It's been about eight months since we renovated the boys' bedroom (read here) and I thought it was timely to revisit what we did and show you how the room has fared with its two energetic occupants.
Too often one just reads the before and afters in blogs or magazines, but you never really hear how the 'afters' cope with day-to-day living. So, here is my review of what worked well and what didn't...
It would be safe to assume that there are still lots of toys which make its way under both the boys' beds. I was fooling myself to think their Lego stuff could be contained in little wicker baskets...it can't...especially with a mum like me who does not possess a 'picking-up-after-the-kids' mentality.
I just have to get on their back and tell them to move their toys to the playroom under the Sow's Ear. They don't need to bring so much into their room. It is however better than it was.
The white on white colour palette is standing up well. It is still fresh and bright and has given the room a great lift.
The white painted frames which we bought for the vintage Cuban movie prints are looking good and we are really happy with them.
The pale wool rug in their room has been okay. It is still shedding wool after all these months which is quite a pain... The rug does adds some extra warmth to the room and stops some of those winter draughts coming through the cracks in the floorboards. One day it will be fur ball free...I hope.
The block-out blinds we purchased, on the other hand, have been fantastic. They cut out the morning glare and have probably bought us an extra 15 minutes of sleep time in the morning. Those boys are such early risers! The blinds are in great condition despite the heavy-handedness of the boys.
All in all, the room is still a lovely space...when it is tidy. If I could find a tidy potion to feed the kids, I would...and then I'd take some myself!
Have you discovered things which don't work out after you've renovated or bought something too? Tell me all...
Too often one just reads the before and afters in blogs or magazines, but you never really hear how the 'afters' cope with day-to-day living. So, here is my review of what worked well and what didn't...
It would be safe to assume that there are still lots of toys which make its way under both the boys' beds. I was fooling myself to think their Lego stuff could be contained in little wicker baskets...it can't...especially with a mum like me who does not possess a 'picking-up-after-the-kids' mentality.
I just have to get on their back and tell them to move their toys to the playroom under the Sow's Ear. They don't need to bring so much into their room. It is however better than it was.
The white on white colour palette is standing up well. It is still fresh and bright and has given the room a great lift.
The white painted frames which we bought for the vintage Cuban movie prints are looking good and we are really happy with them.
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| The reality of our children's toys under the bed situation... |
The pale wool rug in their room has been okay. It is still shedding wool after all these months which is quite a pain... The rug does adds some extra warmth to the room and stops some of those winter draughts coming through the cracks in the floorboards. One day it will be fur ball free...I hope.
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| rug fur balls |
We love a floating shelf but sadly this particular brand of floating shelves has not worked out. They do not sit flush to the wall and have a noticeable lean to them...and that was even when there was nothing on the shelves. Shelving fail! We will probably remove them and buy something that is better designed.
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| floating shelves in the boys room |
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| Shelving fail when they have a severe lean to them. The bag hooks we bought for near the bedroom door have also worked out well |
Have you discovered things which don't work out after you've renovated or bought something too? Tell me all...
I, too, have suffered through months and months of wool rug shedding, and I wish I had a solution. The worst was a dark red shag that my departed little Schnauzer loved to dig in to make a sleeping spot. It never stopped shedding, and I finally sold it on Craigslist for a fraction of what I paid. Ditto the floating shelves. I had one in my bedroom that leaned so badly that it finally fell and put a big dent in the hardwood floor. I'm still battling the smudging black Silestone, and I'm in the middle of redoing my closet/laundry room shelving. I guess there will always be tweaking to do.
ReplyDeleteI was hoping the rug would stop shedding because I can't stand the fur balls...What is is about floating shelves? We have quite a few of the ikea lack shelves ones which are quite good, so we might have to switch back to those. It is comforting to know that you're still tweaking Dana. xx
DeleteI love the 'down the track' updates. I used to watch Backyard Blitz etc and wonder what those perfect gardens looked like 6/12 months down the track!! Those shelves are annoying! x
ReplyDeleteI'm always curious too. And yes, those shelves do annoy me! xx
DeleteI'm still trying to solve the kids' toys storage dilemma. I have removed most of them from the apartment for now as I got sick and tired of asking them to tidy up - the toys are now stored downstairs in the basement. I have found from past experience that you generally get what you pay for, however my kids have become very adept at dismantling/destroying the most sturdiest of products. I put this down to boredom and I hope this will change when they get a backyard to release their endless supply of energy. But perhaps I should be answering this question in 6-12 months time. xx
ReplyDeleteBoys and their toys...they just have too much! They have a playroom under the house so I'm just have to be ruthless! A backyard should help in your case, we tell the kids to go climb a tree when they start to get bored! Xx
DeleteThe boys room still looks great. About the rug situation, what about one of those new whizz bang fan dangled interior exterior patterned rugs made from recycled plastic? they look great and will not shed, can be HOSED down (what mother would say no to that) and block draughts. And the droopy shelves, yep the rental we are in has two in my girls room and they are on a distinct lean and it looks terrible. Toy storage- I say throw them under the house, half mine are boxed up under the house and are not being missed. I do use low flat plastic under bed storage boxes for the lego and duplo and it works well- the cheap shops sell them for about $15. mel x
ReplyDeleteLike the idea of the hose down rug! And I tried the flat storage boxes and the kids just over fill them and use it as a license to bring up every single toy they own. I realistically have to do another toy cull. xx
DeleteForgot to add, our biggest fail was putting white floor tiles in our last bathroom (pre children). Nightmare. And Betsy has them too and there is no budget for the bathroom so they will live on driving me mad for a few years yet. mel x
ReplyDeleteYes, white floor tiles! Ours are off-white, well at least they are now. Lol! xx
DeleteYou should see my daughters rooms! Your boys bedrooms look positively sterile in comparison (and I am NOT exagerating!) I hate it when new floor rugs do that shedding thing! I hate to tell you, but I think it will be a few years before you're fur-ball free!
ReplyDeleteNooooo! Don't tell me fur balls are forever!
DeleteThe boys rooms still look great! Aah, the joys of wool rugs,
ReplyDeleteI spent some time last weekend raking my flokati rug - there is nothing you can't learn from the Internet!
There's a lot to be said about polypropylene isn't there? But the feel of a wool rug can't be matched though... xx
DeleteI love those beds! Fur balls are a pain however.
ReplyDeleteThanks Deb! Fur balls from an inanimate object are never good! xx
DeleteWe have some vivid pink floating shelves in our daughters bedroom, they have the same lean as yours! Won't be buying them again!
ReplyDeleteSo frustrating, isn't it? They looked so promising when we first bought them too! xx
DeleteGreat post Brismod. You are right, it's great to see a follow up on a revamp of a room. I have two boys as well, and never seem to win the 'rogue LEGO pieces strewn everywhere' battle. Your boys room looks great. Block out blinds are the best - one of our better investments in our boys bedrooms. And it's good to know I'm not the only one with the leaning floating shelves issues. The wood paneling, window and floorboards are so lovely. Have a good weekend! : )
ReplyDeleteThanks Donna! Who knew leaning shelves were so common? xx
DeleteI often wonder how effective floating shelves are ... they're attractive though. I read a blog yesterday that listed tips from people who have permanently tidy homes ... one of the tips were to 'limit toys'. If only ... Looks like your boys have control on their mess though. Things are looking pretty contained and tidy in their room. See you next week!
ReplyDeleteFloating shelves really are for show rather than anything else. You wouldn't want too much weight on them or else they will break. See you next week!
DeleteThe room looks lovely!! I think I have that same floating shelf and it did the exact same thing :( do you think the room is colder with the floor boards? I'm renovating our house and I made the decision to put carpets in the bedrooms - it was a hard decision to make as I love the floorboards and wanted to keep the house as traditional as possible but after spending one winter in the house and nearly freezing to death I made the sacrifice lol! I have the toys under the beds problem too despite the fact that my children also have a playroom I actually laughed out loud when I read your wicker basket comment!!
ReplyDeleteYes, definitely colder with floorboards. The rugs have made a difference. I don't think carpet is a problem in a qlder. Many used to have carpet or Lino in the old days. And what was I thinking with those wicker baskets??? xx
DeleteIt was great to read your review. I was going to put a floating shelf above my Master H's bed but I think I'll steer clear of them now! Toy storage is a big issue for me. The old wardrobes we got from Hubby M's Grandmother look great in our Queenslander but aren't very practical. Our renovation will definitely include some big build-in wardrobes! I'm also struggling with a shedding rug. After a year our IKEA Tarnby rug is still shedding jute. I think it might find its way out to the deck!
ReplyDeleteP.S. Your fabulous post on blogs about Queenslander renovations was so helpful and has inspired me to start blogging about our own renovation. I've given you a shout-out in my first post! :-) www.familyhomeblog.blogspot.com
Don't be put off by floating shelves. I love them. The ikea ones have been great and the ones in our kitchen were made by a cabinet maker...no problems with them at all. And yes, will be visiting your new blog!!
DeleteLucky you to get extra sleep in time, it only lasts until they are teenagers and then you have to prise them from their beds. Hubby wanted some floating shelves,will have to tell him. Room still looks great, love a catch up post.
ReplyDeleteI will check out your blog too Mum E I'm finding all these blogs really useful I found out about a light shop in Brisbane from another blog - and yes we had awful carpet in this house plus some lino in the kitchen that I'm sure was cemented on!!
ReplyDelete