organize your kid's room

At long, long last I'm posting some after pictures of Collin's bedroom. I always tend to shy away from posting photos of spaces I organize. Part of the reason for this is because, even though how the space looks is a big part of my personal reason for loving to organize (and adding fun and creative touches) it truly pales in comparison to the feeling that comes from creating an organized space. In the case of Collin's room...we're both a whole lot happier now than we were before his room was organized. It's easier for him to get to his toys so he can play, and easier to pick up when he's finished. Playing more, being more relaxed, just plain feeling happier...these are things a photo of a space alone doesn't show. And these are some of the many reasons to create an organized and inspiring kid's space. (More on that in a second...but first, at long last, some photos.)

This is the entrance to Collin's room. The most remarkable thing? The floor! It's empty and open and available for him to pull out his Lego's and trucks and spy gear to play, play, play! I love that. Collin and I made the artwork above his bed following the same technique as this. The pieces represent things he's into right now. I probably should have let him use colored pencils instead of thick paint brushes...these are bit abstract but I still like how they turned out.

These cubicles were in his room before...we just scaled back on the number of books so everything fit better. The red bin contains his "electronic" things like his camera, extra guitar cords and wires, and other small electronic toys and gadgets.

This is a picture of his closet sans the door. It is truly amazing how much easier it is for him to get to his stuff without the doors cutting the closet space in half. He is truly using and enjoying his toys much more now. It's fabulous! Some day we may put a curtain to cover the door...but really, I like having it open for now.

In case you're wondering where all his clothes are...they're in the dresser. The few "dressy" clothes he has are in the space that you can't see (to the right of the two hanging things you can see.)

Organizing your child's room can be a tricky thing. There's a balance between the child's needs and yours...and navigating through this territory can be dicey at times. I've learned a lot by organizing (and reorganizing) my kids' rooms over the years, as well as working with my client's who are Moms and sometimes at their wits end about their kids' rooms. As I put the finishing touches on Collin's room I thought "I should share this!" There's so much more to it than can be covered in a simple blog post or article. There are so many traps that I have fallen into myself and that I've seen other parent's fall into as they work with their child to organize. So...I decided to put together my first ever tele-class called "Organize Your Kid's Room." If you're tired of being frustrated by toys, and clothes, and shoes, and party favors...this class is designed with you in mind. I hope to see you in class!

To celebrate the kick-off of this new tele-class, all week I'll be posting organizing tips for kids and all their stuff...right here. I'm also going to have some freebies this week...so be sure to check in often and get all the scoop!

Comments

[Dina]

This is the class I so been waiting for. Looking forward to the next posts!

[Becka]

It looks really awesome! What are in the bins that are on the top shelf?

[Katy]

Wow! It looks GREAT!!! You did a wonderful job with it!!! :)

[Kendra]

Wow! Aby, those pictures look like they are fresh out of a magazine. Looking forward to the class.

[Laura @ Laura Williams' Musings]

Totally cute and very creative ways of organizing!

[heatherc]

I just recently took the sliding doors off my daughter's closet, intending to replace it with bi-fold doors...but I like it open so much that I then concidered a curtain of sorts to cover it when needed. But I have finally decided that if kept clean and organized (definately the goal) I love it open--and therein lies the motivation! Funny that you have found the same thing!

[~Monica]

I love it! What a coincidence also! I am in the process of painting my 2 yr old son's room the same color and it's so nice to see what the final product (with colorful wall hangings) will look like! He also has a doorless closet that is a wee bit smaller but creatively, I've managed to find a use for every inch of it.

I agree, your photos look right out of a magazine! Thanks so much for the visual, I'm inspired and excited to get my son's room finished!

[Bella]

It looks fantastic! Simple and clean! I love all the labeling! I can imagine what a great feeling it is for him to have his room all organized! A much for fun place to play! Great job!

[Carrie]

This rocks! Just signed up for the class! Very excited! The kids bedroom & playroom so need this! Thank you! :)

[Kristina]

That room looks great! I wanted to take a chance to tell you how much I love your Organized & Inspired book. It is beautifully put together and full of useful information.

One question: do you use a tag maker? If so, do you have a model you would recommend? Thanks, Kris Malone

[Scrapping Servant]

Ohhh!!! Where did you get the wooden cubbies for your son's room? And would the red bin pictured there hold 12x12 paper?

[Courtney]

WOW, it looks awesome!!! We have those same white plastic basket/bins but my 2 boys' room looks nowhere near as tidy! LOL

[The Lazy Organizer]

I hate closet doors! When we built our new house I didn't even have doors put on the closets. I am going to make curtains for them. Some day!

[Bianca]

This is awesome thanks for the inspiration. What size are those bins on the very top of his closet? I need some of those. Okay and I know this will sound wierd but where are the shoes? LOL

[Elaine]

Love all of your organizing ideas. I see that you use the white and gray bins for most of your projects. Can you tell us where you get them???

[The Chatty Housewife]

I love the closet, it looks great!

[Debby]

We took the closet doors off a few years ago and replaced them with curtains. It looks so much nicer and the kids can't make towers in the closet because they fall right through the curtains. So, that's actually helped with the closet mess. Your son's room looks great!