Room for Change

When I bought this house five years ago, I knew immediately which bedroom was going to be mine and which was going to be Isabel's. I have a good sense of color and can see things is my mind's eye. I knew just how I wanted Isabel's room to look and it is just as I imagined. I knew how I wanted my room to look and it, too, is just how I envisioned. The third bedroom, however, is another story. Since I never had a concrete idea of what it was going to be: (maybe an office? den? guestroom? ), I never could SEE it in my mind.

Long before Isabel arrived, it was a guest room with a daybed. I painted the walls a deep ochre color and bought burgundy and gold drapes and linens.
It was nice... It was coordinated...

It was never used.

I ended up giving the daybed to a colleague and bought a big armchair and ottoman. I moved the television in there and it became a den. And it WAS used. But... it slowly became a dumping ground for all of the toys and junk that Isabel had accumulated. So, I set up the little sunroom off the kitchen as a playroom for Isabel. It worked well. Her stuff was out of the den. I got to keep an eye on her from the kitchen. Things went well ... while she was one- and two-years old. However, the room started to shrink as she hit the three-year-old mark. And so, I racked my brain on what to do.

The answer became clear when, upon buying a new flat screen TV for the living room, I gave away the old dinosaur set I had in the den, along with the table it sat upon. Since I had already moved the armchair and ottoman out, I knew that I could make this Isabel's new playroom. I could finally "see" it in my mind as a fun, organized, happy room. However, this room in my mind was a FAR cry from the reality of what lie before my eyes. The room had become a dumping ground and looked more like a cross between an archeological dig and the aftermath of a a tornado strike than any place a child would play.

I knew the job of making the vision a reality would take a lot of work. Yesterday I finally tackled it and was able to finish this afternoon. I really like it. While I still need to paint the walls, it is a bright, colorful, happy place and the afternoon sun pouring through the windows makes it a place of light. The room's purpose has finally been found. See Isabel's reaction below. Apparently that purpose includes making banana bread. ;-)