The walls in Clara’s “big girl” room are finally dry, and the few pieces of furniture we have—mainly a daybed, an old side table, and two small wooden thrift-store chairs—are back in place. Here’s how the room looks now:
Not magazine-perfect yet, but it’s a dramatic improvement and we’re really excited about it.
The new wall color is wonderful. These photos don’t quite capture it—the tone is subtle, warm and cozy without leaning too yellow or peachy. Because the color is soft and neutral, it gives us freedom to layer in lots of other hues. We’ve been very happy with it.
Now, about those table tweaks mentioned in the title. First, a bit about the chairs: we picked them up for $8 each at a thrift store in West Virginia last September while returning from redoing Granny’s bathroom. They lived in the cluttered playroom for months until we cleaned the space out—finding them again felt like discovering an extra room. We plan to paint the chairs a bright color (maybe red) and keep the table crisp white.
Remember this table from our first house’s den?
It started as a Target side table that we modified a few years ago by adding a larger top and painting it white. It moved around the house—originally intended for our bedroom and later used in the den—and then it spent over two years without a permanent home, languishing in corners of the sunroom or basement.
With the two thrift-store chairs, the table would be a perfect little spot for Clara to play—except it was too tall. See how it towers over the kid-sized table we made for the living room?
We solved that by shortening the table. After searching for screws to remove the stem and failing, John cut the stem off with a reciprocating saw and refined the edge with a Dremel to make it level for reattachment.
Trimming four inches off the stem was tricky because of the base angle. John’s initial cut wasn’t level, so he remarked a level line around the stem and carefully shaved it down with the Dremel until it matched.
After smoothing the cut and ensuring a level finish, he used a Kreg jig to create pocket holes and reattach the stem to the base. The pocket holes are tucked under the base and aren’t noticeable unless you’re on the floor underneath the table.
Now the table is nearly the same height as Clara’s drawing desk in the living room, making it a comfortable spot for her to sit with her two thrift-store chairs for coloring, Play-Doh, dolls, or card games. Right now we’re leaning toward painting the chairs bright red, though that might change as the project evolves.
So that’s what we’ve been doing in Clara’s big girl room. I’d estimate it’s about seven percent finished—there’s still plenty to do, but it’s a fun playroom for now.
The blanket on the bed is my favorite find from a recent sale, and the two tie-dye-style pillows are from West Elm. I want to add a few more pillows—navy might look great.
The pink C pillow was from the same sale as the blanket and is adorable. Clara is already obsessed with the big girl bed. Our pediatrician recommended waiting to make the permanent switch until she’s uncomfortable in her crib or starts climbing out—she can climb in but not out—so for now the bed is mostly for play and photos, though someday she’ll officially move in.
Until then, the room doubles as a fun play space, which is a huge upgrade from the junk room it was for the last two years.
Here’s what’s still on our to-do list:
- Paint the thrift-store chairs a bright, happy color
- Bring in a dresser (ideally a secondhand find)
- Make and hang curtains
- Add a rug
- Hang art and a few three-dimensional pieces
- Install a new light fixture
- Hang a mirror at Clara’s height so she can make faces
- Convert the junk closet into a proper clothes closet or a cozy reading nook
- Add crown molding and tackle the remaining bedrooms that need it
- Add accessories like more pillows and toy storage bins
We’ll keep sharing updates as we make progress. What projects are you painting, tweaking, or repurposing lately? Anyone else scoring thrift-store chairs or modifying old tables? Tell us about it.