How to Plan a Room Makeover

Now that I've totally exposed myself and let you into our disaster of a playroom/office I am totally inspired to put my thoughts down on paper to once and for all determine how I envision this room to function and look.  Whether it's your first time tackling a room or you're a seasoned designer, decorating a room can be a very daunting task.  I'm certainly not a pro but to keep myself focused I follow these 3 simple steps when planning a room makeover.

Lay of the Land

The most important thing you can ask yourself when decorating a room is…

"How do I want this room to function?"  

In this case, we need an approximately 12 x 10 room with a little nook & closet to operate as an office and a playroom.  YIKES!  Seems like an oxymoron doesn't it?

The second most important thing to do is write out a list of must-haves for the space.

In my oxymoron room I need…

for the office space

• office desk for computer 
• printer & paper storage
• modem and electronics storage
• storage for house paperwork/bills, photo albums etc 
• sewing machine and craft storage
• blog command central & inspiration board

for the playroom space

• open floor play space
• reading nook/bench
• arts & craft table
• arts & crafts storage
• toy storage
• costume/dress up storage
• fun & inspiring decor

HOLY CRAP!  That's a lot of must-haves.  I wasn't kidding when I mentioned that decorating a room can become quite overwhelming if you don't have a proper plan in place.

Hunting and Gathering

Next comes the super fun part.  PINTEREST!  If you haven't signed up for a Pinterest account yet… well, you probably don't own a computer and aren't reading this blog.  Start by creating a board for the room you want to decorate.  I created a "Work hard, Play hard" board for the playroom/office… get it?   I have visions of my future self feverishly typing at the computer and then whirling around in a super cool swivel chair (upholstered... of course) to build the most awesome of awesome Lego towers with Ben and Ty.  It will happen.  But I digress…

Pin all your favorite things you think might work in the space.  Don't forget to pin things that fulfill your must-haves list.  Fabric choices are a great way to get the creative juices flowing.  Once you find a great fabric you can use it as a jumping off point for other textiles and paint choices.  Pin furniture, window treatments, lighting, entire pictures of rooms.  Anything and everything that inspires you.  You'll see that your pins with start to have continuity and your room & design concept will start to take shape!

Plan of Attack

Once you've defined the functionality and have pinned some design inspiration, a great way to really make your concept come to life is to create an inspiration board.  Olioboard is an easy and FREE online tool - you can upload your pinned images and click and drag them onto your board.  The design ideas are endless!

So without further ado, here is our future oxymoron Playroom Office Combo space!!  What do you think?!  I'll be sure to share our progress as updates have been made.

So whether you're thinking about freshening up a few things in your living room or moving into a new house that needs new everything, try these 3 simple steps.  And don't forget to have fun!!  Good luck!