I was amazed that I could take a room that looked like this -
and make it look like this! There were many steps taken to make this massive transition - but the first one was a determination to do it! I had wanted to pull up the carpets since, well, the first spill alerted me to the dangers and ugliness of more spills - and there were many more! Finally I put my foot down when we discovered that my eldest son had allergies to dust mites and the pediatrician recommended removing any carpets - done! So truthfully it was done with health in mind, not beauty - but no matter - we pulled up the carpet!
Luckily we knew that we had beautiful hardwood floors underneath as we resurfaced all the floors on the first level of our home when we moved in 10 years ago. All of them except for the kids rooms. I was so excited to have a soft cuddly space for the kids when they were babies and toddlers that I never even considered hardwood floors in their rooms. But I soon learned that rugs get so dirty - and now would never recommend wall to wall carpeting in bedrooms - especially now that I have learned about dust mite allergies. So that is my little piece of advice today! Learn from my mistake!
We cleared everything out of the room and took all of the crazy artwork and cartoons cut from the newspaper off the walls. Then we had the carpets pulled up and the floors sanded and sealed.
Then it was my turn to paint! I cleaned the walls with a mold and mildew remover. There was a condensation problem in the room caused by poor air circulation. There is only one ill-placed vent in the room, the carpet kept air outside the room from circling through during the night as we keep the door closed and there was no space between the door and floor, and then we have two boys in there breathing all night! Most of this problem was solved by removing the carpet and allowing air to circulate through the room over night. I wiped down the walls with water and then spackled.
Next I painted with a Benjamin Moore paint that is mildew resistant. It was nice and thick and needed no more than two coats. I love the color called Brilliant Blue.
Once the room was painted I wanted no more tape anywhere on the walls. The boys and I decided what pictures and posters we wanted in the room and I bought inexpensive frames from Target and Michael's. I bought two magnetic strips for each boy from Container Store so that they could put pictures on the walls without tape or push pins. We also were very selective about what toys and games we brought back into the room. We donated a lot of toys to a local charity, making more room in the playroom downstairs for toys and cars that were in the bedroom before.
I am very happy with the outcome - but still have work to do. In the next few weeks look for a blog about organizing the bookshelves::
