Before.

After.

(source)

(source)

I have been really excited about this post.  I mean really excited.  But not nearly as excited as I was when Wade Nagy finished the Play Closet for our 3 little beauties.

A few months ago, we decided that our once guest room was literally a waste of space.  It was awesome to have when my parents came to visit, but for all the other days the room just sat and sat, while all of the other bedrooms piled up with toys and clutter.  So we put the guest bed on Craigslist and out the door it went the very next day.  If you don't use Craigslist... you should.  It's been my best friend for years.  There is no better way to trade in what you don't want for some extra cash for the things you do.  And don't be afraid to mark the price up a little... (not a rip off, but of fair value), because you can always reduce the price later.  One man's junk is another man's treasure.

When we started the playroom redo, I knew I could either pile up the toys in the closet and watch all of the kids dump out all of the organized totes and run myself mad, or I could actually utilize the space as a sufficient play area that would require little clean up.  So instead of using the closet for storage, we decided to make a Play Closet.  One that would resemble a small kitchen/ playhouse.

The first step was to move the play kitchen in the closet for a trial run.  I have learned that not all good ideas are great ideas and sometimes kids just don't like what we think they do.  Wade Nagy and I have spent several Christmas mornings learning this painful truth.  So before we started renovating, we gave it a few weeks to see how they would use the space.

I strongly suggest you do this with any space you plan to redo... test it out, see how it's best used and then go through with the renovations.  Become a "planner" when it comes to designing your home.  Otherwise, you will waste your time and your budget.