Calm invites restful sleep, organized areas keep everyday items accessible, and space allows for a child’s most important work: play!
The ideal can seem out of reach when our kids’ rooms are littered with the accumulation of stuff, especially if the room is just plain small. But with some time, effort, and creativity, you can transform even the tiniest of bedrooms into a welcoming space — all while keeping expenses at a minimum.
Create or re-claim square footage in your child’s room by decluttering, consolidating furniture, and utilizing wall space.
1. Declutter
Before you start rearranging furniture, buying plastic bins, or building shelves, take inventory of what you have and what you can eliminate. If this task seems overwhelming, watch an episode of Tidying Up with Marie Kondo for some extra motivation.
Ultimately, clutter takes up precious physical and mental energy. Plus, if you’re planning to sell, rent out, or Airbnb your home in the future, clutter can scare people away. So be like Elsa and just “let it go.” Let’s explore some ideas to get you started:
⬥ Throw it away. Fast food restaurant toys, ripped stuffed animals, and holey clothing are great items to begin eliminating altogether.
⬥ Donate it! Involve your child in the process of choosing favorite toys to keep and deciding which toys to donate directly to a family in need or to take to a local donation center.
⬥ Store off-season clothing out of the way. For example, if you live in a cold climate during the winter, keep your child’s shorts and sandals up in the closet rather than in the dresser to make room for sweaters.
⬥ Rotate toys. Rather than parting with toys through donation, opt to sort toys into categories and alternate storing them out of reach and using them for playtime. This method keeps the novelty in your child’s toys and manages toy clutter. Plus, your child will be more eager to help clean up when the process is simpler.
2. Consolidate furniture
Two months ago, my daughter’s bedroom included a dresser, an oversized desk, a bed with a trundle, and a bookshelf. There was hardly any room left to play!
After some research, we decided to replace her old bed with a loft bed with an attached desk underneath as well as ample storage. We’ve since eliminated both the dresser and the large desk, and now she’s living large.
Here are some furniture-minimizing solutions to consider as you evaluate your child’s bedroom layout:
⬥ Create a reading nook. The bottom bunk of a bunk bed or the space underneath a loft bed can make for the perfect spot for your child to read. All it takes is a few pillows and a light source! Meanwhile, you can find a new home for your rocking chair or loveseat.
⬥ Buy (or make) a bed with built-ins. If your toddler has just outgrown the crib, now could be the perfect time to introduce a junior loft bed with built-in shelves beneath. Then you don’t have to take up floor space to place storage cubes or other shelving systems. A junior loft bed is just high enough to create valuable space underneath, but not as dangerous as a traditional bunk or loft.
⬥ Find a desk double. Instead of maintaining a traditional desk space in a bedroom, consider finding a portable desk solution for your child, like a lap desk with side organizers attached. Or, simply use the dining room table for homework and art projects.
3. Utilize wall space
If you’ve decluttered and consolidated furniture and your child’s eye-level living space is still maxed out, it’s time to look up. Walls are good for more than just displaying a pop of paint color. Try out some of these vertical-maximizing hacks:
⬥ Install floating shelves. These are ideal for books, trophies, frames, memory boxes, toy rotations, art supplies, and even neatly folded clothing. Don’t be afraid to go high with shelving for the items that do not need to be readily-accessible by your kid.
⬥ Use a hammock. Toy hammocks lift stuffed animals, blankets, or other soft items off the floor and utilize tricky wall corners. Plus, it’s an attractive way to display sentimental toys that would otherwise take up space in a toy bin or basket.
⬥ Make a gallery wall. Does your habit of piling up papers and clutter creep into your child’s room? Hang papers, photos, or lightweight crafts laundry line style across a wall using colorful clothespins. Rotate the display items after a period time, store your favorites in a keepsake box and — you guessed it — let the rest go.
Author Bio: Rebecca Graham is the home loans content manager at Best Company, an independent review site where companies don’t “pay to play” and consumers can access real customer reviews and educational materials. In her free time, Rebecca enjoys hiking with her family and sampling flavors of the week at her local cookie shop.
