Hello hello friends! Those of you who follow along with the blog may have chuckled yesterday when I posted my Christmas mini home tour…in January. Oops. Posting punctuality fail for sure but I’m redeeming myself today because guess what? Our playroom/library makeover is complete right on schedule. Huzzah!
Let’s kick it back for a minute to my initial hopes and goals for the room. I wanted to create a space that could primarily function as our children’s playroom right now, and could seamlessly transition to a library in the future (maybe even with a piano – dream big, right!?) where the kids can do homework, read, and study. It’s right off of our living room so I wanted it to flow decor-wise and not feel too “little kiddish” while still maintaining a relaxed vibe fit for a play area.
So how exactly do you accomplish all of that in one room? My solution: mixing youthful, whimsical elements with more traditionally elegant, adult pieces in a color palette I would use in any other area of the house for a balanced, cohesive look. To achieve the former, I settled on a wallpaper in a striped pattern that’s both fun and perfectly capable of aging with my kids. Don’t get me wrong, the patterns designed for children’s rooms with rocket ships/rainbows/etc. are the CUTEST. But given that the wallpaper was our biggest investment in the space and we are operating on a strict budget, I needed something that doesn’t scream preschool (this house has enough screaming preschoolers as it is, you feel me?).
The play kitchen and table/chairs in perfectly adorable kid proportions were another excellent addition that clearly signal that this is a playroom. The space isn’t huge, so I wanted to be intentional about the large pieces I included in the design (which I recommend doing in playrooms which can quickly become overcrowded).
The kitchen and crafts table are by far the two things my children use the most. I grounded the table in the room with this rug – it’s muted colors read more mature but the pattern has a touch of whimsy (cue the unicorns! I’m obsessed).
To balance all of that with some “grown up” elements, I mostly went shopping in my attic collection to curate a selection of timeless items to garnish our built-in shelves. Vases and books in cream and gray tones, fun boxes/containers and a magnifying glass in shades of brass, and some favorite family photos including one of my grandfather in his twenties in front of an aircraft with his squadron.
Highlighting treasured family memories/objects is something I try to do in every home decor project (I don’t call this place “Heirloom & Ivy” for nothing after all). This photograph was perfect for a space my kiddos will use given that my youngest is absolutely obsessed with planes, trains, and automobiles.
The board and batten painted in a beautiful Benjamin Moore greige color is a fun feature that was so ridiculously easy and inexpensive to execute that I’ve already decided to add it in another room in our house. The light fixture (selected by my 4-year-old from a list of budget-friendly brass options I presented her with because it “looks like an alien ship!”) is similarly fun and versatile. A bit modern and equally perfect for a bedroom, nursery, hallway, or playroom alike.
The room has been close to ready for weeks and not to sound overly dramatic but the hidden storage we incorporated (doors on the built-ins, baskets for craft supplies, drawers for markers/crayons) has changed my life. Any tired caregiver who’s ever wrestled a child to bed and gone to relax only to be faced with the preschool play aftermath equivalent of a level 5 tornado gets me.
Just as wonderful, my kids seem to love their newly revamped little play area (“mommy you do the best decorating ever!” My heart!) and we all seem more motivated to keep it organized (doesn’t is always go that way after you redo a room at first? Let’s circle back in a month, shall we?).
Don’t hesitate to drop me a line with questions about the space. I’ll just be here with my two favorite lil’ humans hanging in my new favorite room.
Thanks for stopping by,
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