Happy Monday Friends, today we are talking playrooms. Playrooms have become very popular, but many homes do not have a designated space for them. I was asked by a mama to brainstorm ideas on how to create a playroom in a house where it is a focal point. This family turned their previous dining room into a playroom for their kiddos, and would like to keep the space as organized as possible because it is in the main living area of the house. With all of this in mind, I created a modern playroom. In the two mood boards I added in a cozy area rug for the kiddos to play on, and a lot of areas to hide toys at the end of the day. When the playroom is a main focal point, I like to create more of a family room feel. My biggest tip if you are feeling overwhelmed with ‘kid stuff,’ is to go thru it all and really consider what they play with. Before Christmas I got rid of 3 small boxes of my boy’s toys because when I really stopped and thought about it there were a handful they did not play with. My boys have a tendency to create combat with any toy they can find, so at the end of the day it really did look like a war zone of toys. I took all of the extras away, and now they do the exact same thing with just their blocks and dinosaurs, and clean up is 5 minutes, and friends, they do not notice a difference! Less is more, especially when it provides less stress for parents and more time together. My second tip is BASKETS! Oh my, baskets are the best. I have them everywhere, and use them for everything. I love having a bookcase with baskets in a playroom so you can throw items into the baskets, close the doors, and the room looks put together! Taking all of this into consideration, let’s look at the first mood board.
This playroom is light and bright. I love this bookcase, and you could add baskets to it for storage. In our bookcase I have a basket for balls, nurf guns, and trucks. I also have an art box, play-doh bin and a place for puzzles. As I mentioned before, bookcases are such a great way to store quite a bit without having to have it seen. If you have a tv in the room, you could add a media table or sideboard for storage instead of the bookcase. I also added a table with drawers where you could store coloring books, and you could add baskets to the bottom or poufs for sitting. Depending on the size of the room you could add a sofa, and I would definitely include two of these chairs. Another tip is to create a display shelf. I like to have a long floating shelf with picture frames at different sizes where I can display my kids artwork, it’s a nice way to show off their work, yet still feel put together. I like that this space feels calming, when we all know playrooms can often feel quite chaotic.
Here you have a more mid-century playroom. Again, a large cozy rug for kids to play on is a must. I will note that I do not recommend a shag rug because crumbs and small toys get lost in them, it is also hard to use toys such as train tracks on them. I love the bookcase in this room, it comes in several colors, and is very affordable! This coffee table has built-in storage and is currently on sale; what a beautiful piece of furniture that would be so helpful to hide toys in plain sight! I also included furniture that would work with parents to hide messes, but would also be comfortable to sit and read a book or watch your kiddos play. This room makes me want to rethink our playroom, it feels chic yet playful for kids!
Just remember when designing your playroom it has to work for both you and your kids. If it stresses you out, then it is not working. Work to get rid of all of the extras and build in that hidden storage. In all playrooms you may have a few big toys that you can’t hide, and that is ok, they will not be there forever; and, my most important tip yet, there is a difference between a clean house and a tidy house! You can clean all day and have a room that does not feel very tidy. Give yourself grace, kids are busy little bees, that can really make quite the mess in a short amount of time. I hope these ideas provide you some help to create a space that you can easily tidy up, but that you enjoy playing in as well!
Have a great day!
Ashley
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