Each year as winter approaches I often hear friends talk about how they are preparing to spend months with their little ones cooped up inside. If your playroom needs a bit of a pre-winter spruce up here are a few ideas. Visual Stimulation with vibrant colors is great for kids. Ikea has loads of great and colorful inexpensive play and storage options.
If you don’t want to commit to paint you can put up removable stickers on the walls in fun shapes and colors. The Colorful Childhood Store online has tons of fun ones for all ages.
Bookshelves are a great way to store books and lots of parents get nervous about kids climbing up the bookshelves. Here is a good idea from Martha Stewart on how to easily build one into the wall.
Fun window shades are easy to make if you are handy with the sewing machine. If you want some inexpensive shades but don’t have a sewing machine or time to learn ask the seamstress at your dry cleaners or tailors if they can.
Aura and Natura are the Benjamin Moore paints I use the most. They are a little more expensive but well worth the investment. The paint dries so quickly and is basically odorless that you no longer need to worry about being out of the house for long periods of time to repaint.
Flor is a great company that makes removable floor tiles. They are great in kids rooms, basements and kitchens. These two patterns would be fun in a playroom and there are many more choices. If you already have carpet down but want to make a craft area to protect your area these are 20″ x 20″ and a grouping of them under an easel and craft table would helpful.
Need an afternoon idea? Make your own tent. My sister and I used to make forts when we were little and I know my boys will love doing this too.
What have you done in your playroom? I would love to hear any ideas that readers have and I will put a follow up playroom blog up soon with continued ideas. Anything drive you nuts in your playroom? Don’t have a playroom and need one? What do you do to keep the play areas tidy? Let me know!
Photo Credits: BHG, Martha Stewart, Cottage Living
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Very timely – and I am forwarding your blog to several mothers. My best.
Our unfinished basement was the place to be, big bins of legos, dumped on striped rugs (from a local shop that I found dirt cheap!) I slathered on a fresh coat of paint, had a bright table, a door to go outside even on the worst of days!
Now our finished basement is where we all live, I work, we have a computer banquette, an L shaped sofa, a closet full of games. The door is still here, with easy access to the great outdoors, ping pong in the garage and a trampoline….!
I think it is so important to think ahead as they grow so fast and they want “technology” and bigger toys!!!
Oh! I forgot to mention how much I appreciate the information regarding the B. Moore paint! I was so sick in a home I visited that had new paint, even at two week’s dry time. The fumes made me dizzy to the point of fainting – so important that information is especially when there are children who may not know how to tell you they don’t feel well!!!
Thanks again!
If our children were young, we’d be extremely appreciative of these ideas/suggestions.
We can transpose some of these great ideas by adding some bright accents into our decor for the wintry days ahead!
Love the stairstep storage in pic 1, and that lighting fixture. And the TENT! Oh, those days.
I love the cluster of lampshades . Great idea.
X
V
I love all of the colors in the first picture and the slide in the second! A fun playroom memory-didn’t mom make puffy “clouds” by hanging white sheets to cover up the basement ceiling in our playroom in Ridgewood?? Very clever!
What inspiring pictures! We are gearing up for the many hours we’ll be spending in our playroom with winter coming up in a few (wishful thinking?) months! It’s rough living in Chicago in the winter with young children. I definitely need to borrow some color ideas to brighten up our basement
! Thanks La!
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I love your creative ideas, Laura! XO
Flor and no VOC paint – yes!!! I do like PBKs look for a playroom too.
Another nice post!
xo,
cristin