Young House Love

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Cutting Down A Table To Make A Kids Table

The walls of Clara’s big girl room are dry and the few items of furniture that we have (mainly just a daybed, an old side table, and two small wooden thrift store chairs that I don’t think we’ve even shown you yet) are back in the room. So here’s how it’s looking now:

Furniture Back2

Totally done and magazine ready, right? Just kidding. But it’s a huge improvement from this so we’re psyched.

Cleaning Playroom1

The new wall color is awesome. Pardon these not great pics of it (Monday’s pics did it more justice). In person it’s subtle and warm and cozy but not too yellow-y or peach. And since it’s not too bold or compete-y, it’ll allow us to layer in a ton of other colors. Highly recommend it.

Furniture Back4

Oh but since the title says something about table tweaks, here’s the scoop on that. Wait, first a little info on the chairs. We got them for $8 each at a thrift store in West Virginia on our way back from redoing Granny’s bathroom way back in September. Then we just tossed them into the cluttered playroom and hoped we’d see them again someday. Haha. Now that it’s all cleaned out, it’s like discovering an extra room in your house. Amazing. Anyway, I think we’ll paint the chairs a crazy bright color (red?!) and keep the table crisp and white.

Speaking of the table, remember when it used to be a side table in our first house‘s den?

Pedestal Old Living Room

It was actually a side table from Target that we tweaked by adding a larger top and then painted white a few years back (originally for our bedroom, then it moved into the den once we found a TJ Maxx ottoman that worked better in the bedroom).

Johnatwork

It actually hasn’t found a home in the over-two-years that we’ve lived in our current house, so the poor thing has just been sitting randomly in the corner of the sunroom or the basement. Poor little listless side table. Until now. We realized that thanks to those two thrift store kids chairs the table would make a cute little spot for those chairs to saddle up to, but it was too tall to work as-is. See how it towers over the other kid-sized table that we made for the living room here?

Pedestal 1 Too High

Well, it was nothing a little sawing couldn’t solve. After unsuccessfully finding any screws to free up and remove the stem from the top, John sawed it off with a reciprocating saw and then went back with his Dremel to clean up the part we’d be attaching it back to later (so it was nice and level).

Pedestal 2 Cutting Bottom Off

Trimming the 4-inches off of the stem proved challenging given the angle of the base. John’s first attempt looked something like this. He’s the first to admit that it wasn’t his finest work.

Pedestal Ready To Cut

Especially since it resulted in a not-so-level cut.

Pedestal 4 Not Level

So he went back, remarked a level cut line around the stem on all sides, and then carefully shaved it down a bit more with his Dremel, being careful to stick to that line on all sides as he went.

Pedestal 5 Cutting Level

Much better. But it was about a 1/4″ shorter than we originally intended. So we had to throw it away. Just kidding, that quarter of an inch doesn’t matter, thank goodness.

Pedestal 6 Level

With everything cut, he used his Kreg jig to make some pocket holes to reattach the stem to the base. Sure the pockets show a bit, but it’s so far under the table base that you won’t see them unless you’re under the table on the floor (Clara does that sometimes, but we don’t think she’ll mind ’em, haha).

Pedestal 7 Kreg Jiggin

Now it’s nearly the same height as Clara’s drawing desk in the living room, see? (Note that this shot was taken while laying on the floor, so you can barely see those little pocket holes).

Cut Down Table

Now Clara will have a table for coloring/play doh/dolls/Gin Rummy in her room with her two thrift store chairs (which I fully intend to paint bright red as of right now, but you never know when I’ll change my mind).

Furniture Back4

So that’s what we’ve been up to in Clara’s big girl room. I’d call it 7% finished. Haha.

Furniture Back5

The blanket is my favorite (from a Joss & Main sale about a month or two ago). And the two tie-dye-ish pillows are from West Elm. I want to add more pillows of course (wouldn’t navy look cool on there too?).

Furniture Back6

Oh and the pink C pillow was from the same Joss & Main sale as the blanket. Isn’t it cute? Clara is OBSESSED with her big girl bed. The doc said not to switch her until she’s uncomfortable in her crib or climbing out of it (the girl climbs into it but never out – go figure!) so we’re happy to keep her contained to her crib where she happily snoozes… but man oh man, she sure looks cute in this bed. And someday she’ll get to officially move in.

Furniture Back7

Until then it’s a pretty fun playroom…

Furniture Back8

… which beats the heck out of the junk-room that it has been for the last two years by a long shot. She says hanging her head in shame. Oh well, better late than never.

We’re still sorely missing some major elements in here, so here’s what’s on the agenda:

  • painting those chairs a bright happy color
  • bringing in a dresser (we’d love to find something secondhand)
  • making/hanging some curtains
  • adding a rug
  • hanging art on the walls along with a few other 3D objects that we have in mind (how’s that for cryptic?)
  • installing a new light fixture
  • hanging a mirror at Clara-height somewhere in the room (she loves making funny faces and laughing at herself)
  • turning that junk closet into an actual clothes closet/reading nook
  • adding crown molding (along with tackling the other un-crown-molding-ed bedrooms on this side of the house)
  • adding accessories like more pillows, storage bins for toys, etc

You know we’ll keep you posted as we inch along! What are you guys painting, tweaking, and cutting down these days? Anyone else finding thrift store chairs or converting old Target tables? Spill it.

Comments

  3. Carey Morgan says

    Since that daybed has a back, you might try flipping it so that the open side faces the wall. That might give Clara a safer feeling as she transitions to the big bed. No rolling out!

    Reply

  4. Kelly says

    I can’t wait to see how this progresses! My daughter is going to be in the process of moving into her “big girl room” soon, and she wanted pink and red, just like Clara. I’ve been totally stumped, thinking I’d have to paint the walls some kind of crazy color, but you’re giving me some amazing ideas already for keeping it neutral with big splashes of color. Thanks!!

    Reply

  6. Tracie@MiddleClassMod says

    My husband and I are completely obsessed with the Kreg Jig. We actually have whole conversations about all the amazing projects we could do if we had one! Glad to see one “in the wild”!

    Last night I found an $85 Heywood Wakefield crendenza on the Richmond Craigslist. http://richmond.craigslist.org/fuo/3472836640.html Tried posting it on your Facebook but I don’t think it went through! Here’s hoping someone can give it a nice home (I’m so sad it won’t be me!).

    Reply

  7. Anele @ Success Along the Weigh says

    Aww, very cute. That’s one heck of a big girl set up she’s got going on there. I know plenty of adult girls who’d love the same thing! (The bed/bedding is very fun!) I can’t wait to see how many ceramic animals make an appearance in there! I saw deer head at West Elm and thought of you guys even though it isn’t ceramic. Hang on let me find it…

    …okay, I couldn’t find the same one but I found this instead and it’s WAAAAY better and ceramic! I’m dyin’!

    http://www.westelm.com/products/ceramic-squirrel-speaker-d208/

    Reply

  8. Heather P. says

    Looks like a great start to a big girl’s room! I love that you kept the paint color neutral. My parents always insisted on painting my room crazy colors when I was growing up, and I’d lose interest after about a year. It’s probably why, as an adult, I don’t mind apartment-white paint…haha!

    Reply

  9. Chelsea says

    I had a quick question about the daybed as Clara’s bed. I ask this as someone with no kids who doesn’t really quite understand even how they work (kids, that is– as in, I asked my friend with a six month old if he was eating real food yet and she took a pause and said, “Well, he needs teeth first”), but are the sharp edges and cut-outs and holes safe enough for a kid to sleep in? I guess when you guys had been talking about how Clara is all over the daybed being her big girl bed that she’d get A day bed, but I didn’t realize it’d be this? Super curious and interested to know how it is that it can work.

    Thanks! LOVE the Ikat blanket!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Oh yes, daybeds make great transition beds since they’re lower to the ground than most beds and can be turned around to face the wall to create little safety rails to keep them from rolling out. Those little cutouts are sort of like the slats in her crib (her legs and arms can hang out, but it doesn’t hurt her in any way) and the corners on the daybed are also like the corners of her crib, so it’s pretty much the same thing. I mean I wouldn’t put a baby in a daybed (since crib slats are designed to be a certain distance apart, etc) but a 2.5 year old on a daybed like this is totally safe :)

      xo
      s

    • Megan B says

      And technically, kids don’t need teeth to eat real food! What does one little tooth in the front really do anyway? My friend’s kids didn’t get teeth until after they turned 1, and they were eating real food much earlier than that. You just don’t want them to eat anything hard that they can use their gums to break down. So, in other words, it really wasn’t a bad question for you to ask. :)

  11. Rebecca @This Nest is Best says

    So excited to see this come together! I would never think to put red and pink together in a room but that blanket is totally going to pull it together and make it rock. And the color scheme right now is spot on Valentine’s Day like a mood board I just put together – http://thisnestisbest.com/2013/01/22/swedish-valentines-day-party-board/ – but you’re right, some pops of navy and yellow and it will be such a fantastic kids room!

    Reply

  14. mariela says

    Love the progress! Random question from this pregnant reader :) love this paint color for our neutral nursery…if we do horizontal lines, would the white lines still be visible? Thanks Sherry!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Sorry, I’m not sure I’m understanding the question. Are you asking if this wall color along with white will make the lines visible? I think it would – it would be subtle and so pretty! It looks great in this room with the white trim :)

      xo
      s

    • Jessica says

      Hi Mariela, stripes should work just fine. It will be subtle and pretty. Perfect for a neutral nursery. I did something similar with our spare room and made myself a little sewing nook. The contrast color is slightly darker than Clara’s room, but I thought I’d share to give you some inspiration. Stripes are tedious, but SO worth it! Good luck on your makeover and with the new little one! :)

      http://diyjill.blogspot.com/2012/09/ahoy-makeover-complete-for-now.html

    • YoungHouseLove says

      That was a wedding gift from John’s Godmother from West Elm back when we got married. Love that thing! We have a similar one in the sunroom also from West Elm.

      xo
      s

  16. Lauren says

    I love the bedding. What a cute way to incorporate both pink and red. I was worried Clara’s color choices would look a bit too “Valentine’s Day,” but I should have known you’d find a way to make it work :)

    How big is her room? I was surprised to see that the daybed goes almost from one wall to the other. The room always looked huge in other posts!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      All of the bedrooms in our house except for the master (which was an addition) are pretty modestly sized. I think her big girl room is 13 x 10 (and her nursery is around 9 x 10 I think).

      xo
      s

  19. Taya says

    Love Clara’s big girl room so far. I can’t wait to seeing evolve. The little table and chairs are great… Now Clara can have a kitchen table for her kitchen (greatforplayi grouse or restaurant)!

    Reply

  20. Janelle says

    Aw, look at that cute little face while jumping on the bed! I second you on those navy pillows, Sherry. I love the preppy, but unexpected vibe of navy & hot pink.

    Reply

  21. Sugar Cookie says

    I love pink and red for a little girl’s room, which surprises even me because I’m really not a girly girl :) I hope you do paint those chairs red – I think they will look fab and I can’t wait to see them!!

    Reply

  22. Lissa says

    Don’t worry about taking so long to get that room in shape! I hang my head in shame because my daughter, Riley (the one from Cincinnati) has been waiting on her playroom for about 3 1/2 years now). At Christmas, I promised her that I would get it done by April!! I just need to “Get on that already”!! Cannot wait to see what you all do!!

    Reply

  24. Meghan says

    I LOVE how you guys show step-by-step projects during the course of completing a room. I often get overwhelmed by how much we have/want to do to our house. Your posts remind me to focus on one project at at time and to let the room evolve. Thanks for your inspiration! I adore the pink and red!

    Reply

  26. Sarah says

    So fun!! I can’t wait to have kids’ rooms to decorate! Still a few years off for me, but such a fun project to look forward to. I LOVE that daybed!! Can’t wait to see more!

    Reply

  28. Gabriella @ Our Life In Action says

    How precious! Looks as though the room (more like the day bed) is a hit. ;-) We have a coffee table from Ikea that we are thinking of turning into a padded foot stool thingy. This ‘tutorial’ on lowering the leg length is going to come in handy. :-D

    Reply

  29. Renee says

    The bed is great for a big girl bed! If you worry about her rolling out, you can just turn it to be against the wall. Instant toddler rails. And it looks like you have room for a reading nook (maybe in a corner), with lots of pillows and maybe a hanging canopy tent like thing. My 2 yr olds love tents.

    Reply

  30. Sandy P. says

    You have me on everything BUT the Clara height mirror cause of safety reasons. Kids love to swing and throw things around. I love those chairs. They’re the minis of the ones you have behind the couch or at least looks like it.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Thanks for the safety tip Sandy! We definitely always have Clara’s safety at the top of our mind. She just loves posing in the big leaning mirror in our bedroom (which has been at her height since she was born and thankfully we haven’t had any issues with it). There are also kid-height mirrors at her school, the children’s museum, etc, so we hope we can make it work. She definitely knows there’s a no-throwing-hard-objects rule in our house, and they also sell safety glass (tempered glass) that basically turns into little granular pellets when it shatters instead of slivers which is less likely to cause injury :)

      xo
      s

  32. Dani says

    looking good – can’t wait to see it as it evolves!

    Keep her in that crib as long as possible!! Both of my kids went from amazing crib sleepers to more high maintenance bed sleepers. Not terrible but more work :) I didn’t have climbers either.

    Reply

  34. Lindsey says

    Can’t wait to see what else you do with the room! We are currently redoing our sons room (which he’ll share with his little sister in April) and our master bedroom – we had to switch rooms with the kids so they’d have a bigger room to share. I’ve been looking for the perfect neutral gray / tan color for the walls in both rooms. I’m going to have to get a sample of Alaskan Skies and try it out!

    Reply

  37. Amber says

    She is soooo precious jumping on her bed! Love her! I agree with your doc though…don’t move her too soon. I moved one of mine at 3 yrs old and it was perfect. The 2nd I moved way earlier and my once angelic sleeper woke up all the time to check on mommy, daddy & brother. She was much easier in the crib : )

    Reply

  38. Wendy @ New Moms Talk says

    Simple & Beautiful!

    I’m wondering if there will be any Clara-framed art work or a space to display it after she works her wonders at the table (or elsewhere).

    Looking forward to the progressions and learning who’s the king/queen/princess of Gin Rummy.

    Reply

  39. Crystal @ 29 Rue House says

    Looks cute so far – love those chairs!

    If you don’t mind sharing what are you thinking about the curtains? I always have the hardest time picking fabric (I think I’m waiting for some amazing fabric that doesn’t exist) and mixing colors/patterns. Will you look for something with navy in it? Just red and orange? Solid? Will you use fabric for the closet again? Same as the curtains? Just wondering your thought process.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      I think we think the rug will be a choice we make before the curtains and then that + the bedding will inform what we choose. I think we could go a ton of different ways, so it should be fun to see where we land!

      xo
      s

  40. Susie Parker says

    so jealous that you still have Clara in a crib. My 26 month old figured out to hoist herself out of the crib last week (mainly thrusting herself headfirst to the ground)which resulted in prematurely moving her to a toddler bed. I would have loved to have had her corraled until she was 3.

    Reply

    • Cathy says

      Well, it could be worse. Our son started climbing out of the crib at17 months. It was a rough transition to the toddler bed.

    • Karen F says

      Some unsolicited advice – I put a gate up in my daughter’s doorway at bedtime (she’s 3) so she can’t get out of her room (our bedrooms are upstairs, and we have a very steep staircase, which I also have a gate across). the one I have by her room is not permamently installed (it’s by safety first, I forget what it’s called, but it basically just fits snug in the doorway, then we can remove it in the morning). when she wakes up sometimes she plays in her room for a bit, and she also can’t startle me in the middle of the night! I did the same thing with my older daughter and it worked great. Once they are completely potty trained (no nighttime diapers or pull ups) is when I stop using the gate.

    • YoungHouseLove says

      We had a giant yard sale and an auction for charity with lots of book stuff that was in there. We have also craigslisted some things, and a little bit of the extra stuff has moved down to our basement to be stored out of the way (like the extra frames, etc).

      xo
      s

  42. Tasha says

    Those last two photos are adorable. Are you going to keep a final reveal secret from Clara at any point (not letting her see the finishing touches until it’s done)?

    Reply

  43. Amanda says

    What in the world did y’all do with everything that was once in the room?! The bed and small table obviously stayed, but I thought there was a bunch of other pictures etc?

    (Love the blanket too!)

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      We had a giant yard sale and an auction for charity with lots of book stuff that was in there. We have also craigslisted some things, and a little bit of the extra stuff has moved down to our basement to be stored out of the way (like the extra frames, etc).

      xo
      s

  45. Ali says

    My wedding colors are navy, light pink, hot pink, grey and a little white. Love the combo! I’ll have to keep that in mind for a future room makeover too!

    Reply

  48. Cassie says

    Well, we’re moving furniture around to make a better play area in the living room for the girls (dang small townhomes) and hanging curtains this week. That’s all I’ve got.

    Reply

  49. Laura says

    So cute! Just a quick parent tip…we let our daughter take naps in her big girl bed for about a week before we moved her to it for good. It seemed to work best for her to try it out while it was still daylight outside and she was more comfortable that way. Worked like a charm! :)

    Reply

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