Playroom Design and Build

It’s been awhile since I have posted anything design related on here. We are currently in the middle of a total house renovation and I have so many projects to share with you all, but for now I wanted to share an older project that has always been my favorite. 

In 2021 we began our playroom build in our last house. We had intended to live in that house for 10+ years so I was really intentional about the spaces we created. It started by completely renovating our two car garage into a fully functional playroom. Prior to this, our main play area was the dining room and with Isla getting older I knew we needed a dedicated space for her to play. We had a basement but I wanted the playroom to be on the first floor so we could be able to keep a closer eye on her while she played. The playroom was right off of the kitchen and led to our fenced in yard which was the perfect set up for our family.

Design Goals

Natural light: One of the most important aspects of this design was to have as much natural light as possible. We started by removing the garage door and replacing it with 4 large windows. We added a door and window to the hallway as well. We painted all of the walls Sherwin Williams Pure White and installed overhead recessed lighting. While that is not considered natural light, it definitely helped with the overall light and airy feel of the space. Natural light helps boost your mood and is actually proven to help children sleep better (although I cannot attest to the sleep one…).

Maximize Toy Storage: Toddlers have soooo many toys and it can get really overwhelming if they are not organized. I like to have a majority of our toys out of sight and do a toy rotation. Toy rotations for toddlers is important as it helps maintain their interest. Rotating toys periodically encourages creativity and problem-solving skills. It also prevents boredom and ensures that children explore different types of toys, promoting holistic learning and development. If I get overwhelmed by a lot of toys that I don’t even play with, I know it overwhelms her as well. My favorite storage feature in this project was our built in storage bench. Not only does it add seating to the space, but it adds a great amount of hidden storage and it’s pleasing to the eye. We also added built in shelves to the side of the bench and an entire closet dedicated to storing toys and art supplies.

Natural and Feminine Accents: My goal for this space was for it to be an extension of our home which was an overall calm and relaxing space. I’ll probably be called a “sad beige mom” for this but I didn’t want to do crazy colors or designs, I wanted it to be a space Isla could grow into and a space that we all enjoyed spending time in. I partnered with Urban Walls and was gifted the most beautiful light blue and white magnolia wallpaper that we used for an accent wall. The wallpaper was what I mainly centered my design around. We didn’t want to use wallpaper in the entire room, so we added wood wainscot paneling to help elevate the room. I wanted a warm flooring to contrast with the light walls and wallpaper, so I partnered with Flooret and received LVP white oak flooring which helped pull the entire space together. I added natural decor to play off of the blue tones in the wallpaper and natural wood tones in the flooring. 

After the playroom was completed we spent almost all of our free time in there playing and creating. It was the perfect room for playdates and had so much space for dance parties and fort making. We moved over 8 months ago and Isla still talks about her playroom to this day. It was such a special space for her and I. We spent hours reading books on the couch, having my midwife appointments in there while she played, decorating for holidays, and so much more. It’s by far my favorite project we have ever created and I can’t wait to design another playroom similar to it in our next house.