Challenge
Aren't children's rooms always a challenge? Thank goodness for those nine months before a baby arrives. While keeping a budget in mind, these parents wanted to use furnishings their children could grow with, repurpose perfectly good hand-me-downs, and create a space that is colorful and fresh enough to nurture a young imagination.

Solution
Furnishing a nursery or child's room is likely to be the first time you purchase items geared to specific purposes such as cribs, changing tables, and rocking chairs. These parents planned their children's rooms with several playful solutions for the basic necessities, including lots of storage and fun.

For example, in the boy's room shown here, an armoire was outfitted as a changing table, and a versatile twin bed is in place when baby becomes a big boy. In the girl's nursery, sheets are used not only on the bed, but also as window treatments and a washable changing pad cover. The floor was painted for easy cleanup and as an inexpensive alternative to carpet.

Use these clever ideas as inspiration, and you'll have a room that will live with your child well into the teen years.