A room makeover

With the arrival of middle school comes more homework, reading and music practice and the need for quiet spaces to do them.We’ve asked the boys on numerous occasions if they wanted to have their own rooms but alas, they are good friends most of the time and have always opted for each others company. So we remodeled their bedroom to accommodate desks, quiet reading nooks and some hang out space for when friends are over. What was supposed to be a summer project of building and painting and installing, became something they couldn’t wait to get started on (including Dad).

Thankfully, with the help of a handy husband, an artistic mom, and the college surplus, we pulled together a nice and inviting space that I now want to hang out in!

The flags, we collected mostly on our travels, and the walls are decorated with a collection of our photos turned illustration, maps of European cities, and posters from free resources online. The curtain and pillows were made from discount sheets, and the desk chairs and media cart were scored from the surplus at the college for $5 each. We turned a nice $10 filing cabinet into a dresser that fits into their closet leaving room for hanging clothes as well. We saved a bunch of floor space and made the room work a little harder for what we needed.

We’ve had a whole bunch of kids over on several occasions and it’s magic. The parents could play cards and actually have a conversation while the kids watched movies. We can actually talk to each other while we make dinner as cello practice happens in muffled tones upstairs and homework is much more productive at their now quiet desks as we are busy getting food on the table. It’s simply brilliant.

The garage floor is destroyed with haphazard stain and some of Daddy’s tools are lost or broken but it was a fun family project and everyone is pretty happy with the result.

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