Redecorating on a Whim

Sometimes it feels like yesterday and sometimes it feels like a lifetime ago that we were living in a 600sqft apartment in New York City. One thing that hasn’t changed, however, is my almost compulsive need to rearrange/reorganize/rethink the girls’ room. While part of it is my incessant need to change things up every now and then, most of it is out of necessity. The girls have all three shared a room ever since they were wee lil’ babies, which was both a conscious decision we made early on and a need due to small spaces.

The girls’ room in particular has always been the trickiest for me to figure out in a way that sticks. No matter how I’ve configured it, it always feels a bit chaotic. Not in a “oh they’re just kids it’s gonna be messy” kind of way, but more in a “this could be set up in a way that makes me way less crazy” kind of way. I like to think that our tiny apartment living stint in Manhattan made me more resilient and creative in this regard, and honestly, the answer is usually just less stuff. :)

Their closet is the biggest conundrum. It’s long and shallow, making most of it hard to really access at all. I’ve never known whether to make it more of a space for toys or clothes or if it should just remain as an abyss for costumes and legos and who knows what else.

A while ago we moved them into a bunkbed — a double bunk with a pull out trundle — and just recently decided to take the bunkbed apart, turning it into two twin beds. The visual space is nice, as we have had quite a lot of tall furniture in there and I was starting to feel realllll claustrophobic during story time.

The girls also have their own preferences too, which as they get older we try to honor as much as we can/as much as it makes sense too (sorry girls, we don’t have room for three beds and three individual desks and three nightstands with three lamps and hot pink walls). I think there’s something about the two twin beds that makes their room feel a bit more “big girl.” Plus the beds are so much easier to make sooo there’s that.

With the moving of furniture comes the desire to basically redecorate, so that’s what I’m in the process of doing right now. Not doing a lot of buying, but mostly shuffling furniture around and seeing what feels right. I would like to find some new bedding for them, maybe refresh the space with some new artwork. I have big plans to make them some sort of fabric covered headboard for artwork, notes from friends, etc. There’s so much stuff like that they want to hold onto, and I find that if it’s not stuck to the fridge or a bulletin board then it’ll slowly take over the entire house. Also entertaining the idea of some sort of peel + stick wallpaper, then had the wild idea of maybe using washi tape in an effort to save money — and realized that this is a thing people do and it works?!

Let’s start with some inspo.

In my last post I talked about vintage finds on Chairish, a few of them being art (without a frame) on the cheaper side. I took my own advice and bought a few things for the girls room already that I cannot WAIT to get on the walls.

If you're new here, we lived in NYC before moving to LA. It's such a big part of our family experience and story. That season means so much to us, and I love to bring it into our home in little special ways. I saw these and immediately knew they needed to be framed in the girls' room — tiny ballerinas reminding me of weekly ballet lessons and pre-class stops into the Blue Bottle on Amsterdam Ave. The three kids in the park is a given, Central Park was our backyard. While our days weren't spent blissfully reading magazines, some of my favorite memories happened there. And the seashell one — HOW CUTE.

These two pieces sparked joy enough for me to pull the trigger on them. They've both arrived and I can confirm that they were the right choice. Art doesn't have to be expensive to be special and make a big impact !!!

One other thing I did this week is swap out their dresser (it's now in their closet) and put in a little desk for them. Perfect for homework and primping. A little sneak peek below for you but ignore the paint chip by the mirror — it's a problem for another day.

Okay that’s it for now! Happy weekend!

xx

Heather