apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Love this room--just love it! It is so calming, yet fun at the same time. The paint color is great. May I ask what color/brand you used? Also, what do you plan to store in the closet? I would be worried about my twins finding the paints in the top draw and indulging in some clandestine painting in the middle of the night!

Pretty colors and lovely layout. I'm so jealous of the wood floors...my circa 1995 suburban house is not nearly lovely enough to be worthy of that space!

This is a WINNAH!

Great room. Space for kids toys without making it too cluttered and too childish is hard. Where are those low shelves and the plastic inert boxes from? Ikea?

Thanks so much for the lovely feedback, everyone. I've got to admit: I have pretty thick skin as a writer, but posting pictures of my little guy's special place is kind of like putting a little bit of my heart on the internet.

To answer your questions:

littlelou: The colour is "Timeless Tales" from the Disney collection at Home Depot. We used an eggshell base (Behr Premium Plus), which gives a really nice matte finish. As crazy as this sounds, I've spent years with one eye open looking for exactly this shade. I was so happy when I finally found it. As for the closet storage, we're planning to turn it into a dress-up area. The clothes can go in the Fangst hanging thingummies, and we'll hang a shatter-proof full-length mirror on the inside of the closet door.

mamamd: You guessed it. The Expedit shelves and the boxes both came from Ikea. What was that about all roads...? ;)

hey Tammy!

I love, love, love this room - in fact, I'm a little envious on my own toddler's behalf. Can we hang out in the dress-up area sometime? ;)

love this space!! I have a 3 year old and an 8 month old and am planning to move them in together, so this room is great inspiration. I've had this paint color in mind too.

My question is how safe you feel the upper bunk is for your 3 year old? I love the idea of bunks but keep hearing that the starting age should be 6 --- so I'd like to know how your son manages the ladder, etc. (sounds like he loves it, though).

Thanks!

oh and props to the photographer -- the photo of the dino print with the shadow of the dino marionette (?) cast onto it is brilliant.

Wow Tammy! Awesome tour and *respect* for having decorated it with a toddler to look after too (R's room hasn't seen any changes since he was in utero over 3 years ago).. weren't you pregnant at the time of decorating too??

Anyway, well worth all the effort! Looks amazing!!! That is an awesome colour on the walls too - soothing, fun and age-less! And the artwork! Nice to hear the stories behind the pieces.

As for bunk beds, yours does follow the new safety guidelines - apparently having a guardrail on the wall-side is the most important feature as small kids can get lodged. We bought a 1/2 height loft bed for R as he is a fab climber but discovered he is a little tumbleweed when he sleeps so have opted not to put him in it yet, lest he propel himself over the rail... Different kids will be ready for bunks at different stages.

Keep up the great blogging - always fun to read your posts Tammy!

I, too, enjoy your posts, Tammy. This is by far the best. I love the dino scene (strangely, I remember seeing that print for sale on Etsy) and the book poster. Ditto on the paint. My almost three-year-old would have that all over the walls and everything else.

Thanks so much for the additional props, all! I had such a great time with these posts. Not to sound corny, but it really was an honour to have been shortlisted.

To answer questions:

selena: It might be hard to make out in the photo, but we haven't actually installed the ladder rungs, and don't plan to do this until Sam is six (or close to it). He's a careful climber, but I'm way too paranoid to take any chances. So for now, the top bunk just provides a roof (and stuffed toy storage), which makes for a cozy bottom bunk. I think this cave-like quality is part of the reason Sam took to it right away and sleeps so well.

And Krisr is right: the bunks do conform to the safety guidelines. Coincidentally, there was a recent article on bunkbed safety in one of the major papers here in Canada. It says that bunkbed injuries are common but almost totally preventable, and outlines how. After reading the guidelines, we know that about the only thing we'll need to do after installing the rungs is put a rug at the base of the bed.

We're planning to move Will into this room before Sam's ready for the top bunk. We'll keep Sam in the bottom bunk, and we're going to do an IKEA hack of the Aspelund under-the-bed storage box, to convert it to a trundle bed where Will can sleep.

And re: the paint supplies in the dresser. I think the dresser looks deceptively short in the photos, because of the room's high ceilings. Sam can't reach the top drawer... well, not yet. And I'm hoping he grows some common sense before he gets taller. :)

I've got to admit I'm so impressed that you actually got around to framing all those great prints - they look great! Makes me think I really need to try harder with our kids' bed/storage room!

Love the room.

I was wondering how and where you found those two "monster" things on the dresser, The blue and green ones?

They are adorable.

Thanks

Heh, AnneMarie... it was definitely expedited by the fact that the framing shop is right around the corner from our house.

lesie06: They're a kind of cordless portable nightlight called Candeloos, and they come in sets of blue/green and fuschia/orange. They've gotten a bad rap because, in the original design, some didn't hold a charge very well (though we never had this problem). They're manufactured by OXO now, and the new model (which we also bought) holds a charge for 8-12 hours. We really like them for kids because they're pretty sturdy and will be easy for our guys to use to light their way to the bathroom at night (though nighttime potty training seems really far away... sigh).

I LOVE this room, Tammy. The space is so comfortable, yet funky, and will grow with Sam as he gets older.

As always, the writing is great!

thanks for sharing this space--it's so nice to see what people can do on a budget--great job.

Hi, I have been searching for books ends that go under the books for the longest time. I love the color of the hand bookends. Please can you tell me where you got them. Thx.

Hi, bohaute. I was in the same boat as you until I saw -- coincidentally -- these bookends featured here on Ohdeedoh. I ordered them from Barnes & Noble. They're quite sturdy, and I'm really pleased with them.

(Sorry to take so long to reply. I've been out of town for the weekend.)