Young House Love

Home Decorating & DIY Tutorials

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Finally, Now We Can Show You The Playroom…

Quick note: Tonight we’ll be in Minneapolis at the West Elm on 3879 Gallagher Drive for cookies, cocoa, and a book signing at 6pm (we hear this parking lot is small, but there’s a larger lot at a nearby Macy’s as well as a ramp that leads to a parking garage which should hopefully help – as will getting there early, carpooling, or getting dropped off). More info here. We’d love to see ya there!

Remember how you guys were asking us to take photos of the holy-cow-that’s-crazy playroom packed with secret book projects, stuff for our yard sale, and future projects so we could share them when the book was finally out? Well, I don’t think you’re ready for this jelly…

Cleaning Playroom1

Were you ready? I told you it was crazy! But thankfully now that the secret book projects are out of the bag, we can share the insanity with you (since it’s no longer a spoiler for you to see our partially stenciled wall, the gray trim around that window, the green planter, that wooden headboard, the yellow branch wreath, or anything else that you might recognize from zee book).

Here’s a vertical shot. Just as crazy, right?

Cleaning Playroom2

So when my mom came out for a visit a little while ago, we decided to tackle it together (me + mom = organizing nerdfest). Literally the second I put Clara down for her nap it was as if someone fired some imaginary gun at the starting line and we shot off in different directions to get that room cleaned up. Completely comical.

When you’re dealing with such an extreme volume of things that need to be sorted (since some were book projects that were going to be auctioned for charity, other things were going to be yard saled, and other items are still waiting to be made over and used in future rooms like the sunroom, Clara’s big girl room, the guest room, etc) – the first step is definitely clearing the room. So we scurried to bring everything out into the entryway, where there was more floor space for sorting. We had three zones going on:

  • one spot for yard sale stuff
  • one spot for the book auction items
  • one spot for things going back into the playroom for future projects

Most of what you see in this picture are things that were going back into the room (the luggage goes in that closet, those shelves are for a future project, etc). And there’s my mom going through all the gift bags that I save to reuse (she was almost entirely on closet-duty, so she got to play with things like tissue paper, gift bags, and ribbon while I sorted things for yard sale and auction piles.

Cleaning Playroom3

About an hour and a half later, we could see most of the room again! It was weird. Like those dreams that you have of discovering an extra room. Tip: don’t fill a room with junk and you won’t feel like you’re discovering said room after hours of cleaning it out.

Cleaning Playroom4

Sure enough, as the cluttered playroom got emptier, the areas in the entryway (and the adjoined hallway) got crazier. This was our yard sale pillow pile. Yikes. Note: You can read more about how the yard sale went here.

Cleaning Playroom5

Here’s what the room looked like after we loaded things back in (the items under the window were smaller auction items that we didn’t want to leave out in the sunroom with the bigger ones, so they’re actually gone now). But the rest of everything is still in there since we put the yard sale stuff into the sunroom to keep it separated. Oh and you’ll notice that we tossed up the old curtains from our bedroom just to keep them hung so they’re not wadded up in some closet (but clearly they still need to be ironed/retrained so they don’t look all ganked up).

Cleaning Playroom7

Still looks pretty darn cluttered, but it’s not nearly as bad as it looked a few hours earlier. Whew. Thanks momma!

Cleaning Playroom8

Here’s the view looking back at the daybed (Clara’s future big-girl bed) covered with pillows (yes, I have a pillow problem, but in my defense we still have a daybed in the sunroom and Clara’s big girl room to use them for). Then maybe we’ll need to have another yard sale… haha.

Cleaning Playroom9

See that big rectangle of blue paint? Just another wall we painted for book shooting. That wall actually got painted three times (navy for a headboard project, paprica red for cloud shelves we made, and then blue for a tip about not painting all the way up to the ceiling). It’s crazy to think about how many things we painted and repainted back in January! Oh and see that green chair and twig mirror in the bottom corner of this pic? Those are book auction items, so they’re cleared out and no longer on the floor.

Speaking of the auction, we made $500 for charity thanks to generous locals who bid on our secret book stuff in the silent auction last week at the R. Home for the Holidays event. Woot! We’re so thankful to you guys for giving those items a good home. And we wish we could have opened up the bidding up to a wider span (nationally or even internationally) but shipping things (many of which were large and heavy) made it too complicated for a two person “company” like us (it also would have diminished a lot of the profit we were trying to make for the charity). But to any locals who went home with something, we’d love to see pics of things in your rooms! And to anyone else anywhere in the globe, if you DIY anything from the book (since you’ve definitely got the info on what we used/how we did it) of course we’d love to see those pics!

As for the closet, here’s my mom’s handiwork. She’s awesome, eh? I think sorting all of my gift bags and ribbon might have been the highlight of her trip. Well, that and seeing sweet Clara of course. Ok, Clara wins.

Cleaning Playroom10

Oh and see that weird line of paint to the left of the closet in the pic above? Yet another wall that we painted at least three times for book backdrops. We so crazy.

Ahhh, but behold: nothing’s in the entryway or the hallway anymore. Can I get a what what?

Cleaning Playroom11

I hope these long awaited playroom before and not-as-bad-now pics were fun for you guys. Seriously, this before picture gives me the willies:

Cleaning Playroom1

Please tell me you guys at least have a closet or a junk drawer that’s looking pretty hairy, just so I don’t feel so alone. Haha. And you know what partially clearing out this room means… we’re one step closer to converting it into Clara’s big girl room (although we still have the hall bathroom and the basement to finish along with an untouched sunroom, carport, and guest bathroom). You know we’re all over the place, so it’s only a matter of time before we bounce in there too. Bring on the paint, the fabric, and the moose lamp!

Update: Nope, I’m not prego! Maybe I need to add an update to this post? Yup, I’m doing it. I, Sherry, hereby solemnly swear that I’m not with child. Haha. Spread the word!

Comments

  1. Trish says

    Looks like quite the task. I cannot get enough of that paint chip project. In the book and on here I love it so much. I definitely think I’m going to make one.

    Reply

  2. Kristen says

    Does a closet count? Our front hall closet (which we hardly ever use because we have a coat rack in the front hall already) is like a Charlie Brown closet. Seriously. If you open the door even just a crack, everything falls out. We have (for the most part) a super organized house, so my husband keeps asking me what’s up with the closet. I’m procrastinating dealing with it – so I keep saying, the messier closet is, the better the “after” will be…HA. :)

    Reply

  3. Sara says

    We have a hall closet upstairs that I call my Monica Closet. You know how in Friends, Monica had that one crazy cluttered closet? That’s sort of how my hall closet is… so don’t worry, I understand. We also have been doing kitchen renovations so there’s now a drawer in my kitchen that I usually keep pens/scissors and such in and has been taken over by paint chips countertop samples.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Aw you’re so sweet Sarah! We had the best time, and I can totally confirm that you didn’t cry! Thanks so much for coming out. And I love that you bit your cookie before the pic. I’d totally do that too…

      xo
      s

  5. Carrie says

    I want to see what is behind your bedroom door! That was teased waaay too many times in house tours, pics, etc. Curiosity has been killing me!

    Reply

  6. Jennifer says

    We just moved only to discover all 3 bathrooms and the kitchen had rotton flooring. So of course we had partially unpacked and then started the kitchen crazyness so every room in our house has boxes to be unpacked, partial projects done, and tools everywhere. Most of the disaster is in our craft room and office.

    Reply

  7. Jenn0021 says

    We definitely don’t have anything quite as bad as your playroom. You win there. :P But our “storage” room can get pretty crazy. I organized it last summer but for some reason it looks like a tornado went through it. Time to get back in there and do some cleaning up!

    But good job on tackling the room and making such an improvement on it. I can’t wait to see it as Clara’s big girl room.

    Reply

  8. Guylaine Côté says

    Hello!
    First, I have to tell you that I’m not very good for writing in english. I’m french-speaking so I will try to be readable :). I just saw the yesterday show and it’s funny to give life to people we always see on picture. It was very good! I want to buy your book but I want to know if it will be in french? Otherwise, I will buy it in english.
    Thank you for sharing!!!

    P.S. Your little girl , she’s so cute!!!

    Guylaine Côté

    Reply

  9. Kate says

    I’ve been religiously reading your blog for over a year now. It is on my bucket list to leave a comment. I figured this would be the perfect one because you guys are in Minnesota and that is where I am originally from! If you want some delicious pizza, go to Punch Pizza (there are a few different locations). It is the best classical Napoli pizza in the US!

    Reply

  10. Bridget says

    We just moved into our first house in May and we have a room like that (we call it the Room of Requirement) because we are in the process of renovating everywhere else in the house! I’ve been steadily going through and getting rid of a lot so now my room is looking a lot better.

    Reply

  11. Liz E. says

    Your “before” looks crazy similar to our office currently. But gee, when you consider we didn’t just do a marathon book writing/staging/editing/whole-lotta-totally-amazing-DIY-projects-to-be-kept-under-wraps-for-months….that makes our mess look that much worse! *hangs head in cluttered room shame* hahaha.

    Congrats again on the phenomenal book J&S! I can’t wait to get my hands on a copy!

    Reply

  12. Kim says

    ohmigosh yall are coming to Houston tomorrow! Have people told yall stuff to do yet? Not sure if you even have time or if you are in and out too quickly. Ok the most important thing is to have some tex mex! This is a controversial statement for Texans, but I have lived in all 3 cities and in my opinion Houston has better tex mex than Austin or Dallas. El tiempo is about a mile or two from the book signing; it is my favorite for tex mex. The margaritas are lethal but amazing. Or Ninfas on Navigation if yall have more time; it is on the other side of downtown from West Elm. Other good options – Molinas, Pappasitos. But if you can’t swing the tex mex then just go to whataburger if you are in a rush; there is a location down the street from west elm. It is amazing. If you are craving a more substantial burger (you are in the beef state after all), then Beck’s Prime is probably the closest/best burger to West Elm.

    If yall have more time, Sherry are you a Rothko fan? If so the Rothko chapel is pretty cool. I think people already told you about the children’s museum if yall have Clara with you. Anyway I think that pretty much covers it! Excited to see yall tomorrow!

    Reply

  14. Katie says

    Our master bedroom is chaotic because we moved in together and haven’t quite figured out how to organize for two when we are used to organizing for one. Haha.

    Reply

  15. Becky says

    Haha… I’m glad I’m not the only one who has dreams about fnding extra rooms in their house. Can’t wait to meet you tonight in Minneapolis!

    Reply

  16. Lilian says

    I have day bed with a huge pile of clutter… in my husband’s home office! And some clutter boxes around the house… always think one day I will need what I keep. Wish I have a helping clever mother like yours! Very nice colors for Clara’s big room! Can’t wait to see it ready! How many months? 9? Does that mean… that you are… pre… ???
    hahahah! Love you, YHL!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      NOPE, I’m not prego!! Maybe I need to add an update to this post. Yup, I’m doing it. I, Sherry, hereby solemnly swear that I’m not with child. Spread the word!

      xo
      s

  17. Brenda says

    Our playroom slowly turned into our junk room, and it filled up so full we couldn’t walk in it anymore. My brother and I spent a month cleaning it out, and now it’s full of stuff on the shelves, but the main area is clear. I kind of like all the crazy wall stuff you’ve got going on because it’s a fun reminder of the book. Can’t wait to meet you tonight!

    Reply

  18. Morgan says

    For us, this room is our “office.” It essentially has just become a dumping ground for things we don’t know what else to do with, that we don’t want to store in the attic or garage. Every once in a while (usually when we have company coming!) we go through a huge purge/organizing frenzy so it will look presentable. I wish I could think of how to use it more effectively, but you actually have to walk through it to get to the master bedroom since the latter was an addition, so it’s sort of like a big room-shaped hallway. Any ideas?

    Reply

  19. Ethne @ Wom-Mom says

    Hey there, I think everyone has a room like this. We don’t have an extra bedroom, so I have corners here and there in the basement that I cover with tri-fold screens which isn’t too bad (post mega clean-up). It calls for constant vigilance. More importantly, my bff and I are coming to see you tonight at West Elm. There are so many things we want to tell you, but we’ll probably only have a second to say hi. Oh well! 5 million people per month can’t be your best friends! At least we can say hi at all!! Ethne & Lori (PS, I see the 50 Shades of Grey post above, and it made me think of the Halloween costume pin I was where some guy put 50 different shades of gray paint chips on himself. Genius.

    Reply

  20. Morgan says

    Are moms no the best?!? When we thought we could be possibly moving my mom came over to help us clean out and organize our whole house! The stuff ended up filling a truck cab & bed and a small U-Haul trailer (AHH!)!! It was amazing how much stuff we never used and don’t miss now that it is in storage!

    Reply

  22. Sara says

    I bought the two tone desk for my 7 year old daughter’s room, but haven’t had time to get it in there yet, I’ll definitely send pictures when it’s in its home! It’s such a cute desk, perfect for her room and exactly what I’ve been searching for! And she thought it was too cool there’s a picture of “her” desk in your book!
    We squeezed it into the trunk of our Camry and drove it home…slowly that night! haha

    Reply

  24. Krista says

    I definitely have a room that I like to call the “stuff I don’t know what to do with” room, and it is chock-full of fun things, including a box of old-school Disney VHS tapes I can’t bear to part with. It’s supposed to be the guest room, and thankfully I got it functional enough a few weeks ago for our first weekend guest. However, “functional” meant me shoving a ton of said stuff in the closet and praying the guest wouldn’t open the door! :) Still trying to figure out how I want to decorate that space, too, so I think it’s a big work in progress room for sure.

    Reply

  25. vicki says

    oh em gee is that my guestroom?!?!?!
    ever since i got married (4 months ago) we havent been able to step foot in there, no joke. i totally ignore that room like a plague. if im giving someone a tour i pass right by the door and theyll ask whats in there and im like in where?! but obviously theres hope and youve inspired me to “get on that”… next week… maybe! ;)

    Reply

  26. Chris says

    Looking good! Thanks for keeping it real…I’m sure most of us have a room that looks like your Before pic. I know I’m slowly chipping away at mine and it was awesome to see you guys tackle yours!

    Reply

  27. Connie says

    Our basement strongly resembles the playroom before pictures. Before we attempt to sort that mess, we need to finish emptying the boxes of books (you’ve heard this story before). Perhaps the next time elfa shelves are on sale at the Container Store. Positive thinking, please. Five years is already too long for getting all our books back on shelves.

    Reply

  29. Maureen says

    Hmm… we have an entire UPSTAIRS that’s a disaster. It includes on big open room and a bedroom. We will eventually be making and office/project room and a guest bedroom up there. For now, it’s full of crap from the house that we have no idea what to do with and have it up there so it is out of sight.

    Reply

  30. Jennifer Harrup says

    I am cracking up that you guys thought that showing us the sunroom like that would have been a book reveal! Haha…um…from that I might have thought one of the book tips was “cover your floor in clutter to really maximize your room and make it feel larger”. Haha, knowing your readers (ie. the crazy fans who notice when you change something in a different room and it sneaks into the tiniest back corner of another room’s reveal photo) they totally would have been able to see beyond the clutter and spot those book projects though…they’re sleauthy like that. Oh who am I kidding…I would have been analyzing that sunroom pile with the best of them. *hangs head in shame* love you guys and tomorrow is Houston!! yay!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Haha, it’s true! Someone even noticed the wallpapered back of the bookcases in a pic of the kitchen where they were tiny tiny tiny in the background. So funny! And as for Houston, we can’t wait!

      xo
      s

  31. Sarah says

    I just bought the same octagonal mirror you have in there! I love mine and started looking for a copycat from your laundry room! I lucked out and found mine at a thrift store in North Carolina!

    Reply

  32. Michelle says

    I wish I could get that motivated! We used to have a room like that as well but then I started working from home and needed an office. Now we have closets full of stuff. It makes me wish I had an attic because not being able to use two closets is a real bummer.

    Reply

  33. Christy Niebaum says

    You’re not alone. Our guest room is seriously a disaster zone of epic proportions. Furniture, bedding and curtain rods we aren’t using. All my husband’s hunting gear. The closet is entirely devoted to wrappings. Of course, after seeing your mom’s use of hangers to organize gift bags, I’m totally implementing that in our own wrapping closet. I’m like you, I’m a wrapping saver. Between our wedding, baby shower, birthdays and Christmases, I haven’t had to buy gift bags, wrapping paper, bows, ribbons or tissue paper in probably 3 years. Amazeballs.

    Reply

  34. Tasha says

    I think you’re going to have to give up and stop telling people you AREN’T pregnant because when you ARE pregnant, it will be harder to hide! “Why isn’t she saying she’s NOT pregnant…she’s pregnant!”

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      You’re probably right. It’s just strange to be told “I think you’re pregnant!!!” since I’m such an over-sharer so I completely want to say “no I promise I’m not!!!”

      The funny thing is that if I were pregnant as often as folks guessed I was, Clara would have ten brothers and sisters already! Haha.

      xo
      s

  35. Krystal says

    It must feel so good to clear out all that stuff. I have a crazy aunt (I love her dearly despite the wackiness) who recently read in a magazine that “old people smell” isn’t actually a bodily thing that comes with age, but it’s all the stuff they pack and keep in their house that rarely gets cleaned or just in general starts to get smelly over time (think books, old clothes, guest bed sheets, old carpet, etc.) So now she’s been purging her entire house of anything and everything and the minute anyone visits she’ll ask, “Does my house have that old person smell? I swear I can still smell it!” and then she’ll run away and start throwing away more stacks of old books and newspaper articles she’s saved over the years. I’m literally shocked that she still owns anything at all.

    Reply

  36. hjc says

    Makes me wonder what other horrifying secrets you’re hiding from us! Ha! That room hardly qualifies as a mess in my world. We have a huge garage, a bunk house and a well house filled to the brim with stuff – okay, junk. Also, your Mom looks like your 15-year-old kid sister sitting on the floor with her ponytail. What great genes you have!

    Reply

  38. Katie V says

    Dude, we have a room in our house that will eventually be a nursery, however I currently call it “The Room That Time Forgot.” It was cleaned out once, just in time for my in-laws to downsize & ship us a POD full of random crap. So now if you need paintball equipment from 2002, 4 boxes of legos, or 3 random chairs you’re wholeheartedly invited to come over.

    Sorry, they didn’t give us any pillows :(

    Reply

  40. Kim says

    Your playroom is like “the closet” in Monica’s apartment on Friends! Everything else in her house is in order, but behind that one door lurks all her dirty little secrets that she keeps locked up for no one to see! :)

    Reply

  42. Sheila says

    Cluttered rooms? This is embarrassing. I moved from a condo to a house recently and still need to clean out the condo so it can be rented. I could really use the rent money but it’s so much more fun working on the new house!

    I loved your long book post – I’ve been reading it a little at a time and it’s like having you guys with me when I’m flipping through the book.

    I marvel at your keeping up the blog with all this travel and then realize that you already wrote a whole dang book while doing the same! Kudos in any case.

    Reply

  43. Lynn @ Our Useful Hands says

    Currently all of our spare rooms are being used for functions that don’t make sense (heyo! “The Middle Makes No Sense” previous post shoutout) our office is currently a guest bedroom for my soon to be here mother-in-law, our future in-law bedroom is currently housing our file cabinets, extra furniture, and kids crafts, and our game room is currently our tool room/garage. So many things are up in the air, but we’re still jugglin’! It’s nice when it will be decluttered.

    My best, Lynn

    Reply

  44. Kara says

    OOh, I love the umbrella/wrapping paper holder that’s in the closet. Did you DIY that? Getting married in the spring and that could be so cute in our entryway….

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      We had big dreams of making it a playroom for a few years when we moved in (until Clara needed a larger bed, and moved in there herself) but we blinked our eyes and we’ve been here for two years and the room has been a cluttered mess pretty much the whole time! Haha.

      xo
      s

  46. meg shannon says

    Any chance you will be serving cold medicine, tissues and tea at the signing tonight? I cant believe I got sick the week that you are coming to the cities. Major bummer. Here is what I would have said if I didn’t resemble an extra on Contagion and could have come tonight, “I love your site and I look forward to your posts everyday. I have straight up copied you on some of your projects and been inspired by others to do my own twist on things. I so admire your work ethic and can’t imag ine doing all that you do. My two year old daughter loves watching clara videos and sometimes I turn on burger videos to drive my dog nuts. Thank youfor being a source of daily inspiration and entertainment.” OR I would have just giggled and said love your site and asked you to sign my book and whatever else was in reach!

    Reply

  47. Jen H says

    Congrats on cleaning out that room. It must feel good to get it organized. Can I just say I think its ridiculous that you have to keep fending off pregnancy rumors. Just because you blog about your lives, does not mean you are obligated to share everything. I understand people feel like they know you, but I think its rude that people keep commenting that you must be pregnant. Maybe you decided to wait longer, maybe you decided you are content with one kid. Maybe You have been trying and its been more difficult to get pregnant. Who knows, but in my opinion its nobody’s business but your own. I commend you for always answering the question so politely, but I think people should stop asking you if you are pregnant, when that next one is going to come along.

    Reply

    • Wendy says

      Jen,

      This reminded me of what my mother-in-law said to her hub when he said, “when do I get to meet my grandchildren?” She politely put him in his spot, and told him it was NONE of his business except the couple’s. She also listed most of the above reasons that you did.

      Yes, I love my hub’s mother immensely and am soo glad that she will (hopefully) be here when her latest granddaughter is born (12 days and counting)!

  48. Lydia says

    Our entire basement looks like your playroom! It’s been like that for almost 2 (!!) years now.. having to water proof our basement and a new baby are the culprit! For the waterproofing we had to push everything that was down there and mostly organized into the middle of the basement so the workers could dig a trench around the perimeter. Then with the new baby we moved everything from the spare bedroom-turned-nursery down there and we just have not had a chance to tackle that mess yet. Someday… It can be a dude get on that already task!

    Reply

  49. Roxanne M says

    I can’t believe I will be meeting you tonight! SO excited!

    Oh man, I have at least 3 closets that need cleaning AND an entire crawl space under the house that needs sorting. Plus we are putting the house up for sale so have no choice but to do so. I’m glad you guys are normal and have clutter sometimes too!

    Reply

  50. Kim W Rily says

    Did you post about when the auction was going to happen? I would have thought you would get a lot more auction action (hee, auction action) if you had done a post about it. Did I miss something?

    Showed my bro (Jordan) the book and he was really impressed.

    Our garage is our catch-all.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      So sorry Kim! It was in the post about our tour (the Richmond stop mentioned the auction for book projects) along with that info being on our book tour page and then we mentioned it again when we were talking about attending that event. So sorry you missed it!

      xo
      s

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