The walls in Clara’s big girl room are dry, and the few pieces of furniture we own for the space—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, but a huge improvement, and we’re thrilled with the progress.
The new wall color is fantastic—subtle, warm, and cozy without reading too yellow or peach. In person it feels soft and inviting, and because it’s not overpowering we can layer in a lot of other colors and textures. It photographs differently than it looks in real life, but we’re very happy with it.
Now, about the table tweaks mentioned in the title. First, a quick note on the chairs: we picked up two small wooden kids’ chairs for $8 each at a thrift store in West Virginia back in September on the way home from redoing Granny’s bathroom. They lived in the cluttered playroom until we cleared everything out, and finding them again felt like discovering an extra room. We plan to paint the chairs a bright color—probably red—and keep the table crisp white.
That table has a bit of a history. It started as a Target side table in our first house’s den, and a few years ago we modified it by adding a larger top and painting it white. It was originally intended for the bedroom but migrated to the den once we found a different ottoman for the bedroom.
For over two years in our current house the table didn’t really have a spot, so it sat in the sunroom or the basement waiting for a purpose. With the thrift-store chairs on hand, it suddenly became the perfect little table for Clara—except it was too tall.
We considered several options and decided to shorten the table leg. After trying to find screws to remove the stem, John cut it off with a reciprocating saw and used a Dremel to level the surface so we could reattach it later.
Because the base is angled, cutting off about four inches proved tricky. His first attempt left a noticeably uneven cut, so he re-marked a level line around the stem and carefully shaved it down with the Dremel until it was even on all sides.
He finished by using a Kreg jig to create pocket holes for reattaching the stem to the base. The pocket holes are slightly visible, but they sit under the table enough that you won’t notice them unless you look from the floor—Clara sometimes does that, but we doubt it will bother her.
After reattaching the stem, the table is nearly the same height as Clara’s drawing desk in the living room, making it just right for coloring, Play-Doh, dolls, or a game of Gin Rummy with her small chairs.
Clara now has a cozy little spot in her room where she can play and create. I’m leaning toward painting the thrift-store chairs bright red, though I might change my mind before that happens.
We’ve labeled the room about 7% finished—there’s still a lot to do, but it’s already a fun playroom.
The blanket on the daybed is my favorite. The tie-dye-style pillows are from West Elm, and the pink “C” pillow matches the blanket nicely. Clara adores her big girl bed; for now she still sleeps in her crib, per the pediatrician’s advice, but she looks adorable in the bed and will move in officially when the time is right.
Until then, the room serves as a bright and cheerful play area, a much better alternative to the junk room it was for the past two years.
We still have several key items to add. Here’s the to-do list for the room:
- Paint the thrift-store chairs a bright, happy color
- Add a dresser (ideally a secondhand find)
- Make and hang curtains
- Bring in a rug for warmth and texture
- 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 and laugh at herself
- Convert the cluttered closet into a functional clothes closet or cozy reading nook
- Add crown molding and address the other bedrooms on this side of the house that are missing it
- Bring in accessories: more pillows, toy storage bins, and finishing touches
We’ll keep sharing updates as the room comes together. What projects are you tackling right now—painting, tweaking furniture, or repurposing thrift-store finds? We’d love to hear what you’re up to.