The third area to get new flooring was the kids' room. Here is their room when we first moved in. About a year ago we bunked their beds, to create more floor space for play. It has always felt like a warm, cheerful kids' bedroom, but I had big plans for redoing the room when we upgraded the floors. However, as tempted as I was to get different bedspreads/covers, new curtains, and make more changes with what is on the walls, I ultimately decided not to. The kids are happy. In a few years, they will have their own rooms. I'd rather put money towards those things when they get their own rooms.
In the meantime, we did make some changes! We painted the trim and doors in their room. In doing so, the yellow of the walls ended up looking bright, bright, BRIGHT. It looked warm against the wood trim, but I did not like it at all against the white. My parents had over a gallon of this creamy yellow color. Free paint? I'll take it! The color is much more subdued and gentle on the eyes now. It blends very well with the color of the floor and the white trim.
I was tempted to do something different above their dresser - maybe something more "grown up". But both kids said they love the Elsa Beskow prints. I also think that ages four and five are still quite young, sweet, and innocent. No need to rush them out of these dreamy early years. I may play around with the placement of the frames on the wall, but most likely I'll leave it like it is. To the right of the dresser is Mannchen's Lego storage bins. He's a bit of a Legomaniac these days.
Bunk beds! Now that the kids are little older and there is more floor space in their room, we have taken more of their toys out of the living room and put them in their room. At this age, they know not to play with them at bedtime and they aren't sneaky enough to try to get away with it after we close the door. The block basket is next to the dresser and the dress-up clothes are hanging at the end of the bed. Previously the dress-up clothes were in a large wooden box (think toy box without a top), but the kids had a hard time finding what they wanted.
Another big change in their room was the addition of a reading tent/nook. We have all really missed the reading tent in our old playroom. We didn't have the option of building a tent into a corner the way we did before, but this Ikea mosquito net seems to do the trick. Mannchen is so eager to begin reading, and while truly learning to read is still a bit in the future for him, his interest is translating into extra time spent snuggling up in this corner. I bought a large dog bed at TJ Maxx for us to sit on and we added a few extra pillows we had laying around. It's quite comfy and cozy - just what we were hoping for! Töchterchen's doll house and doll bed are in the room now also. The toys in the living room trade around every so often with the toys in their room. Right now it seems her toys are dominating, but that has a lot to do with all the love Mannchen has been giving to the Legos.
I found an over-the-door hanging rack on sale and we hooked it over the top edge of the bottom bunk - the top bunk holds it firmly in place. Now all the dress up clothes are easier to see and access. In the Bolga basket on the floor are our play silks and other dress up accessories.
We love creativity in our house and I felt like kids needed more places to proudly display some of their artwork. Now that they are both in preschool, the stream of art coming into our home is constant. We have a ribbon with clothes pins for displaying their work in the hallway, but it's just not enough space! I found these six frames at the thrift store (I think I paid less that $5 total for all six) and painted them with the leftover spray paint we had from painting the baseboard heaters. Now the kids can enjoy "framed" pieces of their own art in their bedroom also!
The kitchen and hallway are complete also! I just keep forgetting to take pictures in the mornings when the sunlight is greatest in the kitchen. Soon, very soon, I will share the last area of our house! Moving into this apartment was a huge adjustment for me (maybe for all of us), but now that the floors are clean and uniform throughout and all the darkness of the wood paneling and trim is gone this little house really feels like our home! And a home worth being proud of at that!
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