If you frequent Apt34 from time to time, you may have seen that I’ve been working on a toddler room refresh for my two and a half year old. Rather than get overwhelmed by trying to redesign the entire space at once, I decided to tackle it area by area. First up: the closet. Did you see the before I shared a few weeks back? The closet was just a hot mess and a missed opportunity to capitalize on very usable space. But now the makeover is complete and today you get to see the after! I can’t wait to hear what you think.

It did take a bit of elbow grease to get the closet looking this spiffy. First there was the getting rid of the things (yes, I forced myself to part with stacks of swaddle blankets and tiny baby outfits I’d been holding onto with a vice grip). Then there was the cleaning of the things. Funny how grungy a space gets when you don’t touch it for months on end!

Thankfully, a few quick swipes with Clorox Triple Action Dust Wipes caught all the dust and dog hair that had accumulated in there. I love that they pick up allergens too. I followed that up with a thorough wipe down with Clorox Disinfecting Wipes for a totally clean slate. The closet looked as sparkly new as the day we moved in.

After that good wipe down, I set out to transform this space into a little creative studio for my little guy. Now all his art supplies, legos, stickers and the like are within reach of his little fingertips – and out of my sight! The secret? Boxes on bins, on tubs, on boxes. For example, I found the perfect white bins that hide the (ever growing!) collection of legos. So happy about that.

The adorable ABC bins now holding favorite puzzles, blocks and balls are from Pehr Petit. I love that the bins still feel young and playful, but are a touch more elevated in the monochromatic color palette.

Despite my personal aversion to color, I had to pay homage to my kiddo’s creative side by displaying some of his masterpieces and his most-prized possessions on the closet wall – the banjo and ukulele. Now his instruments hang just like his music teacher’s – major bonus points for mama (though he’s probably more excited about the little men they’re hanging from then the display itself).

This little kid table is the perfect workstation for anything creative. I love that the stools can tuck in out of the way. And it’s actually pretty comfortable for me to sit at too.

get the look: wall-mounted book bins // pehr petit alphabet baskets // children’s banjo // children’s ukulele // white storage bins // white washed wood storage bins // fabric storage bins // little buddy wall hooks // wooden elephant puzzle // retro wood car // maxi helly helicopter // baby letto lemonade play table // vehicles book 

Finally, I corralled our extensive book collection with wall mounted shelves that make it easy for a toddler to recognize book covers and grab what he wants to “read” for himself. I keep the nicer titles that are less friendly to rough and tough play in the upper bin. It’s the perfect way to make use of the vertical space.

With this little makeover, I accomplished two goals: dramatically increasing the amount of usable playspace in my son’s room and I gave myself way more storage and the ability to tuck away mess with the simple swing of a door. It was a win all around. I’m happy to report that my son is just as thrilled with his new space as I am!

For more peeks into our San Francisco Victorian, CLICK HERE.

For more kid’s room inspiration, CLICK HERE.

original photography for apartment 34 by andrea posadas 

This content was created is in partnership with Clorox. All thoughts and opinions are 100% my own. Thanks for supporting collaborations that I’m excited about and that have kept apartment 34’s doors open