My daughters are 15 months, to the day, apart. I didn't want to buy a second crib, so i had decided to have the baby in a bassinet for 3 months. when Lilly was 17 months and the baby was 2 months... she climbed out of her playard while we were on vacation. that sealed the deal! i wasn't about to have her climb out of the crib. so when we got home, I turned her crib into a toddler bed, and kept it in the exact same spot as it had been before. we had a twin bed in her room already also, that she played on (and soon became her new bed... she was familiar with it by that time).
after about a month, I went in and took the crib out of her room. then that night, i put her to bed very sleepy in her new bed, and voila, she was now in a twin bed. I'm so glad I did it that way, because it's nice to be able to take her somewhere and she can sleep in a regular bed (on vacation).
each time I switched (crib to toddler bed, toddler bed to twin bed), I did it at nighttime when she was very tired. then she woke up in her new bed, and i think that made it easier. I also gave her a pillow when I made the first switch, and I think that helped (she didn't have a pillow when it was a crib).
it sounds like her bed is in a different room than it was before? is there any way to switch her in her old room? I think one change at a time is probably best.
Good luck!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!