From Nursery to an {Almost} Big Girl Room

My Emma is getting to be such a big girl.  It seems like just yesterday that I showed you this.

And then this.

And then this.

Believe it or not, it’s been nearly 3 years since then.  That darling, squishy baby has turned into a vibrant, curly headed, blue-eyed girl that I can’t remember my life without.

As she’s grown, her pretty little nursery has transitioned, too.  And while I’m not quite ready to let go of the sweet serenity of this room in favor of my more brightly colored style, I needed to make a few changes so that we can use and enjoy the space.  Plus, it was feeling kind to stale to me.

This weekend while I was supposed to be helping her straighten up her room, I ended up moving the furniture around.  I know I’m not the only one who does that, right?

In the rearrangement, I didn’t really add much of anything.  The biggest change was that I moved the orientation of the crib so that it comes out directly into the room.  I didn’t know how it would look with the bed crown, but I like the way the fabric falls behind the crib like a curtain.

About a year ago, I bought that rug from World Market and painted ivory horizontal stripes on it with acrylic craft paint.  I just realized that I never showed you guys that!  I wanted to add some more texture to the room, and the rug was an easy way to do that.  I also finally hung the ribbon and bird chandelier that I created a long time ago over her bed.  Yes, it’s been hanging in her closet for the last three years.  Oops!

Emma started climbing out of her crib several months ago, so we took off one side of the crib and made it into a bookshelf.  But, Emma was scared to sleep in her bed without a rail.  So, after two restless nights, Tom built her this little half rail.  She can climb out of the bed without falling and hurting herself, but she also feels more secure.  I told myself that I’d paint it to match the crib…but that was 9 months ago.  It’s probably not going to happen.  I also took off the crib skirt I made from vintage bedskirts since the mattress is now so low that it didn’t look great pooled on the floor.

Once I moved the crib, the rocking chair and the crib rail bookshelf, it opened up the other side of her room for toys.  Her play kitchen, doll house, doll bed and cradle full of stuffed animals take up the other side of the room.  Tom’s dad actually built that cradle before he was born and it’s where he slept as a newborn.  Sweet, huh?

Why have I shown you all of this?  Is it to show off Emma’s nursery one more time before it has to become a “big girl” room?  No, not really.  It’s more to show you how to arrange furniture in a room to create a different space.

If you are unhappy with the layout of a room or if your room needs to start serving a different purpose than it currently serves, keep moving things around until you find an arrangement that works for you and your family.  An hour of my time gave us two more empty walls for Emma’s toys, so it’s easier for her to play than it was to move things in and out of the closet when she wanted them.  And let’s be honest…easier for the kids is usually easier on Mom, too.

How often do you rearrange your furniture?  Do you feel like you have a new space once you do?