Makeover Mission Accomplished

It's done!

After two weeks of cleaning out and reorganizing, a month of shopping for the larger furniture pieces, and another week of sewing curtains, shopping for the smaller furniture pieces and accessories, and pulling everything together with my mom, our playroom has officially become our family room! Or our music room. Or our famusic - as Tom suggested - room. We haven't landed on a name for the room quite yet.

To refresh your memory, this is what the room looked like shortly after we moved in:

Aspects of the room changed every year or so, based on the kids' ages and interests. Hallie's art center grew, Tux joined the family (many of his supplies have to live in that room), we acquired the giant beanbag, and the kids and Tom started playing first the keyboard and then the drums.

The room remained a playroom though, until one day I realized that very little traditional playing - other than an occasional board game on the coffee table - was actually going on in the space. Instead, Hallie created at her (too small for her seven-year-old legs) art table and Tom and the kids jammed and played video games. We just weren't maximizing the room's potential, or perhaps better put, the room no longer met our needs as a family.

In redoing the room I hoped to create a space that looked a little more "grown up" and in which the activities above (art, music, video games) could comfortably take place. I wanted a small but cozy and comfortable oasis where the four of us - me included, as previously I only entered the playroom to clean it - could rest, relax, and have fun together.

I think I came close!

This is the hardest room in our house to photograph because every wall has a window or doorway that lets in light. Hopefully I've edited the photos enough to show off the space's true colors!

The front half of the room is designed for movie watching,
sports viewing, video game playing, and couch lounging.

The boys are thrilled about their new television. Me? Not
so much. It's all about compromise, right? (Try to ignore the
litter box...I'm not thrilled about that "design element" either.)

The newly-painted bookcase now holds guitar, drum,
and keytar accessories; small musical instruments; music
books; movies; and Tom's Casio keyboard from the 1980s.

The back half of the room is designed for music. The drums,
along with Tom's acoustic and electric guitars and the kids'
new three-quarter size guitar, are ready for business. As
soon as the keytar has a stand it'll be displayed as well.

We bought Hallie a new desk at which to create. (Lest you think I
got rid of her "fun" craft supplies, Hallie's paints, yarn, stamps, ink, etc.
are in bins in the closet.) Her corner is simple, but she and I both love it...
so much so that I may consider working here myself while she's at school.

As I type this post on a Saturday morning, Tom is playing the keytar, Hallie is singing into a microphone, and Will is playing Mario Kart on the Wii. And last night the four of us - plus Tux, on and off - watched a football game cuddled up together on the couch. Dare I say Mission Accomplished?