First, I realize that by leaving the bed in the room I could probably do without a changing table since I could do diaper changes on the bed. This would be especially great since I don't actually have an extra changing table. :) By reorienting the bed, we can (hopefully) still have enough floor space for substantial play area.
Second, there is plenty of room under the bed for toy storage. Pull the toys out for play, and put them away where they can't be seen or gotten to easily without help from an adult. Perfect to keep little ones from ransacking the room without my knowledge. :)
Third, those DIY pillows I like will have plenty of "storage" on the bed. Great for cuddling on the bed while reading books or pulled down onto the floor.
As for the heirloom end tables, my husband assures me they will safely survive in the attic despite the temperature range. They will be safe while I use an old nightstand from my child hood that will stand up better to kid use. (It can also be repainted to a fun color!)
By pulling a bookshelf into the room from another part of the house, I will have room for books and more toy storage. I will also be keeping the chest of drawers that is in the room already to use for storage, but like the nightstand, I am hoping to give it a makeover one day also.
By this point, if you are anything like me, you are needing some sort of visual to really understand what I'm talking about, so here is my not-to-scale-at-all creation of the future playroom in Publisher. :)
Update: I should add that the top door is the doorway to the room, the bottom one is the closet door.
So basically you can see the art area clearly defined, reading could be near the bookshelf or on the bed and the middle of the floor would be the main play area. I haven't added the nightstand yet, but I'm pretty sure you can guess where that would go. Also, the hubby pointed out that if we really wanted to, we could move the bed when guests come to give guests access to both sides of the bed. This would make the room really feel more like a guest room than a playroom to them, but we can always move it back when they leave. How smart is he?!
Anyway, with the new furniture arrangement only the rocking chair and the hope chest are left needing a new home.
There is an old wooden vanity in our bedroom that I have been thinking about using as an art table/storage space for the play room. If I did that, there is the the potential to swap the hope chest for the vanity- although that would create a new storage/mirror dilemma in my bedroom. (Don't worry, I would detach the mirror from the vanity for play room use.) Then only the rocking chair would need a home, and as a bonus, I wouldn't have to spend money on a new table for the play room! Although it's not hard to find a short table at Goodwill for under $5 to use for art purposes... and I would still need chairs.
I guess the point of this now-slightly-rambling-post is that I am having a little bit of success thinking of some creative solutions to my dilemma. While the "art area" still remains undefined in my plan, I am looking forward to moving ahead with the playroom concept instead of letting old hang-ups slow me down!
Hopefully this means I will have an updated post for you soon- maybe with a picture of some furniture moved around! In the meantime, the suggestion box is still open- feel free to offer suggestions on the original post or on this one.
Thanks for contributing your thoughts!
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