toys, over-flow of whatever :)

And speaking of shoes, my three year old loves them. I removed all the sandals and put them in the consignment boxes and then I gathered all the hand me down shoes she might wear this coming season. She found a pair that are too big but she loves them and has been wearing them ever sense.

While working on this room I had a jolt to my system. See that table over in the corner? That has been set up with a changing pad, a basket full of diapers and drawer stocked with butt cream since 2006. When I got to that corner to clean I paused. My three year old started sleeping through the night without diapers this weekend. We are done. Forever. While this makes me happy on many levels. My heart got a little sad. My seven year old had just said to me the night before, "I don't want to be diaper-free. That means there are no more cute little babies in our house anymore." And while standing over the table I felt the same.

I am, of course, thankful for the space being diaperless and wipeless gives us. Soon the antique rocking chair will find a new home (does anyone want to buy it? it's for sale. it is a really nice sturdy piece and really fun to recover the seat but we just don't have room for it even though a dear friend gave it to me in 1998). Very soon this three year old will transition into a real-life twin sized bed. Sigh. This room will look very different the next time I post about it.

Storage

Besides the closet and the dresser for storage, I found this great side table at a consignment store about a year ago for $15! I painted it and added a little decoupage flair with paper (I also painted and decorated the lamp before Lucy was born). I totally love this side table. It's well-built and the drawer is roomy and so is the shelf. I added a basket underneath for a few small toys.

There is a lot stored under the bed too - mostly baby doll stuff: pack'n play, cradle, carrier, and baby dolls. I also keep her forever papers box under it.

When we prepared this room nearly eight years ago for our first daughter I built the large shelf out of raw lumber and shelf brackets.

And speaking of preparing the room, our local artist friend, Lisa Miller, hand painted every single cherry in this room. Each one is beautiful. When we debated over having a second child I knew if we didn't I'd move my office in this cheery room.

Prettiness

This is honestly my favorite room in this whole house. I know one day my Lucy will want to change the decor in here. My vintage hat will have to find a home. The 40 year old patchwork dress and booties will also be moved elsewhere.