When Sherry’s mom visited a couple of weekends ago for Clara’s birthday party she spent more than a few hours helping us get the house ready. Her most impressive feat was tackling what we’ve been calling the future playroom / second kids’ bedroom (aka the current junkroom). It looked like an avalanche waiting to happen when she arrived.

We had originally planned to simply close and lock the door for the party because the piles of stuff were, frankly, hazardous to small children. That plan fell apart when we discovered we couldn’t actually close the door anymore. A large box of replacement parts for our recalled outdoor grill had arrived the day before the party and was wedged in the doorway at the worst possible moment.

Before anyone assumed we were candidates for an episode of Hoarders, my mother-in-law took charge and got things sorted. The difference was immediate and dramatic.

Now the door closes smoothly, which was essential for a party filled with little ones running around. Surprisingly, Diana didn’t haul off a ton of things; instead she focused on organizing and condensing. A few long-stored boxes were finally discarded — like the one we kept for Sherry’s sewing machine “just in case” — but most of it was a matter of sensible sorting: pillows together, baskets nested, and items grouped in a way that actually makes sense.

With everything arranged, the room feels less like an accident waiting to happen and more like an overflow decor storage space we can draw from when we need frames, accessories or extra pillows elsewhere in the house. We tell ourselves it’s a temporary staging spot for pieces that don’t yet have a permanent place. After five months of living in this house, having a room dedicated to uncertain-but-useful items suddenly feels OK rather than embarrassing.

One especially meaningful item that surfaced during the cleanup was a vintage kids’ chair Sherry’s mom gave us for Clara’s birthday. It’s the very chair Sherry and her six siblings used as children. It’s charming and full of family history, even if it doesn’t meet modern safety standards exactly. We love the sentimental value — picturing Sherry’s mother as a little kid sitting in that chair eating mashed bananas is an amusing image — and we’re already planning to restore it for Clara to use as a transitional “big girl” chair once she’s ready to graduate out of her highchair.

We’re approaching the restoration cautiously: checking what materials were used originally and confirming there are no lead paint or formaldehyde concerns before we begin any repairs. Sherry has been doing that thoughtful, slightly neurotic research that keeps us feeling safe about bringing older furnishings back into the house.

Although the room is now walkable and the door can close, it’s still a long way from becoming a fully functioning playroom. There’s no rush, which is fortunate because the rest of the house — the living room, office, sunroom, nursery and kitchen — are all serving as play areas for Clara at the moment. Still, reclaiming the floor space felt like a small victory: Clara and I spent a few minutes enjoying the novelty of an open floor, and I joked that all six feet of me can now lie down in there without fear of being crushed by a tower of boxes.

Overall, the cleanup was a practical lesson in decluttering and organizing a multipurpose kids’ bedroom. Key takeaways included grouping like items together, nesting storage baskets to save space, and keeping sentimental pieces that can be safely restored and repurposed. The experience also highlighted how temporary storage rooms can double as a home decor reserve, making it easier to rotate accessories and reuse items across rooms as our needs change.

A big thank you to Sherry’s mom for stepping in and helping us corral the chaos. We’ll do our best to keep the room orderly so it stays ready for the day when we transform it into a true playroom for Clara.