Here’s the deal.

Joey is a hot mess. All the time. Really. All the time.

He’s dirty, constantly, no matter how much I clean him up. He plays, and play a lot and plays hard. His toys have to be quite sturdy or they will break in a matter of minutes. Not on purpose, he just plays rough, and has such empathy when they break unwillingly that I think he may just not understand his own toughness yet.

His room has always been a sore topic with me. I haven’t wanted to invest too much into it too early because he really is changing so fast. A year ago, he was still in his crib, couldn’t dress himself and still wanted six books and a bottle at bedtime.

Now, he’s a big 4 year old, sleeps in a big boy twin bed, dresses himself in the mornings before pouring his cereal himself, and doesn’t need coaxing to choose a toy and play make believe.

While Joey is abnormally independent for a four year old, I don’t ever want him to feel like we aren’t here to help him or guide him. Which is frankly why I’ve put off doing his room to my own standards. I want him to be able to decide, to help me, to make decisions alongside me that benefit him, not just me.

So after some chatting with him and brainstorming how Adam and I could best accommodate our growing, independent boy, I decided it was time that Joey got a real, decorated, perfect room for him.

Joey and I went over what “decor” he wanted. He loves the photos in his room – of him and us and his friends. There’s a painting of Adam that he adores, as well as a drawing of a mountain lion a relative did of one spotted at the ranch decades ago. He loves these, and loves anything sentimental, so we wanted to keep those.

He also loves his books. He chooses not to read them often, and goes through phases where one is all he wants for months. But he cherishes them, tells me the stories, even though he wouldn’t always choose to grab one and read. He loves make believe, and his books spark that in him often.

And finally, he wants to dress himself, put away his own laundry, and wants to know exactly where things go so he can put things away himself. Which led to the open shelving idea and lots of baskets.

We redid his whole room for less than $500, using a lot of things we already had and only investing in the major furniture pieces and storage solutions.

I’ve linked everything below, because I think it was all super reasonably priced and easy to order/have delivered. All the furniture pieces I was able to put together and move by myself (at 30ish weeks pregnant), and Joey proof.