I'm not sure if my original pics worked.. I'm trying again

Here is a link that might be useful:

And the after picture. I'm not sure why it didnt work in original post. Sorry for any inconvenience.

Here is a link that might be useful:

You should re-post this on the Decorating Forum.

I'd also suggest you consider reclaiming one of the bedrooms for yourselves. Think about it - you've given your 3-year old TWO bedrooms and you have NONE? Not right at all. Your first decorating stop ought to be HomeGoods or someplace like that to find an armoire or something to store your daughter's toys in and then you should decorate the second bedroom as a bedroom (move the stuff from the living room), and then re-do the living room as a living/family room! (I grew up in a very small house - not much larger than yours - family of 4 and sometimes 5 when grandpa lived with us - but we still had a living/dining area in addition to 3 bedrooms. Of course, back in those days, no one had enough toys to fill up a bedroom :-)

sjhockeyfan has given you good advice, and expresses my sentiments exactly. You may be thinking you are being 'generous' but in fact you are teaching a 3 year old that her 'needs' (or wants in this case) supercede yours. This will be a lesson you will rue as she gets older. Cull the toys to fit comfortably in her own room, which over time will train her to live within her 'own means', and move into your room to claim your role as the grown-up parents she needs and deserves.

Being your first time here, you may not have expected the replies you got about your daughter's two rooms. Don't be offended. We mean well.

I tend to agree, tho. And not to get personal, but how do you and your hubby have any intimate time together if you're sleeping in the LR? I would at the most, give your daughter the larger room so she does have room to play, but would take the advice of others to store the toys in the same room.

Maybe it's time to go thru them and donate the ones she no longer plays with? Kids only play with half of the toys they own, anyway. Involve her in choosing which ones to give away and explain that she is helping kids who have no toys. Make it fun and help her learn that being charitable is a good trait. I'm sure if you google, there's an article on how to do that because I've read about it.

That being said, I think you did a bang up job on the white furniture. That is my taste exactly. Shabby-chic and cottage-y. I am single and on a disability budget and my home is about your size. So storage is critical. I do all my furniture shopping at thrift stores.

I bought a dresser that I use as a buffet, yet I keep my tools, gardening stuff, plastic storage bowls and seasonal linens in the drawers. I also bought a tall handmade shelving unit with cabinets below for storage and an old console with cabinet type doors for extra counter space in my kitcken (up against a wall) and storage for my crockpot, platters, bowls, mixer, etc.

That one I painted but have yet to paint the other two. Rule #1 - paint before you get it in the house and start using it or you will never get around to painting it due to the dilema of where to store all the stuff inside while it's being painted...lol.

I've also found new curtains, quilts, pillows, shower curtains, and even Ralph Lauren bed sheets at thrift stores. Target donates lots of stuff to Goodwill. Most of my decorative kitchen stuff and household knicknacks came from thrift stores.

Lamps are always cheap and can be spray painted. They make textured metalic spray paint if that's your taste. Just do a good tape job first. They always have lamp shades, too, and many of them are new.

I've gotten wall mirrors and done paint treatments on them to make them look shabby chic.

You can repurpose sheets to make curtains, pillows, and even a shower curtain if you're handy with a sewing machine.

I also got my two sofas from the thrift store. One for $40, the other a pull out bed for $50. For the first one (red checkered...UGH!!) I bought a white slipcover from Uglysofas.com. They sell Pottery Barn slipcovers pretty cheap (they call them Brand X since they can't advertise where they came from). I guess they're seconds but there was nothing wrong with mine.

The 2nd couch was actually in perfect condition. It came from a hotel remodel so there were several, along with club chairs to match. I liked the fabric, so it didn't need covered (but I still do...I like the white better).

Do you have a Restore Store (Habitat for Humanity) near you? They have soooo much stuff for remodeling, including paint. I buy my drawer pulls from there (which are very expensive at big box stores). Yes, it takes some digging around to find the quantity you need but they really update older painted furniture. And my store has started a thrift store section with furniture, mirrors, lamps, etc.

As for paint color....I like the sage green but that's just me. I see you have a blue and pink pillow, so you could pull off that. However, paint isn't cheap so if you can live with the sage, live with it for now and work on making a sanctuary for you and hubby and a nice new LR.

Ohhh...i forgot to mention. Are you familiar with Pinterest? If not, you MUST check it out. I've gotten so many decorating ideas from there. It's all visual. Pic, pics, and more pics. You just type in 'shabby chic decorating' for example, or 'cottage bedroom'.

I search by color since i have a beach cottage color scheme. So I type in 'aqua shabby chic.' Just saying....if you are thinking of blue, they use blue in your search.

You have to sign up to use it but it's no different than signing up for this site. And there are no ads, no spam, nothing !! It's addictive tho....trust me. Looking at beautiful picture is so inspiring.

And then you can pin a pic to your 'board' so you can save it. It's like a virtual scrapbook. I LOVE IT !!

Well, I've rattled on long enough. I do love your taste and wish you the best in your decorating !!

Bonnie

This post was edited by brit5467 on Sun, Apr 20, 14 at 22:00

I tend to agree with the others that you need to designate one bedroom for your daughter and one for you and your husband. The current platform bed, while pretty, looks like a bed and thus a bedroom. Personally, I loved the red sofa. As a visitor, I would be uncomfortable in the current living room setting knowing I was sitting on someones bed. Your intentions were good. Love your decorating style.

I agree with Brit on many levels. You should have a bedroom of your own. Will your guests be comfortable sitting on your bed. Not me. I personally don't thing any 3 year old should have a whole entire room of toys. Again, it's going a little too far. Make a game of it to choose what to give away, that's real good advice. There are many ways to store toys. Ever seen a Hammock for stuffed toys? Good way to store them. Another good suggestion by Brit, hit the second hand stores. I have many things in my home that I bought at second hand. Wonderful pillows for my sofa, washed of course. Rugs, tablecloths, hand embroidered with napkins to match. Amazing things in those places. People pass away, the family doesn't want these items, off to charity it goes, and nothing wrong with it. Just unwanted. I just counted 13 different things in my kitchen I got second hand. Salt and pepper, stain glass hanging of fruit, wood wall plaques of fruit, resin table of food wall hanging, old brown glass cornucopia with glass fruit, square hand crochet table runner. And nobody knows I got them second hand, unless I tell them. I'm proud to show off my kitchen, I spend a lot of time here, and it took me a long time to find a lot of these things. I like them, that's all that matters, low cost is just a plus. Try a little thinking outside the box, for furniture. Brit again has some wonderful ideas. Good luck, and get a bedroom. :)

Well carolssis....u just made my day (nite) with all the kuddos...lol. Thanx!!

Ur kitchen sounds just like mine as far as counting how many things are from thrifting. I love my kitchen too !!!

Bonnie (aka brit5467)

It's very pretty, but looks like a bedroom. As others have said, I would not be comfortable sitting on your bed while visiting. Take back one of the bedrooms for yourselves. I lived in an even smaller home with two boys, and no way would I have given up one of the rooms so that they could have more room for toys.

I completely understand about the difference in owning your home (as opposed to renting) and wanting everything to be perfect! looks very pretty. Take a deep breath and relax -- take your time, and your home will grow organically.

I also must agree with the other posters -- if your daughter needs a whole room to put her toys in -- she has too many toys. Give away or donate most of them, and rotate the rest. It doesn't matter if they were gifts.

If one of the bedrooms is bigger than the living room you could always use that as a living room instead of the "actual" living room (unless there is no door on the living room then I'd use that as a living room). As it is, from the pictures, your living room looks very "bedroomy" to me from the picture because of the dresser.

I like the new look...but I would move it to the bedroom. Give daughter the smaller bedroom and add lots of storage to the other rooms for books, toys, etc.

Your house sounds very nice and I think you'll like having your own space again. Daughter will be happier playing with you in living room and it will teach her an important lesson. How to share :)

I like the bed a lot. It looks great with the dressers. I personally did not care for the sofa. I think the redecorating you did is fantastic, except I would move it all into the larger bedroom and give your daughter the small room. I would then make the living room into a play room/living room. I would have some fun thrifting for some cute toy chests or finding something I can make/paint into toy chests to put the toys in for when people visit. I saw an awesome one the other day at a midcentury shop.

looks nice, you could add some plants & mirrors to make
it look larger.

as to your daughter having two rooms & you sleeping
in living room...it really isn't my place to comment on this.
when we were all younger a lot of our men worked
nights, several of the young mothers shifted their whole
households of preschool kids. they slept in late, and spent
afternoon & evenings with the whole family rather than
kids being quite so dad can sleep.
no one was permanently scarred.
live to suit your life.

best of luck