Let me just say that I am extremely embarrassed about what I’m about to do. This is akin to posting a picture of myself in a bathing suit. (Ok, it’s not that humiliating. But almost.)
I am about to show you pictures of Kate’s bedroom.
It is the most embarrassing room in my house.
It is a disaster, and I don’t know what to do about it… I need help!!
It turns out, I’ve done this before – here’s a post from March 2009 where I asked for tips on redecorating her room for her 5th birthday. I had completely forgotten about it. My goodness, it looked better then. That is a sad state of affairs.
Ok, here’s the deal.
*cringing with shame*
Here’s what you see when you walk into her room:
Lovely, isn’t it?
The dresser drawers are long and skinny, and they get stuffed so full that she can’t see what’s in there and so she roots around and everything gets wrinkled and it drives me nuts. So then I pile her clean laundry on top, which drives me even more nuts. That wall is also the most open space in her room, and I wonder if we wouldn’t be better served by having a taller dresser or… something.
Here’s more!
This is to the immediate left of the dresser.
The poor girl has been begging me to buy her curtains for about two years, and I haven’t gotten around to it. Those blinds do nothing to block out the light of the street lamp outside her window. Also, the windows are so low to the ground that it makes it hard to put anything under them in an organized manner. She always has 30 books on that bedside table, as well.
Moving around to the left… her bed.
We gave her our old bed when we got a new one about a year ago, and I’ve yet to buy a frame for it. Not only does this look bad, but it means there’s no space for under-the-bed storage. She also likes to sleep with 45 pillows and stuffed animals, including a fake dog bigger than her.
Next we have what is supposed to be… well, I don’t know. A bookshelf? Whatever it is, it is a dumping ground for junk.
And finally, what may be the worst part – her books.
I bought the bookshelf and the Ikea thing hoping they would help the problem, but the books are overflowing and there’s nothing to speak of in the Ikea thing, rendering it useless.
Oh, and I nearly forgot – the piece de resistance – the closet.
I really have no explanation for that.
Clearly, the first problem is that we need to go through her room and declutter. I know that – I even do that periodically. But the girl likes to save stuff and have you SEEN the amount of stuff that comes home with a first grader?
But there is more to it than that – we aren’t using the space in her room to make it as useful and organized as we can. I suspect that a large part of it is the furniture. Her bed is queen-sized, because that’s what we had, and she loves having a big bed. The dresser and bookshelf, though, aren’t all that functional. They were mine when I was a child and they are good quality so I have been hesitant to replace them, but it may be time.
Kate’s bedroom is seriously the bane of my existence (or at least the bane of my house) and I really want to figure out a way to make it better. I just really don’t know what to do.
Please, please comment – I can’t wait to hear your suggestions!
