Passion for Playrooms!

Ok, so I'm a big nerd and enjoy designing playrooms!  I also like washing dishes (you wouldn't guess it if you saw my kitchen, though).  Strange, I know, but think of it this way... you get to see results quickly!

Before: 3 kiddos means many toys, means many messes, means hard to keep clean, means HELP!

Even I felt a little overwhelmed walking into this room and I know how to break a project down into manageable tasks!  Any previous attempts at organization in this room had, unfortunately, failed- despite good intentions.  A large tv armoire was packed with books, toys and a very small tv.  It took up way too much space visually and wasn't a practical storage solution.  The other storage solutions were bins that were too large so if one little car was wanted, the whole bin was dumped out.  Time to rethink the room completely!

After:  We used storage systems from Ikea (one of my favorite stores) to divide the room into play zones.  This half of the room has kitchen, dolls and dress ups.  The Trofast benches are easy to assemble, easy to configure to fit the room and easy for kids to use.

This half of the room houses the outdoor toys - in another Trofast bench- and the art corner.  The storage unit they already had is perfect for art supplies.  The bins are just the right size for markers, crayons, coloring books, play-dough, paints, etc.

The middle of the room showcases artwork from each of the children, houses books, dvds and more toys.  This is the Expedit from Ikea and two more flank each side.  Each toy bin is labeled so the children can clean up after themselves... and believe it or not, they do!

With a little more planning and a lot of sorting, any playroom can be a great place for the whole family to hang out and you won't have to lock the door when company is coming over.
Send me pictures of your playrooms and I'll help you make some changes that could make a big difference!

A touch of Whimsy

This is actually my own bedroom!  It is really small but it is filled with details that I love.

One of my favorites is a thrift-store find that I transformed by painting and reupholstering.  Before: this little bench was not living up to its colorful potential.  I knew it could be the perfect addition to my black/cream/grey bedroom.

I love the unexpected burst of color and pattern!  It makes me smile every time I see it.

It is so easy to transform pieces of furniture with paint and fabric.  See if you can find something in your home that needs a new lease on life!

Playroom- fun and functional

Playrooms can get out of control pretty quickly and need a good organizational plan.  Choosing the paint color is also really really important!  It needs to be fun but you don't want it to over-stimulate the kids, which will create a negative atmosphere instead of a fun comfortable place to play.

Before:  The play room didn't have any color or adequate toy storage.

After:

I slaved over the stripe in this huge room!  Imagine starting in one corner, using a laser level to tape off a line but somehow ending up 2 inches off from the original starting point.  The colors I chose are appealing to kids and adults so no one dreads hanging out.  Fun but not overwhelming. 

A fun project for me that created a fun play environment for a fabulous family!