Name(s): Calvin (2)
Location: Chicago, IL
Division: Single
Room Size: 68

Tip for Living Small with Kids: I am a huge fan of minimal toys - we have very few large toys, or at least ones that don't easily fold away. Kids have wonderful imaginations, and I've found it incredibly easy to tap into that imagination and make do with the minimum. We also step outside at least once a day, and this great city provides endless space and opportunity for Calvin to experience new things. When registering for baby gear, we tried to find as many multi-purpose things as possible and really worked to wade through the mountains of baby stuff out there to figure out what the necessities were.

Biggest Design Challenge in this Room: I've struggled a lot with color in this room. We're on the third paint color combination (in as many years). Before he was born, I was striving to create a very calm, sleep-inducing environment. As Calvin has grown older, our color theories have changed and for now, we're settling on this combination.

Our next (very big) challenge will be figuring out what to do when he outgrows the toddler bed - even a twin bed will dominate the room.

Favorite Thing About This Room: I love Calvin's reading area and the Ikea-spice-rack-turned-bookshelves. So easy! I often find him in there quietly reading to himself and think to myself, "Mission Accomplished."

Thanks for your entry Karen and good luck!

What's at stake? Bragging rights AND $1500 worth of gift certificates from Oeuf!

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