Ethan's room

I had always assumed that my two sons would immediately share a bedroom, but due to them being four years apart in age with different sleeping schedules, it didn't work out well the way I had thought it would. It got to the point where I had to put that idea aside and turn my thoughts to another alternative. Moving to a house with more bedrooms was definitely not an option, nor was building onto our existing house. Instead, I zeroed in on how we could shift our current living areas around to fit the needs of our family for the short term until Ethan is a bit older and can share a bunk bed upstairs with his big brother.

And so this fall the answer turned out to be moving our desk and filing cabinets out of the tiny place downstairs that we had been using for an office. Though not big (I've seen walk-in closets that are larger!)  this space had lots of charm and I could just see all of the hidden potential. I thought it would make a cute bedroom for a one year old if we could give this room an economical, mini makeover.

This is what it looked like before anything was done:

The first thing to be changed was the wall color. It went from pale blue to a cheerful, sunshiny yellow. That helped to make it feel so much warmer, and even a bit larger! I did not think to take any before pictures of Ethan's crib, but in the course of putting together this new room, I also stripped the old finish off of that,

sanded it down, then painted it black to match his dresser.

 Here is what Ethan's room looks like now:

Hooray--it's finally finished and he can start using it now. (And yes, it did taken me two months to wrap up this project. Lots going on at all times. :) )

It may be small, but it is inviting and fun and perfect for a little guy whose needs are pretty basic: cozy spot for sleeping, a place to keep his toys and clothes, and some warm, clean floor area to play on. I think that Ethan's favorite feature has to be the adorable Curious George mural above his crib.

Just goes to show how a fresh coat of paint, creativity (i.e.working with what you have!), and some elbow grease can completely transform a room!