Momma’s Gone City Room Makeover: Before

Jessica Shyba from Momma’s Gone City and of #theoandbeau fame (her sweet photography series—and future book series—documenting her son and puppy’s adorable bond) has teamed up with us after her family’s recent move to reconfigure and redesign her children’s rooms. Thanks for sharing your journey with us, Jessica!

Our daughter Zoe and son Jack, nineteen months apart in age, have shared a room ever since Zoe was born five years ago. While I was really, really excited to bring a little girl into the dynamics of our family, I never wanted there to be definitive lines drawn between “Jack’s Stuff” and “Zoe’s Stuff.”

They have always played together well—even if that meant propping Zoe’s princess figurines atop Jack’s toy cars and racing them through our apartment. Jack and Zoe became proud older siblings to baby brother Beau two years ago, who joined right into the mix in their shared room in our tiny apartment in New York City.

Currently, in our new home in California, Jack and Zoe are sharing a room while Beau has his own room. Beau, now two and basically born with a basketball in his hand and a skateboard underfoot, is more and more interested in sports and all-things-active, but he is also perfectly willing and patient to oblige Zoe when she feels like dressing him in princess dresses and painting his nails. He tries his hardest to keep up with all that his older brother and sister do.

Still it’s become evident to my husband and me that it’s time for Zoe to have her own space in our home. I think that giving Zoe her own room will give her the confidence to spread her wings and celebrate being the only girl—the “middle child” in our family—and, at the same time, fostering what I am certain will be an incredibly strong brotherhood between Jack and Beau.

Zoe will have her very own closet that she can access her clothing without having to struggle to get to them. There will be a dedicated space on the wall for hanging her masterpieces and hopefully even a vanity of some sort, where she can keep all of her teeny tiny collections of animals and jewelry.

I think that once Beau is brought into Jack’s room, he will feel more connected to him, and maybe, with any luck at all, he will learn to sleep in his own big-boy bed.

I am thrilled to be teaming up with Project Nursery to share the transition process from separating my oldest children, Jack and Zoe, for the first time, and bringing Jack and Beau together into their own room. This is a really huge step for our family, and I know that their individual personalities will evolve while their relationships with each other are also strengthened.

Not to mention, it will be so much fun watching the style of the rooms come together creatively. The brands that we are working with collectively are my most favorite on the planet, and paired with the expertise of Pam and Melisa, the possibilities are endless.