With both my girls i transitioned them by moving lunch forward a bit, so lunch around 11:30 then nap after lunch (12ish) then i slowly moved lunch back to a normaly time and now DD2 goes down anywhere b/w 12:30 and 2ish.
I have never worked out a 'rest' pattern for them, some days i would put a DVD on with a snack and sit them on their little couch with a pillow and blanket but after about 5min or when the snack was finished they would be up and running around again or dancing to the movie.

I think it's all just a matter of trial and error, good luck with it all.