Small space living requires creative thinking. And that's exactly what Jordan of Oh Happy Day is all about. She recently featured her son's room - what was once a closet.
But rather than being dark and claustrophobic, the room is warm and inviting. She recently transitioned her son from a crib to a toddler bed made by her husband to fit perfectly against one wall. Too see more photos of this awesome room, check out Oh Happy Day. Stayed tuned; it looks like this tiny room will soon be turned into a shared room between siblings!
Image: Oh Happy Day
Small Cool Lessons: Discovering Small Space Design Ideas That Really Work
Marisa and Peter's Playfully Eclectic Home
Good Food to Share 
The Big Book of Small, Cool Spaces 
Apartment Therapy Presents 
The Eight-Step Home Cure 
Z2 iPod Dock and Wi...
How to Make Easy 3-Ingredient Energy Bars at Home
How to Make Fresh Pasta Dough in the Food Processor
"Harry Potter also lived in a closet, and he grew up to be a fine young man." Brilliant! Who knew a closet could be so cheery and adorable? :)
I love that quote too. We have a large closet next to our room that I've been toying with changing, so they baby can be closer. Her bedroom is at the end of the house next to the front door, and it makes me a touch nervous to be that far away. Thanks for sharing!
Not to be a downer, but I'd seriously consider safety with this set-up. There should be a point of egress other than the closet door. Fire, earthquake, etc. If I were a rescue person, I'd not look in a closet, or probably be able to get into one easily.
wow...I really love the light. It mimics the soft clouds in the print.
I searched the Oh Happy Day blog to find out where the light is from, but it came from a flea market. Can anyone out there tell me who made this light and/or where I can find something similar...?
oops. apparently the blog did mention where to find a similar light, I was just looking at an older post that didn't say. For anyone else that likes the light, it's on Amazon http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000Z4TCGO?ie=UTF8&tag=ohhada-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B000Z4TCGO
but with a $400 tag - yikes! I guess I will stick to a simple IKEA pendant for my daughter's room for now :-)
I love it! My son slept in our bedroom closet for his first 2 years. I am so impressed that they are able to make it work for two kids. We gave up and my husband lost his den which will be our two kids' shared room.
my first thought was the same as jenkseattle. I would worry about it from a safety perspective.
Um, Harry Potter is a fictional character.
I don't mind the idea as an alcove, but do they actually shut the door? My husband and I joke about shutting our daughter in the closet as a punishment, but we'd never actually do it.
Besides, it's just not safe, there's a reason why bedrooms are required to have windows or secondary doors in building codes. And they want to put a second child in there--these people need to give up and get a bigger apartment, or else move the children out into the bedroom.
Bah humbug. I'm sure they thought about safety and made what they felt was the best decision for their kids. I think it's cute!
Cute idea, but this is a code violation. I'm surprised they would even post it online since it could (and should) be reported.
Quote: Code requires that all habitable rooms have two means of egress. Egress is just a fancy word for "getting out". The International Residential Code (IRC) Section R310 defines an emergency egress as an opening that's minimum 5.7 square feet*, minimum 24 inches vertical clearance, minimum 20" horizontal clearance, and a sill height no greater than 44" above the floor. *Ground floor windows can be 5.0 square feet.
http://www.askthehomedesigner.com/buildingcodes.html
It's not safe for even one child to be sleeping in that closet let alone two. People need two ways to get out in case of fire, and firefighters need to be able to get in to rescue.
"4 month old Roman will soon join his older brother in the closet"... !!!
One child in a closet, OK I can see it as a clever use of space providing they don't shut him in - but two?? I know I don't know anything about the family or their circumstances, but I wonder if this is perhaps the time to suck it up and move to a 2 bedroom place.
everyone needs to take it down a notch. these are her children - of course she's not going to completely disregard their safety!! they live in san francisco, which is arguably the most expensive place (except, or maybe equal to, NYC) to live in the US. i think it's great that they're making their place work for them. it's inspirational!
She has done many post about hiring a decorator to help furnish and decorate her apartment. If the can afford that, not to mention the expensive furniture/art in their house, the can afford to move to a 2 bedroom.
Unless there's an invisible window in that closet, there is a total disregard for safety. Building and fire codes are created for a reason, and this 'bedroom' is a code violation. These codes are created to keep people safe. That's not harsh, it's the truth.
Do I think this would be a great 'snuggle spot' for a child to hang out in and read or play, sure. And if it was posted as such I wouldn't have said a word. Is it a safe spot for anyone to sleep in - no way!
I love it! It's charming, and a creative use of space :o) Nevermind the "trolls" with nothing better to do than spread negativity. Perhaps you will consider their safety comments, and perhaps you can do what you want. Great idea!
I think you meant to type "that was once a closet".
"What was once a closet" doesn't sound quite right!
Emergency services workers ARE trained to look in cupboards - often little kids will hide in a cupboard in an emergency. But yeah, I'd be worried about ventilation etc.
I love it, and assuming the door has been removed, perfectly safe. My son sleeps in a closet/hallway (three doors, actually) and it has worked really well.
I know lots of people who think using a closet as a nursery is a brilliant use of space, however, its not safe. Hasn't anyone read the reports that air flow is one of the biggest risk factors in SIDS? Even in a normal sized room with normal airflow, using a fan decreases the risk of SIDS by 75%. Imagine that and how stifling it is in a little closet with no airflow at all.
I wonder what the other bedrooms in the house are being used for? An office? A craft room? Surely they can sacrifice ONE of these rooms for their children to be SAFE. Put the computer in the closet for heaven's sake.
Once again, Ohdeedoh posting UNSAFE ideas!!!! Seriously, editors...do you even think twice before you post? Maybe you should have a parent on your board who has actually LOST a child. Its not as uncommon as you would think.
And I'm not posting to be 'negative'...I'm posting to give others safety awareness. Yes, losing a child CAN happen to you, and its NOT worth the 'cute' or 'creative' factor.
I love cute and creative as much as the next momma, but after burying a child, I KNOW where to draw the lines between SAFE and CUTE. And I think its horribly irresponsible for Ohdeedoh to constantly be posting unsafe ideas.
@sb3891: I believe they live in a one-bedroom.
I live in a studio apartment, and I plan on converting the walk-in to a small nursery for my baby when s/he arrives. I've thought carefully about safety concerns and taken precautions. The child will sleep with me in the main area for the first few months, so air flow won't be a problem anyway. I can barely afford the rent here, so moving to a larger space isn't an option for me. Everyone's situation is different.
Ohdeedoh is responsible for posting ideas, and we as consumers, parents and designers are responsible for taking those ideas and making them work, which means making them safe and logical. Not every closet is the same, therefore not every variable can be addressed in a simple article on a website.