LINK TO PURCHASE LARGE CANVAS BINS
Organizing brother’s room to make space for little brother on the way.
This was a special project I did for one of my good friends who was expecting her second baby just a few months after we got together. The challenge was to take all the items in the photos above and make space for them in her oldest son’s bedroom, that way, the ‘play room’ could be nested into her new nursery.
Floorplan
We started by looking at the layout of the ‘destination room’ so we could make space for larger toys. We nudged the bed closer to the wall which created more floor space for the large train table. We were able to tuck an art easel, tool bench and car track in the little nooks by the dresser and night stand.
Closet
Next we tackled the closet by purging clothes and toys. I like to use large canvas bins for storing items high on the top shelf because they are easy to pull down and put back up without playing the stack and balance game. In this closet, the large bins hold stuffed animals and extra blankets. For the remaining shelves, we used stylish striped bins to sort and store toys by categories so they would be easy to pull out for play time and simple enough to clean up. We used the remaining shelf space to stage larger toys and books. The biggest items earned a spot on the floor tucked neatly under the shelves.
For art supplies, we used stackable clear bins and kraft labels so items can be easily seen. These are stored on a higher shelf so ink or paint cannot be used without mom and dad’s permission.
Clothes
For hanging clothes, we divided items based on weather; short sleeved shirts, long sleeved shirts, and jackets. We purchased a hanging shoe organizer for one of the low hanging rods and staged cowboy boots on the open shelf. On one side of the closet, we repurposed a shelving unit and hanging bins from the playroom to store more toys and puzzles underneath.
By the end of this project, we had transitioned everything that needed to move from the nursery but it didn’t feel overstuffed or crowded. There was plenty of play space in the main room and everything else was neat and functional in the closet. This little boys room was ready to welcome a new baby brother!