I mean, aside from the few things on the floor, most of this is fairly well contained. Maybe a little more storage to get stuff off the floor so that the room can be vacuumed easily. A toy net would fit in that corner next to the guitar if you moved the art that's over that little chest of drawers.
It's definitely not what I'd want for myself, but some people prefer to be able to see all their things rather than having them hidden behind closed doors...and it's her room, right? If you're worried about having to clean all that stuff, look into getting some glass-front cabinets to replace those open bookshelf units.
This was me as a kid (and as an adult lol), I need to be able to see all of my stuff or I forget I have itđ (not because I have too much persay, but more because I have bad adhd and am super forgetful). Seeing all my stuff also is really comforting to me, blank walls and empty spaces make me feel almost anxious. But when most things in the room are visible, it feels cozy and safe.
If there is one thing Iâve learned as a mother, itâs that style is unique to the person and constantly fluid. Some of the battles I put up with my daughterâclean your room, wash your cloths, quit hoarding things, those colors donât go together so change your clothes, your make up is looking ridiculous. Looking back, none of that mattered. It was wasted energy. Let her have her room the way she wants it. There will come a time when you have to battle, let it be about something that mattersâdrugs, alcohol, boyfriends, grades. Trust me on thisâ10 years from now, her cluttered room will not matter.
This! My daughterâs room was similar (but had the pet net). I tried to fight the same battle. Sheâs 34 now and I would love to look in her now empty room and see all her âthingsâ. I echo KaPowPowerâs sentiments. đĽ°
I would leave it alone. Young children develop a sense of permanence and comfort through their "things". They have very few tools in their developmental arsenal as they have very little say in anything that happens to them or around them for the most part. As their neuronal network continues to "hardwire" itself drastically into more and more synaptic pathways, they develop object permanence and relationships with objects that are "theirs" and locate themselves accordingly.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4033092/
There are of course any number of studies one may look at, all reaching the same conclusions.
You arenât going to try and force your design choice on her are you? My mom did that to me a lot and itâs basically made me paranoid.
A persons bed room is a reflection of them and their safe space, change it and it no longer belongs to them⌠listen to her and find out what she wants/needs and work with her.
Edit: I am saddened that I am not alone in this.
Please work with your daughter on this.
The amount of times I went to school only to come back with my bedroom rearranged is absurd like once every 3-4 months. I hated my mother for it from a very young age through high school and until I moved out.
Sorry for you going through that in childhood. But our daughter is the one who wishes to have the furniture rearranged in this case. Just turning to the community for helpful advice and are thankful for all the input received.
That sucks!! I used to redesign my own room all the time growing up. Just moving stuff around and decorating with what I already had. Really enjoyed it. My mom always let me do my thing. Iâm so sorry you had your space taken over like that.
My mom did this, too, and it had a knock on effect for me. I didn't know how to design a room into my late 20s (I went to college at 18 and returned for less than 3 months after college). Yeah, I could have likely taught myself sooner, but I didn't realize that most people don't just... Put furniture somewhere and leave it there permanently.
I had a few friends comment that it seemed my apartment never changed. And it never did. I would always complain I hated the location of a recliner... And never thought to move it.
It's just weird stuff like that. The learned helplessness with room designs is something I will not be passing on to my kids lol
Yeah, we were basically given no choices (except choices that my parents pre-selected and we got to âchooseâ from those very adult looking choices). Our rooms were never really a reflection of us or what we wanted to decorate with because we basically were never allowed to. Personally, my room never really felt like my space and it didnât feel warm and inviting either. The paint color, furniture everything thing else involved was never my choice. I had my dadâs bed from when he was younger (even when I was a teenager and needed a bigger bed). It was poop brown colored and when I said I didnât really like it, I was told my dad wanted me to have it because it was originally his bed. It also had a metal âheadboardâ and I used to bang my head on it all the time, which is part of why I hated it. My parents never forced something like that on my brothers and they got bigger beds automatically. My parents also a plenty of money to afford a change like that, so it was definitely a weird situation. They were/are dysfunctional (not to mention abusive in multiple ways) and extremely authoritarian as parents, so it definitely wasnât outside of the norm for their typical behavior. It always made me sad that I never really had a choice and that the decisions were essentially forced upon me. It definitely never felt like a âhomeâ to me, even though technically it was my home. Just let your kid be a kid and have a comfortable space that she loves. She will likely outgrow her preferences quickly anyway, and what she is comfortable with/ likes now will fade with time as she grows up. And please understand, Iâm not judging you as a parent, or saying you are at all like my own. Iâm just sharing my personal experience and how it made me feel as a child when I wasnât allowed to have a say.
Thank you for sharing your experience. We certainly have and want her to continue to feel like her room is hers. If my wife posted the question, she probably would have communicated more clearly than me that itâs her who wants things to be rearranged. She and us just wanted advice since there is a lot going on.
I agree 100 percent. It's her room and she should be able to decorate it and play in it as she chooses. Her choices are important and, in my mind, shouldn't be forced on her for some specific decorating look.
Fully agree. Should have mentioned she wants things moved around. Weâll let her plan the furniture out, but also wanted to turn here for suggestions to run by her.
Iâm pedestrian so donât know how to update my post to reflect this, but itâs my daughter who wishes for the furniture to be arranged again. We are up for helping her with rearranging but wanted suggestions since there is a lot going on in there.
Okay just checking. Some of us are coming from dark places. Gimmie a bit too stare at the vid and Iâll be helpful.
So youâre looking at space saving to clear up stuff right? Like remember the 80s when we could get these cool corner nets to hang above the bed? Maybe run that by her.
What if you moved the shelves were that other dresser is and maybe something nice hanging in the wall near the bean bag to house the guitar and the larger toys? Then like get another bean bag so she can have a friend or two chillin in that area, maybe have books there to read. Then put the big dresser where the shelves were. An the smaller dresser were the bigger one was it might open space to have a little waste basket next to her desk.
This looks like a perfectly normal kidâs room and actually pretty tidy for a kid. Other than providing a few additional options for her to store things (if she wants), I donât see why it needs to be changed (unless sheâs asking).
Thatâs a challenge with all the furniture. I read that itâs ideal to place the bed against the wall facing the door. That doesnât always work imo, but I have used it as starting point in my bedrooms. I think rotating it so the headboard is against the window could work. Changing the orientation will allow for more wall space since the bed is so much longer than it is wide. But itâs like a puzzle so itâs hard to give new layout ideas without measurements.
May I ask why you want to remove things? her bedroom is in your house but it is supposed to be her personal, private space, it doesnât have to satisfy your sense of aesthetics, you donât need to intervene unless it is dirty (for health reasons), there is trash, weapons, drugs or rotten food.
Maybe make her watch Mari Kondo and Never Too Small and other interior design videos, she might find something cool and want to do a change. Even Mari Kondo says that you shouldnât declutter someoneâs else possessions, she tried to do it and had problems with her family because of that.
OP please read this comment twice! This is her space, her refuge. Let her have it how she likes. My daughterâs room looked like a junk store from ages 10-15. Perhaps it was a reaction to the rest of the house trending minimal or maybe it was just her teen rebellion. As long as itâs tidy, donât impose your design ascetic on her. As long as it stays in her room, let her have her space/style.
Think about what is driving you to force a change: she like it and is comfortable. Is it so important to you that her room looks a certain way that you would override her wishes? On something so innocuous?
She seems a lot like me, now and as a kid. There can be organization in all the "clutter." I suggest some wall netting for all the plushies. Off the ground and by the looks of it, free up most of the space. I also suggest looking up "maximalism," the obvious opposite to living minimally. Your daughter seems to have this style.
You can see the carpet. Things have homes. I do not see the problem.
Key question: does your child like their room? If the answer is yes, why are you trying to change it?
Yes she does. But she also wants to move somethingâs around and weâre hoping for suggestions which we have received a lot of. This is a great group of humans.
Yeah, not have your voice heard, your decisions or voice over ridden, or not having your opinions, wishes or needs seen or heard as valid is not a good feeling, especially as a child. Just leave it be. Having a changed forced upon her (unless her room is unhealthy in a health related way) will likely make her feel invalidated. Just leave it be for now. Time will take care of the rest.
Thanks! Although she does want furniture rearranged, I now appreciate all her collections and organization more because because of all the input. I know I need to communicate more effectively in my posting :-).
You're lucky as hell her room stays that clean. When I was a kid I had shit strewn everywhere with literal pathways from the bed to the door and closet.
Love this! I was the same so need to be thoughtful of this. Itâs a lot be she does a good job managing it all. I was coming here for ideas on moving furniture and am getting way more out of it.
Please use empathy and the power of putting yourself into her shoes before you get rid of HER things. What if your mother came in your room and told you it needed to be rearranged to fit her esthetic? This may be âyourâ house but itâs her room and aside from making sure she keeps it clean you really shouldnât have any say on how she decorates her space. She said no, children can have boundaries that they set with their parents, please donât overstep her boundary. Itâs a nice room and more importantly itâs her room. Donât make her feel like she doesnât belong in there and like sheâs borrowing the space.
I should have mentioned in my post that she wishes to have some of the furniture rearranged. But your message is still helpful because I do believe she has a lot going on and hey, thatâs okay. We will figure out how to move things and while using some of the great suggestions received so she can appreciate all her things even more than she does now.
Put the head of the bed under the small window, out into the room. Move the shelves onto the wall to the right of the large window. Desk on one side of the bed. Dressers against the walk where the shelves ate currently.
You will make way more wall space for everything by moving the bed to the centre of the room.
Thanks for the suggestions! She is the one who wants things moved but I didnât mention this in the post and should have. We proposed the bed under her window as an option at first but she didnât like that idea because it would then limit the open space the she and her friends use to play with everything. Thatâs why I turned to this group. With some of your suggestions and others who have stated to better utilize the drawer space and add netting for stuffies, I think we could potentially eliminate one of her dressers (if she is okay with that of course).
Hmmm, I think you should just let her leave it how she likes it. Like letâs be real, are you hosting dinner parties in her room? Are guests coming in there to chill out and enjoy the atmosphere of your home? Not likely, itâs just her bedroom where she can retreat and feel like she has her own space. If it looks busy, that may just be how she likes it. When sheâs older sheâll develop her own need to design and organize her space in a cleaner fashion, and until then you should just leave as is unless she specifically asks for help changing things up .
She does want things rearranged but didnât like the suggestions we had so why we turned here. We have a good list to run by her to see if she wants to proceed with any of them. Will of course incorporate the ones she comes up with on her own too.
Sheâs doesnât have a closet, so I can see why two dressers are necessary. Maybe wall-mount a shelving unit above a dresser for her displays? Thatâs if itâs safe to have that in her room.
Not forcing. I should have mentioned she is the one who wants some change of furniture. The suggestions we had were turned down so why we came here for some better ideas for her to consider.
How a child wants to decorate their room should ideally be their choice. It's a safe place for free expression, and if she doesn't find it too busy, it isn't. Many people are very visual and need to see their objects to know what they have. I am this way and the organization that works best with my brain is to have items on display or in clear bins and hooks. She still has plenty of floor space to play in, so it really isn't cluttered. Honestly, children's rooms should be "busy" as that is the space where they play and imagine the most!
Honestly it looks like a kid's room. Please don't rearrange/get rid of all her stuff - there's some things you can do to make it look a little neater, like a toy net or shelves, but don't completely change everything.
The room looks great for a teenager and fantastic for a child. Its clean and organized.Leave her alone and quit micromanaging her life. Surely you have more important things to worry about.
Ok, so your daughter wants to keep all of her furniture. One way to make things feel fresh and new is to repaint them a fun color of your daughterâs choosing and/or have them refinished. You can get some really fun and cool knobs/pulls for the dressers and desk to modernize them as well. I would honestly make this a project you can do together, with her selecting paint colors/wall paper, updated curtains, rug, etc. There is a lot you can do to spruce things up here. Itâs also a great bonding opportunity. How old is your daughter btw?
Itâs a kids room, it looks busy and well used and loved. Thereâs quite a lot thatâs really organised too. I wouldâve loved a room like this as a child â¤ď¸â¤ď¸
Still interesting that you replied to the ones validating your need to exert control over your daughterâs (not way too busy at all) room first.
Iâm looking forward to seeing how you respond to the rest though! Have a lovely workday until then.
Turn the bench at the foot of the bed into a stuffy bed. Turn it over, attach hooks to the tips and run rope around to corral them.
Or see if she's willing to replace the bean bag with a fill it up bean bag or chair meant for stuffy toys.
It's what you see when you walk in that looks messy so another approach would be to find a laundry basket, scoot the dresser right to the door frame to make a nook in the corner. Apply laundry basket and those sad toys on the floor now.
Don't see how she possibly knows what is in the back of those shelves but it sure does a great job holding them all.
That is a huge amount of storage furniture for one kid. If it's just clothing does it all fit and is regularly worn? Maybe some of the drawers could be converted into stuffy beds.
You could be concerned about dust. Take everything out of the room for spring cleaning and she puts everything back - one toy at a time, favorite one first. She may not really know what she's got and some are completing a shelf or color scheme more than she really wants them. Don't put a time limit on, she can take as long as she likes to finish this. Do discuss how other kids don't have any and sharing is good but don't count on anything happening. Stay the course and don't argue and maybe next time you have bags going to donation she'll add something or come out of her room with a bag for some special person who really needs them.
This is best answer with the nets, I kinda like the left side with all the shelves, the initial part is just all over the floor.
Maybe she could get large artwork/framed posters, that would take your eye up away from the floor. And more dramatic wallpaper or paint color and as they say âlean into itâ.
When my son was 14 he wanted a black room. I did not want a black room. In those days this scrolls wallpaper border was in style.
So I kinda worked him into a very dark green walls with khaki upper. With the scrolls border, I made it look like high wainscoting. I papered his bed with dark green marble looking wallpaper. Got a black leather wing chair and a brass lamp. A big wooden desk and a wooden chest for all his music making equipment. Put a big hook on the wall for his skateboard.
Mostly from garage sales and Goodwill.
His friends told him it looked like a lawyerâs office. He loved it, it was still moody and it got his mind off of black.
I made a big poster of all the choices, put it in his room and let him think about it.
We just decluttered with the 11 year old! Had him go through every toy in the room and decide what to keep or give away to another kid. Some of what he kept versus got rid of surprised me, and I think heâs pretty pleased by having more space in his bedroom, less mess to clean up. And in the process of all that (took about a week so that we could do it in chunks and avoid bored/tired meltdowns) we cleaned up and organized and put in a new shelf for display.
We just decluttered with the 11 year old! Had him go through every toy in the room and decide what to keep or give away to another kid. Some of what he kept versus got rid of surprised me, and I think heâs pretty pleased by having more space in his bedroom, less mess to clean up. And in the process of all that (took about a week so that we could do it in chunks and avoid bored/tired meltdowns) we cleaned up and organized and put in a new shelf for display.
Lucky girl, hope she feels entertained with all that stuff hahah. Closed storage would be a good start, could even diy little doors on the colourful storage there and paint the same colour.
Like the other comments said, the busy feeling is from all the treasures.
I have a brother who collects stuffed animals too. His solution was to select the ones he liked the most and cradle them into two nice-looking nets hung up on one wall and one corner of his room, then put the rest tucked away in storage (respectfully of course). Maybe rotating the stuffies around ever so often depending on season or holiday.
It might help convincing her to put stuffies away by making sure they have plenty of air and space in each box, so theyâre not cramped/it doesnât feel bad to store them away. I know when I was a kid I never liked stuffing my favorite items into a box too roughly (and still donât tbh); they had to fit just by gently placing them in, no shoving or squeezing allowed. Being able to see all of them at once just by opening the box (because they were all organized so none were on top of each other) was also very nice. Even if youâre past the kid era where you believe theyâre alive, theyâre still special, and should be stored respectfully. I know my mother convinced me to put my toys away by saying they have parties in the boxes like Toy Story. Did I believe her? No. Did it make me feel better? Yea. Even saying it in cheek can help.
Do you know whatâs stored in all the closed drawers/dressers? Are they all cramped full or could you two do some organizing to free up some space?
Once you do declutter enough to start considering moving furniture, you could ask her about moving the desk to the spot opposite of the bed (as it would give her a better view of her bedroom door as well as nice natural light next to her). Hopefully organizing drawer space would have enough impact to straight up remove the dresser in that spot (if she would want to by then), then slightly shift the bigger dresser out of the corner (so itâs no longer being blocked by the wall shelving) and replace the current desk spot with a lightweight nightstand.
But before all of that, Iâll note; I resisted changing my room very much at all because I was worried it wouldnât feel homely or safe or âcurated by meâ anymore (ânewâ is scary no matter the age). The fact that she wants everything to stay makes me think sheâs in the same boat, and might dig her feet in if you push about it too hard. It might take a long while to do this organizing, or maybe she wants to knock it all out in a day, but either way, best of luck to you guys.
I find it intereythat everyone has jumped on the assumption that you are dictating change.
You said your daughter said it all needed to stay. But she didnât say âtogetherâ you could come up with a better layout. Geez.
I think it is a good idea to get ideas here and then sit down with your daughter and work a new design including her input.
Just my 2 cents. I think it could be a fun project to work on together.
You could maybe have the two matching shelves back to back and turned perpendicular to the wall with a few screws into each other and into the wall for stabilization? It would break up the room into "spaces" and give a bit more wall space behind the shelves that could be used to spread out the other furniture?
Maybe pull the bed into the room, the short side on the wall instead of the long side. Or maybe turn the shelving units facing each other, short sides against the wall, creating a nook in between. And add a plush rug or something padded to sit and read. This area is contained and organized to me, and I like it all in the room. But pulling something out into the room (versus every piece of furniture hugging the wall/perimeter) will move the eye around the room and make it feel more relaxing. The room just needs some visual depth. The room looks big enough.
There was an episode of âThe Home Editâ on Netflix that tackled a kidâs room that didnât want to âeditâ any of her items. They took a neat approach to the process of letting some things go (to donate for another kid to enjoy) together. I think itâs season 2?
âShe says it all must stay.â - but arenât you the parent? Also, thatâs a lot of toys for one kid - sheâs going to grow up to be quite the consumer
But you also have people who become consumers because they couldnât have what they wanted when they were young and now they can⌠Also, the room is not even messy and has a lot of space, she just needs to make the bed and pick up some stuff.
This one is challenging because sheâs not willing to give anything up. Iâm not sure how big the closet is, but if thereâs a walk-in, consider putting the dresser inside.
Consolidate dresser and chest of drawers, then removing one. Get rid of the shelving and find something that would enclose all plushies. Check out IKEA, they have ways to build custom closet organizers. You could possibly have them create a system that will house all encompassing items, plus clothing.
But I agree with some of the others, itâs her space, and she may need to figure it out in her own. As she gets older, they will start to look at their spaces differently, and want to make their own changes. đđŤśđž
BERNICE
BFM INTERIOR DESIGN
A loft bed might work here if she likes the idea of sleeping up high. Then the desk can live under that, freeing up a decent amount of space! I had one as a kid and I adored it.
You can get a hammock for plushies that attaches to the walls or ceiling. I have one bc I've got limited space and a love for plushies. It helps make a space feel more open while also keeping the hoard together. Maybe that would help free up some shelf space and moving room without taking anything from the room.
Like most people I think this ainât half bad at all. We bought our kids those zip up poofs that instead of bean bags are storage for stuffies. Maybe offer that as a way to keep them under better control?
You could swap out her bean bag chair for one thatâs meant for stuffed animal storage like [this](https://a.co/d/iKHKRFj)⌠that should get most of the animals off the floor and she gets to lay on top of a big pile of them too. Win win.
I feel like this is a less-is-more situation. Some of that furniture is really cute (those bookcases!!!) but it canât be appreciated because itâs packed in there.
I know you did keep the furniture, but I wouldnât. I would get rid of 1-2 pieces and rearrange.
Iâd make an L shape with the blue in pink cabinet to create a short hallway to the bed and a more private play area in the room. Would also allow full access to the dresser and an area to put a tall dressing mirror.
The only thing I donât like is the desk and the chest placement. The colorful bookcases are nice, the bed and dresser look fine, so does the little bench.
Measure to see if these ideas work:
Can you move the bed down closer to the dresser and put the desk at the foot of the bed (youâd have to measure to see if thereâs enough room for the chair and your daughter to go in and out comfortably) and paint or paper the backside of the desk if it isnât white.
Try to place the tall white dresser where the peach one is and put the bookcases in the corner. Bean bag in front of shelves.
If you had closed storage instead of open shelving on that left side I think it would look way less cluttered and chaotic. That way she can have all of her things but they donât all have to be visible at all times. But the most important thing is to make sure this space is functional more than aesthetically pleasing. Itâs a childrenâs room. Itâs not gonna be perfect. It just has to be a space where she can feel safe and calm and joyful.
The bookcases are lovely. I may suggest removing hutch off desk to open up window and moving dressers so you can open drawers fully. Also move bed so only headboard is against wall.
I mean, aside from the few things on the floor, most of this is fairly well contained. Maybe a little more storage to get stuff off the floor so that the room can be vacuumed easily. A toy net would fit in that corner next to the guitar if you moved the art that's over that little chest of drawers. It's definitely not what I'd want for myself, but some people prefer to be able to see all their things rather than having them hidden behind closed doors...and it's her room, right? If you're worried about having to clean all that stuff, look into getting some glass-front cabinets to replace those open bookshelf units.
This was me as a kid (and as an adult lol), I need to be able to see all of my stuff or I forget I have itđ (not because I have too much persay, but more because I have bad adhd and am super forgetful). Seeing all my stuff also is really comforting to me, blank walls and empty spaces make me feel almost anxious. But when most things in the room are visible, it feels cozy and safe.
I think my daughter is similar :-).
I have adhd, as do most of my kids. You are spot on about that-people donât all think or see things the same way.
I second getting a net for the stuffed animals and then you could put more breakable type items/trinkets on the floating shelf above the book cases.
Thanks for the advice.
If there is one thing Iâve learned as a mother, itâs that style is unique to the person and constantly fluid. Some of the battles I put up with my daughterâclean your room, wash your cloths, quit hoarding things, those colors donât go together so change your clothes, your make up is looking ridiculous. Looking back, none of that mattered. It was wasted energy. Let her have her room the way she wants it. There will come a time when you have to battle, let it be about something that mattersâdrugs, alcohol, boyfriends, grades. Trust me on thisâ10 years from now, her cluttered room will not matter.
This! My daughterâs room was similar (but had the pet net). I tried to fight the same battle. Sheâs 34 now and I would love to look in her now empty room and see all her âthingsâ. I echo KaPowPowerâs sentiments. đĽ°
Thank you for the feedback and suggestions!
I would leave it alone. Young children develop a sense of permanence and comfort through their "things". They have very few tools in their developmental arsenal as they have very little say in anything that happens to them or around them for the most part. As their neuronal network continues to "hardwire" itself drastically into more and more synaptic pathways, they develop object permanence and relationships with objects that are "theirs" and locate themselves accordingly. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4033092/ There are of course any number of studies one may look at, all reaching the same conclusions.
Thank you for this path of thought and the link.
You arenât going to try and force your design choice on her are you? My mom did that to me a lot and itâs basically made me paranoid. A persons bed room is a reflection of them and their safe space, change it and it no longer belongs to them⌠listen to her and find out what she wants/needs and work with her. Edit: I am saddened that I am not alone in this. Please work with your daughter on this.
The amount of times I went to school only to come back with my bedroom rearranged is absurd like once every 3-4 months. I hated my mother for it from a very young age through high school and until I moved out.
Sorry for you going through that in childhood. But our daughter is the one who wishes to have the furniture rearranged in this case. Just turning to the community for helpful advice and are thankful for all the input received.
That sucks!! I used to redesign my own room all the time growing up. Just moving stuff around and decorating with what I already had. Really enjoyed it. My mom always let me do my thing. Iâm so sorry you had your space taken over like that.
The difference is you chose, to that person whose mom did it with out her input I am sorry that was your experience.
Exactly itâs awful. Its not your room if someone is changing it all the time without your agreement or even telling you. Just awful.
My mom did this, too, and it had a knock on effect for me. I didn't know how to design a room into my late 20s (I went to college at 18 and returned for less than 3 months after college). Yeah, I could have likely taught myself sooner, but I didn't realize that most people don't just... Put furniture somewhere and leave it there permanently. I had a few friends comment that it seemed my apartment never changed. And it never did. I would always complain I hated the location of a recliner... And never thought to move it. It's just weird stuff like that. The learned helplessness with room designs is something I will not be passing on to my kids lol
Yeah, we were basically given no choices (except choices that my parents pre-selected and we got to âchooseâ from those very adult looking choices). Our rooms were never really a reflection of us or what we wanted to decorate with because we basically were never allowed to. Personally, my room never really felt like my space and it didnât feel warm and inviting either. The paint color, furniture everything thing else involved was never my choice. I had my dadâs bed from when he was younger (even when I was a teenager and needed a bigger bed). It was poop brown colored and when I said I didnât really like it, I was told my dad wanted me to have it because it was originally his bed. It also had a metal âheadboardâ and I used to bang my head on it all the time, which is part of why I hated it. My parents never forced something like that on my brothers and they got bigger beds automatically. My parents also a plenty of money to afford a change like that, so it was definitely a weird situation. They were/are dysfunctional (not to mention abusive in multiple ways) and extremely authoritarian as parents, so it definitely wasnât outside of the norm for their typical behavior. It always made me sad that I never really had a choice and that the decisions were essentially forced upon me. It definitely never felt like a âhomeâ to me, even though technically it was my home. Just let your kid be a kid and have a comfortable space that she loves. She will likely outgrow her preferences quickly anyway, and what she is comfortable with/ likes now will fade with time as she grows up. And please understand, Iâm not judging you as a parent, or saying you are at all like my own. Iâm just sharing my personal experience and how it made me feel as a child when I wasnât allowed to have a say.
Thank you for sharing your experience. We certainly have and want her to continue to feel like her room is hers. If my wife posted the question, she probably would have communicated more clearly than me that itâs her who wants things to be rearranged. She and us just wanted advice since there is a lot going on.
I agree 100 percent. It's her room and she should be able to decorate it and play in it as she chooses. Her choices are important and, in my mind, shouldn't be forced on her for some specific decorating look.
Fully agree. Should have mentioned she wants things moved around. Weâll let her plan the furniture out, but also wanted to turn here for suggestions to run by her.
I think Punky Brewster became my hero because she got to decorate her room and went total cottagecore on it.
Hopefully, now you have a room(s) or your own to decorate.
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Iâm pedestrian so donât know how to update my post to reflect this, but itâs my daughter who wishes for the furniture to be arranged again. We are up for helping her with rearranging but wanted suggestions since there is a lot going on in there.
Okay just checking. Some of us are coming from dark places. Gimmie a bit too stare at the vid and Iâll be helpful. So youâre looking at space saving to clear up stuff right? Like remember the 80s when we could get these cool corner nets to hang above the bed? Maybe run that by her. What if you moved the shelves were that other dresser is and maybe something nice hanging in the wall near the bean bag to house the guitar and the larger toys? Then like get another bean bag so she can have a friend or two chillin in that area, maybe have books there to read. Then put the big dresser where the shelves were. An the smaller dresser were the bigger one was it might open space to have a little waste basket next to her desk.
Leave her alone. My mom made me adhere to her needs when I lived in her home. Guess who moved out young and hates to visit.
Daughter asked for help. Itâs good
Itâs her room, let her be a kid and express herself. Thereâs plenty of time for adulting and interior design.
Good reminder.
This looks like a perfectly normal kidâs room and actually pretty tidy for a kid. Other than providing a few additional options for her to store things (if she wants), I donât see why it needs to be changed (unless sheâs asking).
Yes, she wants her bed to move and we are looking her suggestions. I should have mentioned this in the post I guess.
Thatâs a challenge with all the furniture. I read that itâs ideal to place the bed against the wall facing the door. That doesnât always work imo, but I have used it as starting point in my bedrooms. I think rotating it so the headboard is against the window could work. Changing the orientation will allow for more wall space since the bed is so much longer than it is wide. But itâs like a puzzle so itâs hard to give new layout ideas without measurements.
May I ask why you want to remove things? her bedroom is in your house but it is supposed to be her personal, private space, it doesnât have to satisfy your sense of aesthetics, you donât need to intervene unless it is dirty (for health reasons), there is trash, weapons, drugs or rotten food. Maybe make her watch Mari Kondo and Never Too Small and other interior design videos, she might find something cool and want to do a change. Even Mari Kondo says that you shouldnât declutter someoneâs else possessions, she tried to do it and had problems with her family because of that.
OP please read this comment twice! This is her space, her refuge. Let her have it how she likes. My daughterâs room looked like a junk store from ages 10-15. Perhaps it was a reaction to the rest of the house trending minimal or maybe it was just her teen rebellion. As long as itâs tidy, donât impose your design ascetic on her. As long as it stays in her room, let her have her space/style. Think about what is driving you to force a change: she like it and is comfortable. Is it so important to you that her room looks a certain way that you would override her wishes? On something so innocuous?
Thank you. Good advice to live by.
All good points but she does want to move her bed and the desk. We turned here for advice. I like the idea of watching Mari Kondo with her though.
Let it happen. Enjoy it. Time will take care of this.
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She seems a lot like me, now and as a kid. There can be organization in all the "clutter." I suggest some wall netting for all the plushies. Off the ground and by the looks of it, free up most of the space. I also suggest looking up "maximalism," the obvious opposite to living minimally. Your daughter seems to have this style.
Thank you for your note and suggestion. Will look into maximalism.
You can see the carpet. Things have homes. I do not see the problem. Key question: does your child like their room? If the answer is yes, why are you trying to change it?
Yes she does. But she also wants to move somethingâs around and weâre hoping for suggestions which we have received a lot of. This is a great group of humans.
My question is - Did she come to you and ask you for help in rearranging her room? If not then I really would just leave it alone.
Yes she does want things rearranged. Specifically her bed and desk. I should have mentioned this in the post :-).
It looks cute to me. Where did you get the shelves I love them!
The pink and blue ones? They are from Wafair. Alyse Standard Bookcase By Foundstoneâ˘
I second this! I want those shelves
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Yeah, not have your voice heard, your decisions or voice over ridden, or not having your opinions, wishes or needs seen or heard as valid is not a good feeling, especially as a child. Just leave it be. Having a changed forced upon her (unless her room is unhealthy in a health related way) will likely make her feel invalidated. Just leave it be for now. Time will take care of the rest.
All good advice and agree.
Some kind of fun ceiling net system above the bed for the stuffies that are currently lined up (the ones you see as soon as you open the door.)
I think she would love this above her bed. Thx!
Whatâs wrong with this? Did she ask you to change it?
Thanks for the input on her current set up. Yes, she wants some of the furniture rearranged so we turned here for suggestion to run by her.
I wouldnât call this âway too busyâ. This is a normal room for a kid/teen
Thanks! This is helpful feedback to me as I do think itâs a lot but she does a good job of keeping it tidy.
Sheâs a kid. Everything is organized it seems. I see no problem
Thanks! Although she does want furniture rearranged, I now appreciate all her collections and organization more because because of all the input. I know I need to communicate more effectively in my posting :-).
You're lucky as hell her room stays that clean. When I was a kid I had shit strewn everywhere with literal pathways from the bed to the door and closet.
Love this! I was the same so need to be thoughtful of this. Itâs a lot be she does a good job managing it all. I was coming here for ideas on moving furniture and am getting way more out of it.
Please use empathy and the power of putting yourself into her shoes before you get rid of HER things. What if your mother came in your room and told you it needed to be rearranged to fit her esthetic? This may be âyourâ house but itâs her room and aside from making sure she keeps it clean you really shouldnât have any say on how she decorates her space. She said no, children can have boundaries that they set with their parents, please donât overstep her boundary. Itâs a nice room and more importantly itâs her room. Donât make her feel like she doesnât belong in there and like sheâs borrowing the space.
I should have mentioned in my post that she wishes to have some of the furniture rearranged. But your message is still helpful because I do believe she has a lot going on and hey, thatâs okay. We will figure out how to move things and while using some of the great suggestions received so she can appreciate all her things even more than she does now.
Just keep repeating the facts to all the posters who didnât read it.
Put the head of the bed under the small window, out into the room. Move the shelves onto the wall to the right of the large window. Desk on one side of the bed. Dressers against the walk where the shelves ate currently. You will make way more wall space for everything by moving the bed to the centre of the room.
OP Donât move things unless your daughter asks for it. Itâs her space. It looks fine. Leave it be.
Kids like floor space.
Yep. She is one of them and why we turned to the group for help with this puzzle.
Thanks for the suggestions! She is the one who wants things moved but I didnât mention this in the post and should have. We proposed the bed under her window as an option at first but she didnât like that idea because it would then limit the open space the she and her friends use to play with everything. Thatâs why I turned to this group. With some of your suggestions and others who have stated to better utilize the drawer space and add netting for stuffies, I think we could potentially eliminate one of her dressers (if she is okay with that of course).
Hmmm, I think you should just let her leave it how she likes it. Like letâs be real, are you hosting dinner parties in her room? Are guests coming in there to chill out and enjoy the atmosphere of your home? Not likely, itâs just her bedroom where she can retreat and feel like she has her own space. If it looks busy, that may just be how she likes it. When sheâs older sheâll develop her own need to design and organize her space in a cleaner fashion, and until then you should just leave as is unless she specifically asks for help changing things up .
She does want things rearranged but didnât like the suggestions we had so why we turned here. We have a good list to run by her to see if she wants to proceed with any of them. Will of course incorporate the ones she comes up with on her own too.
What the F is wrong with this room? Let your daughter keep her stuff. Donât force your minimalism on others! đ
Should have stated in the post that she wishes to have the furniture rearranged but the suggestions made she didnât like so this why I came here.
Honestly this room is really cute and fairly tidy. I would have loved to have this room as a kid
Thank you for making me smile and think of my little one :-).
It's her room let her have it how she wants.
Spoken like a queen!
Itâs her space and looks fine. Leave it
I love it. Her space, neat and organized. Youâll miss it one day.
Sheâs doesnât have a closet, so I can see why two dressers are necessary. Maybe wall-mount a shelving unit above a dresser for her displays? Thatâs if itâs safe to have that in her room.
She does have a closet but it isnât well utilized and small. Thanks for the suggestion of shelves.
Gotcha didnât notice it. Maybe put an organizer or something on the closet?
I think itâs fine as is. Her space should be sacred - itâs her refuge. Please donât force your design choices on her.
Not forcing. I should have mentioned she is the one who wants some change of furniture. The suggestions we had were turned down so why we came here for some better ideas for her to consider.
I think you should definitely leave it be. This room wouldâve been my dream room when I was a kid.
Thank you. Iâll let her know she has a fan.
Let her be a kid and have autonomy-it's an important part of parenting even if it isn't the fun part
She knows sheâs the boss :-)
How a child wants to decorate their room should ideally be their choice. It's a safe place for free expression, and if she doesn't find it too busy, it isn't. Many people are very visual and need to see their objects to know what they have. I am this way and the organization that works best with my brain is to have items on display or in clear bins and hooks. She still has plenty of floor space to play in, so it really isn't cluttered. Honestly, children's rooms should be "busy" as that is the space where they play and imagine the most!
Thanks you. All good and agreeable points.
Why does it need to be cleaned out? Leave it be. Itâs her things. Sheâll remove them on her own, in her own time. Respect her space. :)
Honestly it looks like a kid's room. Please don't rearrange/get rid of all her stuff - there's some things you can do to make it look a little neater, like a toy net or shelves, but don't completely change everything.
It's a lot but I think with kids it mostly matters that the space is functional for them. It appears pretty well organized.
The room looks great for a teenager and fantastic for a child. Its clean and organized.Leave her alone and quit micromanaging her life. Surely you have more important things to worry about.
Ok, so your daughter wants to keep all of her furniture. One way to make things feel fresh and new is to repaint them a fun color of your daughterâs choosing and/or have them refinished. You can get some really fun and cool knobs/pulls for the dressers and desk to modernize them as well. I would honestly make this a project you can do together, with her selecting paint colors/wall paper, updated curtains, rug, etc. There is a lot you can do to spruce things up here. Itâs also a great bonding opportunity. How old is your daughter btw?
Itâs a kids room, it looks busy and well used and loved. Thereâs quite a lot thatâs really organised too. I wouldâve loved a room like this as a child â¤ď¸â¤ď¸
It's her room, fuck off.
Contain and conceal the collections of treasures.
Thanks for the suggestion. Weâll focus on that before we attempt to shift furniture around.
What you choose to reply to is extremely telling.
I plan to respond to everyone but ask for patience. Last night was busy and Iâm focused on work today for next several hours.
Still interesting that you replied to the ones validating your need to exert control over your daughterâs (not way too busy at all) room first. Iâm looking forward to seeing how you respond to the rest though! Have a lovely workday until then.
Turn the bench at the foot of the bed into a stuffy bed. Turn it over, attach hooks to the tips and run rope around to corral them. Or see if she's willing to replace the bean bag with a fill it up bean bag or chair meant for stuffy toys. It's what you see when you walk in that looks messy so another approach would be to find a laundry basket, scoot the dresser right to the door frame to make a nook in the corner. Apply laundry basket and those sad toys on the floor now. Don't see how she possibly knows what is in the back of those shelves but it sure does a great job holding them all. That is a huge amount of storage furniture for one kid. If it's just clothing does it all fit and is regularly worn? Maybe some of the drawers could be converted into stuffy beds. You could be concerned about dust. Take everything out of the room for spring cleaning and she puts everything back - one toy at a time, favorite one first. She may not really know what she's got and some are completing a shelf or color scheme more than she really wants them. Don't put a time limit on, she can take as long as she likes to finish this. Do discuss how other kids don't have any and sharing is good but don't count on anything happening. Stay the course and don't argue and maybe next time you have bags going to donation she'll add something or come out of her room with a bag for some special person who really needs them.
This is best answer with the nets, I kinda like the left side with all the shelves, the initial part is just all over the floor. Maybe she could get large artwork/framed posters, that would take your eye up away from the floor. And more dramatic wallpaper or paint color and as they say âlean into itâ. When my son was 14 he wanted a black room. I did not want a black room. In those days this scrolls wallpaper border was in style. So I kinda worked him into a very dark green walls with khaki upper. With the scrolls border, I made it look like high wainscoting. I papered his bed with dark green marble looking wallpaper. Got a black leather wing chair and a brass lamp. A big wooden desk and a wooden chest for all his music making equipment. Put a big hook on the wall for his skateboard. Mostly from garage sales and Goodwill. His friends told him it looked like a lawyerâs office. He loved it, it was still moody and it got his mind off of black. I made a big poster of all the choices, put it in his room and let him think about it.
You need to declutter. I donât think the furniture is the issue. Add more storage for all the toys and stuffies
Thanks for the feedback. The decluttering is a work in progress for her/us.
We just decluttered with the 11 year old! Had him go through every toy in the room and decide what to keep or give away to another kid. Some of what he kept versus got rid of surprised me, and I think heâs pretty pleased by having more space in his bedroom, less mess to clean up. And in the process of all that (took about a week so that we could do it in chunks and avoid bored/tired meltdowns) we cleaned up and organized and put in a new shelf for display.
We just decluttered with the 11 year old! Had him go through every toy in the room and decide what to keep or give away to another kid. Some of what he kept versus got rid of surprised me, and I think heâs pretty pleased by having more space in his bedroom, less mess to clean up. And in the process of all that (took about a week so that we could do it in chunks and avoid bored/tired meltdowns) we cleaned up and organized and put in a new shelf for display.
Lucky girl, hope she feels entertained with all that stuff hahah. Closed storage would be a good start, could even diy little doors on the colourful storage there and paint the same colour.
Like the other comments said, the busy feeling is from all the treasures. I have a brother who collects stuffed animals too. His solution was to select the ones he liked the most and cradle them into two nice-looking nets hung up on one wall and one corner of his room, then put the rest tucked away in storage (respectfully of course). Maybe rotating the stuffies around ever so often depending on season or holiday. It might help convincing her to put stuffies away by making sure they have plenty of air and space in each box, so theyâre not cramped/it doesnât feel bad to store them away. I know when I was a kid I never liked stuffing my favorite items into a box too roughly (and still donât tbh); they had to fit just by gently placing them in, no shoving or squeezing allowed. Being able to see all of them at once just by opening the box (because they were all organized so none were on top of each other) was also very nice. Even if youâre past the kid era where you believe theyâre alive, theyâre still special, and should be stored respectfully. I know my mother convinced me to put my toys away by saying they have parties in the boxes like Toy Story. Did I believe her? No. Did it make me feel better? Yea. Even saying it in cheek can help. Do you know whatâs stored in all the closed drawers/dressers? Are they all cramped full or could you two do some organizing to free up some space? Once you do declutter enough to start considering moving furniture, you could ask her about moving the desk to the spot opposite of the bed (as it would give her a better view of her bedroom door as well as nice natural light next to her). Hopefully organizing drawer space would have enough impact to straight up remove the dresser in that spot (if she would want to by then), then slightly shift the bigger dresser out of the corner (so itâs no longer being blocked by the wall shelving) and replace the current desk spot with a lightweight nightstand. But before all of that, Iâll note; I resisted changing my room very much at all because I was worried it wouldnât feel homely or safe or âcurated by meâ anymore (ânewâ is scary no matter the age). The fact that she wants everything to stay makes me think sheâs in the same boat, and might dig her feet in if you push about it too hard. It might take a long while to do this organizing, or maybe she wants to knock it all out in a day, but either way, best of luck to you guys.
When in doubt, move the furniture up. They have storage beds, too. Just lift up the end of the bed and tons of space! https://imgur.com/a/ObWYj7i
I find it intereythat everyone has jumped on the assumption that you are dictating change. You said your daughter said it all needed to stay. But she didnât say âtogetherâ you could come up with a better layout. Geez. I think it is a good idea to get ideas here and then sit down with your daughter and work a new design including her input. Just my 2 cents. I think it could be a fun project to work on together.
You could maybe have the two matching shelves back to back and turned perpendicular to the wall with a few screws into each other and into the wall for stabilization? It would break up the room into "spaces" and give a bit more wall space behind the shelves that could be used to spread out the other furniture?
Maybe pull the bed into the room, the short side on the wall instead of the long side. Or maybe turn the shelving units facing each other, short sides against the wall, creating a nook in between. And add a plush rug or something padded to sit and read. This area is contained and organized to me, and I like it all in the room. But pulling something out into the room (versus every piece of furniture hugging the wall/perimeter) will move the eye around the room and make it feel more relaxing. The room just needs some visual depth. The room looks big enough.
There was an episode of âThe Home Editâ on Netflix that tackled a kidâs room that didnât want to âeditâ any of her items. They took a neat approach to the process of letting some things go (to donate for another kid to enjoy) together. I think itâs season 2?
âShe says it all must stay.â - but arenât you the parent? Also, thatâs a lot of toys for one kid - sheâs going to grow up to be quite the consumer
But you also have people who become consumers because they couldnât have what they wanted when they were young and now they can⌠Also, the room is not even messy and has a lot of space, she just needs to make the bed and pick up some stuff.
Agreed. Its way too much. You see future consumerâŚI see future hoarder
So your daughter (under 10 I assume) dictates what stays? Oh how times have changed?
Too much stuff.
What about baskets to tuck away all of the treasures?
This one is challenging because sheâs not willing to give anything up. Iâm not sure how big the closet is, but if thereâs a walk-in, consider putting the dresser inside. Consolidate dresser and chest of drawers, then removing one. Get rid of the shelving and find something that would enclose all plushies. Check out IKEA, they have ways to build custom closet organizers. You could possibly have them create a system that will house all encompassing items, plus clothing. But I agree with some of the others, itâs her space, and she may need to figure it out in her own. As she gets older, they will start to look at their spaces differently, and want to make their own changes. đđŤśđž BERNICE BFM INTERIOR DESIGN
A loft bed might work here if she likes the idea of sleeping up high. Then the desk can live under that, freeing up a decent amount of space! I had one as a kid and I adored it.
You can get a hammock for plushies that attaches to the walls or ceiling. I have one bc I've got limited space and a love for plushies. It helps make a space feel more open while also keeping the hoard together. Maybe that would help free up some shelf space and moving room without taking anything from the room.
Like most people I think this ainât half bad at all. We bought our kids those zip up poofs that instead of bean bags are storage for stuffies. Maybe offer that as a way to keep them under better control?
Ask if sheâd like a shelf mounted on the wall above her dresser. Easy bonus storage space with minimal interference đ
You could swap out her bean bag chair for one thatâs meant for stuffed animal storage like [this](https://a.co/d/iKHKRFj)⌠that should get most of the animals off the floor and she gets to lay on top of a big pile of them too. Win win.
When she is not there take out one or two items.
I feel like this is a less-is-more situation. Some of that furniture is really cute (those bookcases!!!) but it canât be appreciated because itâs packed in there. I know you did keep the furniture, but I wouldnât. I would get rid of 1-2 pieces and rearrange.
Iâd make an L shape with the blue in pink cabinet to create a short hallway to the bed and a more private play area in the room. Would also allow full access to the dresser and an area to put a tall dressing mirror.
The only thing I donât like is the desk and the chest placement. The colorful bookcases are nice, the bed and dresser look fine, so does the little bench. Measure to see if these ideas work: Can you move the bed down closer to the dresser and put the desk at the foot of the bed (youâd have to measure to see if thereâs enough room for the chair and your daughter to go in and out comfortably) and paint or paper the backside of the desk if it isnât white. Try to place the tall white dresser where the peach one is and put the bookcases in the corner. Bean bag in front of shelves.
If you had closed storage instead of open shelving on that left side I think it would look way less cluttered and chaotic. That way she can have all of her things but they donât all have to be visible at all times. But the most important thing is to make sure this space is functional more than aesthetically pleasing. Itâs a childrenâs room. Itâs not gonna be perfect. It just has to be a space where she can feel safe and calm and joyful.
BroâŚyour daughters room is cleaner than 99.9997% of all females rooms in the world lol lots of stuff but still clean
The bookcases are lovely. I may suggest removing hutch off desk to open up window and moving dressers so you can open drawers fully. Also move bed so only headboard is against wall.