The Clutter..
As kids grow up they get stuck in this weird transition in their rooms between "kid" toys and things and little people who are growing up and needing more grown up things. If your kids are anything like mine they are collectors of random treasures that they cling too, like the every breath of life depends on keeping said piece of scrap paper! Toys that haven't been played with for a solid year become the the most valuable thing in the universe when you suggest maybe it's time to let go of them. It's often overwhelming to know where to start when tackling this odd space of toys, treasures, clothes and decor that they've outgrown.
Right now we are tackling a sweet 12 year olds room, that perfect tween age of in-between kid and grown up, and I'll be documenting the journey as we sort through and make a game plan for this lovely young lady's new space.
Here are some tips and tricks to get you going and hopefully you can find your own inspiration to renovate those bedrooms.
You don't need a perfect game plan and vision to start..just start. Start pulling things out of bins and sorting into piles. You know the bins that collect EVERYTHING known to man? They started as a great idea to keep all the toys separated about 3 years ago but now collect everything but the kitchen sink.. Dump those in the middle of the floor and start sorting.
Create a - Keep Pile - Don't want to throw it out but don't need to see it every day- It can Leave. I involved Ella in this process and reminded her to be ruthless in her purging of stuff! Our middle pile of "Not ready to toss but don't need it on display" was condensed down to one small container and I was proud of her.
Look at what's left in the "Keep" pile and start organizing that stuff into categories. For us it was 4h stuff, Schleich horse toys, books, craft supplies, desk/drawing items, bunny supplies, a few important mementos and some personal items. This will help you a lot when creating the vision for the new space as you'll have a handle on what needs to have a place in the new room.
If this is all you do for awhile that's just great! You'll feel better about at least getting a start.
The Design..
We started discussing the new space and what it would look like. There was talk of a barn/horse flavour, which can become dated and very themey quickly. My designer instincts gravitated towards a ranch inspiration, with more of a modern clean look to it. This meant bringing in textures and objects that are symbolic to the equestrian life, such as barn wood and burlap, but are not a literal part of the design. For instance a feature wall in a modern barn wood would be nod to fence boards but we wouldn't set up a fence along the wall!
We wrote down a list of things that reminded us of our horses and our life with them.. and used that as springboard for ideas.
Having areas in the room that hold important things is a very crucial part to a tween room as it creates a sense of belonging. Pictures of family, friends and important animals displayed in various ways will also be big part of the new design.
We'll be ready to start building on this space very soon! Stay tuned for some great furniture pieces I've designed for the perfect grown up space, the full game plan and much more!
Cheers,
