Dear Debbie:
I'm out of town to university and will be away for four years. My "room" budget is small, but I would like to be smart about purchases so they will go the distance. What are the priorities? Thanks -- Rebecca
Dear Rebecca:
Your first move away from home is exciting and I'm sure you are both expectant and nervous about this next stage in your life. I guarantee you will always remember how this new room looked and felt, whether it's in the school's dormitory or a shared rented apartment. On site or online, home stores are filled with all you need to make the move. Some have special teen sections and college kits. It's a given that you won't have much space. Your basic needs are a bed, storage and a desk, so start there.
A good sleep is key to great mental and physical performance and a poor mattress will take its toll. Augment the existing bed with a mattress pad or memory foam and a mattress cover and you'll be good. When it comes to making up the bed, here's where you can have fun and set your style. Easy-care, colourful, themed, bold or sophisticated sheets, blankets and comforters are readily available at reasonable prices. I found throws, cosy cotton blankets, pillows sporting popular phrases such as "awesome" or "bed head" at kohls.com that are funky and fun.
Storage may sound boring, but a modicum of organization will make your life easier, I promise. And there are simple solutions. Hang it or hide it: Hanging storage allows you to take advantage of vertical space -- walls, closet doors. The pockets, up and off the floor, hold everything from books to shoes. Storage bins and baskets can be stacked in a corner and hidden under the bed. See-through baskets or labels are helpful.
Plan your study space so that the desk or tabletop is large enough to hold your computer, notes and books. And buy a chair that supports your back. These are smart long-term purchases.
Dear Debbie:
My young children love what they call "artsy fun" playtime. What are some of the projects that you have done with kids? -- Derrianne
Dear Derrianne:
Wow, this takes me back. I have two sons who are now grown up, and much to my chagrin they never wanted to share an artsy playtime with me. However, I was lucky enough to have lots of friends whose kids did enjoy messing with paints, paper and fabric, so I got my fill. Some of these projects are featured in my book, Kids' Rooms. Stained-glass hoops were always a hit; these colourful circles hung in their bedroom windows. Tapestry hoops comprise two circles, one slightly smaller than the other. Instead of fabric, I used pieces of coloured acetate to make reflective windows of colour that dance in the sunlight. Stencilling designs on fabric or walls is easy and makes us all feel like grand artists. Decoupage, which is cut-and-paste art, is a captivating way to build a picture or cover a plain cardboard box to make it special. There are lots of ideas for containers to hold paintbrushes and coloured pencils that are artsy and fun all on their own. You can find the Kooky Ceramics shown here online at kookypottery.com and in a few years you just might be making some of your own. Enjoy this special time with your children. Invite the neighbours in, too.
Debbie Travis's House to Home column is produced by Debbie Travis and Barbara Dingle. Please email your questions to house2home@debbietravis.com. You can follow Debbie on Twitter at twitter.com/debbie_travis, and visit Debbie's website, debbietravis.com.
