The Playroom

When toys started taking over the lounge and I kept tripping over little cars in the kitchen, I knew it was time to convert the study into a play space for the boys.  It made more sense for the room to be utilised as a playroom anyway, since it is situated at the end of the hallway and close to the boys' bedrooms.

As soon as we made the decision to transform the room, I got busy planning.  I envisaged a fun and colourful space to inspire creativity and imagination, with plenty of floor space for playing.  I had a modern vibe in mind and didn't really plan on a having a 'theme', but wanted to incorporate elements of nature (trees, birds etc.).  Most importantly, it had to be practical and safe for busy little boys - lots of smart storage solutions and no sharp corners!  When our little boy once fell and cut his cheek on the sharp corner of a coffee table, it reinforced how impractical it was and how important it is to ensure the furniture is child-friendly.

My wonderful hubby did all the moving of the 'heavy' furniture - it actually involved the removal of 'three' sliding doors in order to relocate the big timber desk into the Parents' Retreat!  We decided to leave the two couches in the room, as we knew they would be ideal for reading to the kids and also a nice place for adults to sit and accompany the kids at times whilst they are playing.  We deliberately decided on no TV in the room.  Maybe we will put one on the wall when they are older, but for now we want the playroom to be a place for PLAY, not for staring at a screen.

The room has a great walk-in-robe which has been designed for storage (lots of shelving) and is fantastic for storing toys and craft stuff - things that we want to keep out of reach of little ones!  As well as being a great way to avoid a cluttered room, I actually find it's a good idea to rotate some toys around - that way the novelty doesn't seem to wear off.  We call this handy room the 'Storeroom' and it is only to be accessed by Mum and Dad - working well so far!

The boys just love the finished room - when they are not busy riding flat out on their bikes outside that is!  Sure, it gets really messy, just as any kids' space does, but having a designated spot for everything makes it really easy to tidy up!  I'm always changing things around as I think of new ideas and as the boys get new toys, but below are some pictures of the current set-up:

The gorgeous tree wall sticker is from Mooo, as are the retro number and alphabetic stickers.  We added the Squirrel and acorns later on.

My hubby found the wonderful bookshelf sitting out the front of a shop and when he asked about it, was told it was going to be thrown out and he could have it for free!  I was so excited as I had been on the lookout for one just like it.  I gave it a few coats of paint and it was as good as new!  The big draws are ideal for holding colouring and activity books.  The framed long-stitch above the bookshelf was a lovely hand-made baby gift from a colleague when our first son was born.

We couldn't resist another Ikea Expedit bookcase - just wonderful for storing and displaying toys.  The canvas storage boxes are from Mor-Stor and hold Duplo, Mega Blocks, cars and mixed toys.  They help to keep things organised and make packing up fairly easy - the boys know where everything goes.

The original 'Big Ted' on one of the shelves is special as it belonged to me and my siblings when we were young.  The Pooh Bear is another sentimental toy as it was my husband's as a child.  I love that some of the boys' things also belonged to my brother, such as the cute owl play clock, a few wooden puzzles, some of the Duplo and Thomas trains.

The beautifully crafted Cocoon Couture Cheeky Squirrel bookend holds up some lovely old books - the Enid Blyton books were mine and the rest are from other family members (mmm, I've just made myself feel a tad old now, hehe!).

The drum-playing panda was one of my Christmas gifts when I was quite young and I absolutely loved it!  Unfortunately it no longer works but it does look rather gorgeous sitting on top of the boys' bookcase! The Snuffy book by Dick Bruna (from the Miffy series) was also mine as a child.

I had been eyeing off the gorgeous Dwell Studio toy boxes for ages, but had resigned to the fact that they were a bit too indulgent at the normal price!  However, when I found them on sale for 'half price' in our local children's shop during a relocation sale, I just couldn't resist and bought four! The designs are amazing.  The two pictured above with the Transportation design hold Mobilo and wooden blocks, which my boys usually play with on a daily basis.  The box with the brown spot design holds soft toys and the large Transporation one is idea for the boys' wooden train set.

We put a magnetic whiteboard on the side of the bookshelf and the boys enjoy making words with their alphabet magnets.  Nearby, the Cocoon Couture Cheeky Squirrel bean bag is very comfy and a great spot for reading.  The wooden doll house was made by the very clever 'Santa' himself :).

The fantastic train table was a very lucky garage sale find (you can see the boys' latest train track set up in the picture).  It also doubles as a handy art table and sometimes even a pretend restaurant table when the boys are playing with their little kitchen.

This little corner area has proven to be a great spot for making a cubby house or hiding!  The beautiful Cocoon Couture Enchanted Tree was won in a Babyology competition and is a really lovely addition to the room- also a source of inspiration for make-believe games.

I made this Magnetic Art Display strip using three steel strips from the hardware store, which I primed and spray painted blue.  Hubby then installed them on the wall and I added the MDF birdies I made for decoration.  Very easy to make and rather effective for displaying the kids' artwork.

The large canvas painting above the window was won by my mum at an auction to raise money for our four year old's Kinder.  All the little kids in the class contributed to the painting, so it is rather special having it on our playroom wall!  The other personalised canvases were made by me using the key colours in the room and were inspired by some prints I'd seen in magazines.

The super cute wooden workbench and kitchen are from Ikea - great for pretend play!  I like the fact that the kitchen is not too 'girly' for the boys, as many of them are.

So there it is.  I hope you've enjoyed the tour of our playroom - I have certainly loved decorating it x