Playrooms Spark Imagination and Creativity

Today I thought I would share an anatomy of a redo.  This project grew out of changing family dynamics.  Families face this as children grow up and leave the nest to find their own way.  In my case my youngest daughter who occupied this room was leaving the nest after finishing school and getting married.  My older daughter had also left the nest for work and family and had provided us with a most awesome granddaughter (surely no bias here).  My second grandchild was on the way and you never know about newlyweds so I thought the perfect transformation for this room would be to turn it into a playroom.  This way toys could be housed in one place and the hope was to create a magical space that would remain in the memories of my grandchildren long after they were grown.

 I imagine each of you can remember a space, large or small, that you loved as a kid.  My place would not have been remarkable to anyone but me because it was a small closet on the second floor of my grandmother Violas' house.  Among some of the things stored in there were blankets and comforters. The closet had a little niche and I would curl up in there with the blankets and comforters and read.  I remember reading a Wizard Of Oz book that must have belonged to my dad or one of my uncles.

OK back to the redo.  I knew I wanted this to be a low cost redo and that I would be using several things that I already had from another room that I had turned into a nursery with the arrival of my first grandchild.  Yes, grandchildren are awesome!!  That room was to be transformed into a guest room.  This room is an odd shaped space with a large open area and a jut out at one end with slanted ceilings.  I knew I wanted the larger floor area to remain mostly open for playing in the floor, dancing, putting on plays, and yes pitching a tent (I do not do snakes and bugs well). 

When beginning a budget redo always start by accessing what you already have that will work and then determine the things you will need to purchase to add to the space.  I had plenty of color inspiration from a comforter, existing curtains I was moving from the other room, and existing toys.  From the tent I got the idea to make the walls green like the outdoors and the ceiling blue like the sky.  These colors would be favorable to any gender.   From the comforter I got the accent color of pink which works for our current stage and can be easily changed in the future if needed.  I have used Valspar paint for years and have never been disappointed.  Below are the links to the colors used.  Valspar 1003-1A Pink Burst,  Valspar W34009A Inch Worm, and 5001-7A Blue Tradition

  

Be flexible when working on projects.  Sometimes you have make little adjustments along the way.   I wanted to make this cozy, intimate, cocoon like space in the jut out.  My initial plan was to carry the pink all the way to the ceiling.  After getting into the project I realized that just painting the half wall would do the trick. (The blue you see on slanted wall was the existing color of the room.)  I loved how soothing the green was against the blue.

Bold colors are not for the week of heart.  If you like color but are afraid to choose it hire a professional who has experience selecting color to eliminate guess work.

Truthfully my family was more than a little nervous as the bold pink went up.  Seems like they would trust me by now.  Why did it work?  Because I balanced it with a lot of white.  I knew that most of the pink would be covered up by the bed and bookcases, creating a beautiful backdrop.

At night, with the lamp on, the pink gives off this wonderful glow.  I matched the pink to the darkest pink in the comforter for maximum impact.  Bed, bookcases, dresser and lamp were existing. Personalization was added to the space by hanging a paintings I had created in a local art class.  If your area offers artistic opportunities I highly recommend you giving them a try.  These were done under the guidance of Nikki Needham of The Preppy Possum.

 Shelving makes toys easily accessible to children and makes for easy clean up.

I am a big believer in exposing children to books and they fit naturally into the decor of children's rooms.

The shelf below is personalized with stuffed frogs, a frog book and a favorite photo.  Children love seeing photos of themselves. To display children's original artwork choose frames all in one color.  This will help to tie all artwork together.

Storage is always an issue in playrooms.  My low cost alternative came from Lowes.  I continued the theme of white shelving and then added color with the storage bins.  I am always amazed at the cost of  storage items.  I was lucky to find these at the Dollar Store and keep the cost down.  I had to go to two stores to get enough because I pondered them for a day. When I went back most were gone.  Suggestion, if it cost one dollar you do not need to ponder it.

This painting above is an original and is absolutely fabulous. The colors are bright and the expression is playful. I purchased it originally to go in the nursery and now have moved it to the playroom. The artist is Madison Latimer.  This picture does not show it off properly.  It really makes a statement.

The larger area of the room houses various things around the perimeter  and keeps the center of the floor open.  On the short wall there is an area for the doll house and bins for dress up clothes.

The longer wall has a glider chair moved from the nursery, simple low cost shelving for books, a set of mirrors to preform in front of, and a cozy reading area.

This area of the room received ooh's and aah's from my granddaughter when she saw it. The wonderful pink puff was found at TJ Max Home Goods and the leaves and flower light were bought at IKEA.  We did not find the leaves until after we had finished most of the room.  The curtains and pillows I  made for the nursery originally. Below is what it looked like before the leaves and another painting I did for the wall.

 



Frogs and butterflies were added here and there for fun.

Every playroom needs a chair for cuddling, reading books, and rocking babies.  I used inexpensive picture rails from Ikea to display books.

The last little area is a small closet to the left of the book shelf with cubbies.  The doorway into it  is so small that an adult has to turn sideways and bend over to get through it.  We thought this would be a perfect area to put all the kitchen stuff that often can get messy and chaotic.  If that happens we just shut the door.  The closet was already this pale pink and I just left it as it was. It too is a Valspar color.

The end result is amazing.  Even while inspiring creativity it is a calming and enjoyable space to be in.  When I need a little stress relief I go up and lay on the bed and look up to where the green walls meet the blue ceiling sky and just relax.  It is never long after my granddaughter gets to our house that we hear, "can we go to the playroom?".  On occasion we do fold up the T.P. and put up the larger tent for our pretend camping out in a critter free environment.  I just wish my husband could have found one in pink.  I guess that would be an unusual tent request but you know how I love color.  I hope this inspires you to add a little color to your next project.

The last pictures are of the room in action!

Another reading area at the foot of the bed.  The pink pillow puff finds many uses.  Here it makes a great restaurant table for her furry friends.  Most of the time it is being rolled on, sat on, or stood on.

Dress up time is usually the favorite time!

Did I tell you that grandchildren are awesome?