I’ve been having fun tidying up the boys’ room bit by bit. We added a dresser to their room last year. Each boy gets two drawers for clothes: one for tops, one for bottoms. Warm and cold weather clothes are all in there. PJ’s, underwear and socks are stored in the closet. Obviously, my kids don’t have a ton of clothes. They couldn’t care less. They have their favorites and as long as those are an option, they’re happy. Having less clothing {HH, Mabrey and I are in the same boat as the boys when it comes to clothes} in our house makes it easier to stay on top of laundry, keep closets/drawers tidy and get everyone dressed quickly in the mornings.
So, the inside of the dresser has never really been an issue. It’s plenty of space for our needs. The top is another story. The dresser sits just inside the bedroom door and it became a convenient dumping ground for whatever toy/book/sock the boys were supposed to be putting away. {Because, you know, taking five more steps into the room is just too much to ask sometimes.} It was a mess. This past weekend I decided to do something about it.
I added a tray that not only ties into the pillows on the bunk but also corrals all the stuff that inevitably winds up on the dresser. Even when it’s full, it looks better than crap spread out all over the top of the dresser. There’s a metal basket in the mix that acts as a car catchall.
I purchased the lamp a few months ago. {It was only $30 but the price has skyrocketed since then. Yikes!} I love the midcentury style and petite size. It’s perfect for the dresser. The base is resin but looks like wood and has held up really well to bumps from the little people in our house.
Layne has been begging for a plant in this room. I kept *forgetting* to pick one up because all I could think about was spilled dirt everywhere. But with the new tray in place, I thought we could give a plant a try. My hope is the tray will help catch the planter’s contents should it get knocked over which, in reality, is totally going to happen. I found the eco-friendly pot {it’s made from corn husks and is biodegradable} at JoAnn’s last week, on sale. Layne and I made a special mother-son shopping trip to pick up the snake plant. All-in-all, the plant setup was ~$10 so if it doesn’t work out, I won’t be too upset.
On the wall above the dresser I hung a round mirror {I’m a sucker for circles} to break up all the rectangular lines in the room {dresser, bunk bed, rug, bookcases, the room itself…}. It’s purposefully off-center to allow access to the light switch. I love that it reflects a view of the window across the room and bounces light around. The cardboard deer head was an attic find. So glad he’s on display now!
If you like what you see…
Sources: Flor sweater weather carpet squares // modern grooved table lamp // MANDAL dresser // orange tray // cardboard deer head // GRUNDTAL mirror
What did you learn today? Decorating with toys in a child’s room is practical and inexpensive. Using trays and baskets for easy display keeps things looking neat and tidy. Adding kid-friendly lighting and wall decor kicks things up a notch. Now you try!
Tomorrow I’ll be sharing a little behind-the-scenes video of a less obvious addition to this dresser vignette. It’s House*Tweaking’s very first video and – WARNING! – it’s rough but you will learn something. Like, how we DIY with three kids around. If anything, you should tune in just for the laugh.
images: Dana Miller for House*Tweaking
budget decor, DIY, interior design, kid-friendly