OMG, for a second I thought that mannequin was your daughter!

Our 5 year old daughter's room is set up in much the same way, with a similar philosophy -- except that over time, what is added to the room has less to do with my tastes and more and more to do with hers! What I love about this style is that it's very realistic. Once children reach toddlerhood, their rooms become more eclectic, less matchy-matchy, and quite honestly, a bit chaotic! The challenge is to respect this evolution, while also providing kids with a means to keep their things organized. No one likes to live in chaos, and I think that mess, while a necessary part of the creative process, can work against creativity if it's a chronic or excessive problem.

We decorate her walls with a combination of inspiring art-posters and her own creations. Almost anything goes. We want her to feel surrounded by her own work! We use painter's tape double-over on itself to attach her paper creations to the wall and ceiling--such a wonderful tool for things that won't be kept forever. It peels off the wall easily without leaving any damage, though it will adhere to the paper almost permanently. In other words, not for "heirloom" artwork!

We found that a cube-style storage unit with baskets (a-la the near ubiquitous IKEA Expedit) is a wonderful piece of furniture that helps keep the little things organized, out of sight, but within easy reach. Her tea sets, blocks and legos, dollhouse furniture, and cars/trucks/trains stay off the floor and best of all, she can put things away herself.

Those temporary hooks are also superb for hanging dressup. Her favorite pieces are in sight and off the floor. As they're temporary, we can add more, rearrange, and so on as we/she sees fit. They attach very securely to smooth wall surfaces (e.g., the Expedit, doors, and other slick or oil-paint walls). Along the walls, celings, those mini-temporary hooks (the kind used to attach holiday lights to window frames) are great for threading twine or wire, add some clips, and you can hang more art or posters, or even heirloom baby blankets, quilts, and so on.

I remember one day my daughter said to me, "mom, you hate plastic, but I love it!" I had to resign myself to the fact that my daughter got the most hours of play out little plastic figurines that she likes to dress in toilet paper, tissue paper and scraps of ribbon and string. This is how she rolls, she likes to make big messes and loves clutter! No modern simplicity in her room!

I love the house-shaped (Scandinavian) display shelves. Where can I find these for sale? What a wonderful room!

I found it in a thrift store! I was looking for it for a while...