I am so excited to continue with our Minimalist Montessori Home Tour! Today we're taking a tour of Sunshine's bedroom.
Though Sunshine is turning nine in a couple of months, developmentally, emotionally, and cognitively, she is about four or five years old. For all intents and purposes, this is a tour of a little girl's bedroom.
Safety is of the utmost importance in Sunshine's room due to her mood disorder, autism, and Reactive Attachment Disorder. You'll note emphasis on this as I describe the contents of her room.
Sunshine's room is her safe space. It's the one place she can always go to take a break, get away from whatever is going on elsewhere in the house, and find comfort.
At times, it also becomes the place she lets out all of her strong emotions.
No matter the situation, this room meets her needs quite well.
A Minimalist Montessori Home Tour: A Little Girl's Bedroom
When we moved into our home here in Virginia, Sunshine was adamant that she have a bright yellow room to match the color of the sun. No matter how many times I suggested a different color, she said no. So, we went with a sunshine yellow!
I then decided to accent with a pale pink to soften the room up a bit. The results were very pleasing to both of us.
I especially love the throw rugs and curtains from Pottery Barn Kids. They not only soften the look of the room, but also the sound when Sunshine is expressing larger than life emotions.
A Door?
The first thing you'll notice when walking into Sunshine's room is that her room does not have a door. Instead there is a curtain that she can open and close when she needs privacy.
In our previous home in NY, Sunshine was notorious for disassembling the doorknob to her room and constantly being unsafe with the door. We learned very quickly that doors are triggers.
Sunshine has to know what's going on all around her. A door prevents that and can trigger some pretty strong emotions that we'd like to avoid if we can. The curtain on the other hand is a sign of freedom, which she enjoys immensely.
The Bed
From the time Sunshine was an infant until age six, she enjoyed a Montessori floor bed in her room.
It was the safest option in regards to her PTSD triggers related to confinement in a crib, as it allowed her the freedom to move around her room at an early age. (We kept a baby gate in her doorway.)
The Montessori floor bed helped significantly with her sensitivities to vestibular input and depth perception issues, due to her vision impairment.
I really can't say enough about a Montessori floor bed. You can read more about Sunshine's experience HERE.
At age six Sunshine graduated to a taller twin size bed. We selected the bed you see above in pictures because it is HEAVY and STRONG. Even when Sunshine is really struggling, this thing doesn't move.
We selected a bed with storage shelves underneath because we knew dressers and drawers would not be a safe option that would work for Sunshine.
This bed was purchased through PBTeen, but is no longer available in a twin size option.
The Curtains & Curtain Rods
When my kiddos were young, I learned very quick that investing in strong curtain rods and black out curtains was a necessity. I can attest that the ones in Sunshine's room are THE BEST!
Sunshine has climbed her walls, using her curtains as a rope.
She has swung from her curtains like a monkey.
At almost 80 lbs., the rods and curtains withstood her weight.
I can't say enough about our Pottery Barn Kids curtain rods and black out curtains.
Clothing Storage
Both sides of Sunshine's bed have three shelves. One side holds all of her fall and winter clothes. The other side is home to her spring and summer clothes.
Clothes are matched up by outfit so Sunshine just grabs the outfit off of the top of the pile to wear without having to worry about going through everything else to find what she needs.
When we fold laundry together, Sunshine chooses the order of her outfits each week.
We do the same for her pajamas.
The pink baskets are home to socks, underwear, swim suits, etc.
Self-Care Corner
Right as you enter Sunshine's room, to the left of the door, you'll see a self-care corner. Sunshine's shoes hang on one wall. The other wall includes an acrylic shatter proof mirror and shelf that holds her brush, comb, toothpaste, toothbrush, deodorant, and glasses at night when she goes to bed.
Some may wonder about the toothpaste in her room. Surprisingly, Sunshine has been safe with this in the past for the most part. When she decides to have fun with her toothpaste, she also learns it's not so fun to clean it up.
If we see continued issues, we replace the large toothpaste container with a travel sized one so she can't cause as much of a mess with it. Eventually she gets sick of cleaning it up.
To ensure safety, the shelf and the mirror are literally screwed into the wall.
Books & Toy Storage
Next to Sunshine's bed is a very low shelving unit that holds her books and some of her toys. I love that it's so short. If Sunshine decides to climb on it I don't have to worry. The shelving unit itself is 50 lbs in weight. It also comes with brakets to attach it to the wall.
I love this book shelf as it allows Sunshine to easily select a book and return it. This cuts down her frustration which is always a great thing.
Sunshine always takes very good care of her books. The only time we ever have to throw one away is because she's worn through it.
Under Sunshine's books are two soft rope baskets that store her Stella dolls and accessories. We LOVE Stella dolls and accessories for Sunshine as they are soft, safe, and so extremely durable.
Due to safety concerns we do not allow Sunshine to have hard toys in her room. This has definitely been a challenge with doll accessories, but nothing we haven't been able to figure out.
Two years ago for Christmas Sunshine's baby doll received a Montessori floor bed. You can read more about it HERE.
More Storage
At the end of Sunshine's bed is a trunk that stores extra sheets and blankets when needed. The trunk door has a safety device on it so it won't fall or slam. I love that the trunk is so low, so if Sunshine climbs on it, I don't have to worry.
In the corners of each of her room are two more soft pink rope baskets. One is home to all of her dress up clothes. The other is where Sunshine stores stuffed animals she doesn't want on her bed.
Screwed to the wall is a set of hooks with a shelf at Sunshine's level so she can hang up sweatshirts, towels, and her bathrobe. Sunshine has hung off and pulled on this before. I'm excited to say, it's still attached to the wall!
On top of the shelf are two soft and cushioned jewelry boxes that store her hair ties and jewelry.
Where Is Everything Else?
Sunshine does have more toys. She has a table top kitchen set with play food, LEGO sets, a doll house, Barbies, and accessories. All of these items are stored in our living room for safety and supervision reasons.
Sunshine actually prefers this as she enjoys playing with siblings far more than she enjoys playing by herself, so she doesn't mind this.
We all love that Sunshine's room can be a safe and beautiful place for her. The contents are minimal and not overwhelming, so she is able to maintain it herself! This is a win win for everyone!
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