Name: Ian
Location:Yonkers, NY
We're rounding out our small spaces theme this month and about to jump into the Smaller Cooler Contest, so it seems a perfect time to highlight Ian's nursery- originally an open dining area enclosed to create this 7' x 12' whimsical room with plenty of multi-tasking furniture for maximum storage.
With inspiration from her sister-in-law's home layout and her father-in-law's help, Celina and her husband transformed this open dining layout into a cozy room for Ian.
We asked mom Celina about some of the challenges of making this space work. Not surprisingly, it was storage.
"Our main challenge has definitely been storage. We’ve tackled the issue by planning ahead and adapting as new needs come up.
We quickly realized we couldn’t fit a dresser, changer, wardrobe, and toy storage in the room. So we started trying to plan creative ways to hold everything Ian needed. We picked furniture that could do double duty (ex. the dresser was also a changing table) and focused on adding storage anywhere we could."
We couldn't help noticing this bookcase holding clothes, books, toys, and more, so we asked Celina about it:
"The bookcase wasn’t part of the original furniture set, we actually got it afterwords to increase storage and it’s probably one of my favorite things in the room because it can change with our needs. When we realized we needed to hang up some of Ian’s clothes we turned the top shelf into a closet and as he got older another shelf started to hold shoes. One of its sides is also painted in chalkboard paint so he can draw on it.
My other favorite storage item is the Ikea shoe rack under his window. We painted it the same color as the wall to make it fit in better. It was inexpensive and can stores toys at his height so Ian can easily take them out and put them away without help."
A few more wise storage tips from Celina:
"Storage boxes under the bed & dresser hold clothes he’ll grow into & off season items, and the small shelves above the dresser hold diapers, pajamas, & hygiene / care items we use regularly.
The space also forces us to keep an eye on how much we buy and on what clothes and toys we have on hand for him. Before I buy something I always ask is he really going to play with this or is it going to be a 5-minute toy? It’s cut down on a lot of impulse purchases. We also sort through his toys/ clothes every few months to see what he’s using and what he’s outgrown."
© 2009 Apartment Therapy
I really like this room! Great mural, great idea for the bookcase.
view nicole612's profile
I love everything in this room; the mural, the different uses of the bookshelf , the colors- wonderful!
view kimmiller's profile
OK, I'm back again. I really want to know more details about how you make this work with your living room. Is that blackout tape around the doors? Did you replace the glass in your doors with frosted glass? Does noise from the living room bother your son at night? I'm asking because with your inspiration, I'm seriously considering doing the same thing. What did you do for eating space? I really think I might be able to make it work-- I'd love some tips!
view nicole612's profile
It's painters tape : ) we'd just finished painting the molding when I took the picture. The doors came with a frosted cling wrap type thing on each pane & we left it there for now because it helps block the light. I think it would be expensive to replace the panes but I saw some glass etching paste at Micheal's I might try to use on them. Otherwise we'll put up a curtain rod on the inside to block the extra light at night.
The room used to be an open eating area with no walls. At first we had up curtains and used a white noise machine to screen out the noise. This year my husband and his father put up the doors and walls. They definately cut down on the noise from the living room / kitchen, but we still use the noise machine to help Ian sleep. Our living room is a nice size so we were able to fit a small table & chairs in one of the corners.
This is the link to our slide show on flickr that shows the different stages of setting up the room:
www.flickr.com/photos/29528258@N06/sets/72157614623313829/
It's worked out really great for us & for my sister in law (she has the same apartment layout & uses the room as a nursery too) Good luck! I hope it works for you too!
view c.marie's profile