We live in a pretty small 3-bedroom ranch home; since we only have the one daughter, she gets her own room, and the boys -- well, they are stuck sharing one room for the 3 of them! This worked for awhile, but now, the toys are overtaking every part of our home! We looked to do a remodel of their bedroom, turning it from a sleeping/dressing area into an official "playroom" -- complete with a place to sleep. We used products from Walmart to make it easy!
Here is the room BEFORE (ugh):
Here is the same space AFTER:
Then, we cleared out EVERYTHING and replaced the boys dresser and worn out shelving system with some new products from Walmart. In this photo, you can see the following products:
- Sauder Beginnings Collections Black Bookcase (on wall) - $39
- Mainstays Collapsible Shark Bins - See store for pricing
- Sauder Beginnings Toy Chest (on floor) - $49.98
I should note that the bookcase is meant to rest on the floor, but because we have electric baseboard heaters on all the walls, my husband made a wooden shelving bracket to mount the bookshelf up off the ground. (Don't do this unless you can find your wall studs and feel very comfortable with the process.)
More BEFORE:
And AFTER:
In this photo, you can see our DIY school supplies over the door organizer and the Tot Tutors Plastic Storage Bin Organizer (available for $49.97 from Walmart.com)
My husband also removed the bottom portion of the bunk bed and created a "hang out" area. He reinforced the bed frame, then created bench seating with the one side of the bed frame. We added two giant black chalkboard diamonds for added privacy, then placed two small versions of this Big Joe Bean Bag Chair underneath!
Behind it all, my husband mounted the front of an old jeep that he cleaned up and replaced the lights on. Isn't it cute?
Finally, we added a few other touches, including Mainstays Youth navy stackable bins in the closet. These are neat because the handles fold down for support.
We also added a small Sauder Beginnings Kids Table and Chair set (on the left, below), available for $49.98. I love that there is a small storage area in this table for coloring books.
While it was quite a bit of work putting the furniture together, there were things I really liked about the furniture (the toy chest, for example has a pinch-proof, hinged lid). There were also some things that were a challenge, like the fact that one piece of the toy bin organizer just didn't want to stay in place! Since we want the furniture to last for a long while, and we have 4 rowdy boys using it, it was important that everything be put together correctly and placed the right way in the rooms.
My boys love their new playroom, and, the best part is, we use a futon mattress on the floor for the younger boys to sleep on at night. We just move the bean bags out the way when it's bedtime; during the day, the futon mattress goes on the top bunk, making more room to play!
This short-term solution has made us so happy. No more toys in the living room (I hope), and the kids are really spending a lot of time together actually PLAYING.
*I am a participant in the Walmart Moms program. Walmart has provided me with compensation for my time on this post. Participation in this program is voluntary. As always, all opinions are 100% my own.
I found your blog post when searching Google for the Sauder Beginnings Toy Chest. Can you tell me how it has held up? At Walmart it appears to be about $50 and I can only imagine it would be worth that... Would you buy it again?
ReplyDeleteHi! Yes, it is 4 years later and we STILL use this toy chest. It's held up well with kids sitting on it and stuffing it FULL of play clothes and dress-up items. I would highly recommend it -- even after all of these years! The same for the matching table and chairs. We have only had one leg come off one of the little stools since then, and it was because my 130 pound son was leaning back on it. But they have worked so well for the little kids.
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