Sweet and Simple Playroom Makeover Design Plans

Earlier this week, I hinted at the next room makeover project we have up our sleeves: the playroom.

I have been dying to get my hands on this space ever since we moved in (okay, really I’ve been dying to get my hands on every single room all at the same time, but you know what I mean).  Home wasn’t built in a day.

One thing I really love about this space that we have dedicated as the playroom in this house is that it has double French doors leading right off of our living room.

So Olivia, our 5 year-old, can play to her heart’s content while still being in plain sight if Robert and I are in the living room or the kitchen.  But the doors allow us to separate all of the toy chaos from the rest of the house.

If you’ve followed along for a while, you might remember the playroom in our last house that we gave a makeover just a few months before we moved.  It was huuuuuge, and we really saw it growing up to be less “kiddie-ish” as a bonus family room if we’d stayed in that house for several more years.

But the downside was it was upstairs, so it was hard to keep an eye on Olivia if I needed to be downstairs cooking dinner.

This time around, while this playroom is still a great size, it is a tad smaller (only a tad). And since our current living room was actually added on in the 1980s we think, this playroom used to be the original family room back when the house was built in 1960…

…which leaves us with a fireplace in our playroom.  It’s a lot of fun and a new challenge we didn’t have in the last house.

We DESPERATELY need some storage in this space since the toy situation is out of control.  So we’ll definitely go on a purging spree during this whole makeover process too because I totally believe it’s an important lesson to teach Olivia that we should donate them to give to other children who aren’t as fortunate as she is.

And she really only plays with 30-40% of the toys she owns anyway because at what point do toys really become just plain ol’ stress-inducing clutter?

Step 1 of this whole process will be to take down that old wall cabinet (below) that I can only guess used to be part of a small office with a desk underneath in the past.

And step 2 will be to remove the light-less ceiling fan to put in a fun light fixture since this room is so dark with its itty bitty halogen can lights.

Then, that yellow wall paint will be going bye-bye.

One thing’s for sure though; we will be keeping the Narnia inspired wardrobe reading nook (pretty sure we’ll be holding onto that cutie forever).  And that odd leather coffee table we temporarily stuck in here that used to be in our living room might be ending up in Robert’s office or back on Craigslist since we’re super attached to our DIY ottoman coffee table now.

So now that you’ve gotten the full before tour and are familiar with the playroom situation, here’s the big plan…

Sweet and Simple Playroom Design Plan: (Some affiliate links are provided below, if you want to know about any of the sources. Disclosure here.)

1. Light Fixture-  This room desperately needs brighter light at night (especially now that we’re in the winter months and it’s pitch black by 6:00), so we’ll be removing the existing ceiling fan for a pendant light. I love this bamboo pendant from IKEA, and it’s only $60!

2. Rug-  Our current cotton rug is so cute, and I hate to get rid of it, but now that we have a playroom with hardwood floors, we need something that’s a little more cushy to sprawl out on.  I love the colors on this rug, and it’s more plush.

3. Built-In Shelving-  We’re taking a page from our last playroom makeover by installing IKEA Billy bookcases as built-ins again, but we’re going with shorter ones to keep things in easy reach for Olivia.  And we can have a little more fun with wall decor that way since there are FIVE doors/windows in this space. I scored the bookcases at a discount for $39 each during IKEA’s winter sale last week. Yay!

4. Shelving/Mantel Color- Instead of keeping the mantel and built-ins white though, I’m thinking a light grayish blue color would sweeten up the space while still blending well with the living room.  Possibly this one which is Sherwin Williams Mineral Deposit, but I’m not dead set on it yet.

5. Map Art- I found the art currently on our playroom mantel at Pier 1 on sale last year, and it’s been great for filling up that empty spot in the room for a while.  So I’ll be keeping it there.  It’s been discontinued since then though, so this is a similar colorful map from World Market, if any of y’all want an alternative.

6. Storybook Page Art-  No way was I going to part with this DIY storybook art we made in the old playroom.  Those three large art pieces will go above the built-in shelves.

7. French Bistro Play Chairs-  Seriously, how stinkin’ cute are these chairs?  I already bought them at a discount during Target’s New Years sale. Olivia’s current chairs are completely busted from lots of play.

8. Wall Color-  We still have plenty of the wall color from our living room leftover, so to stay within a reasonable budget, we’re just using that up in this space. It’s Benjamin Moore Swiss Coffee, a slightly creamy white.

9. Play Table-  I found this play table that has adjustable legs so it will continue to grow with Olivia for several years.  And it has a drawer for art supply storage and a paper roll attachment, so she can have lots of art opportunities. I scored a discount on it too during a Land of Nod sale at New Year’s for $149 (gotta work those sales).

10. French Doors-  We’re continuing the black doors in this room as we’ve been chipping away at all of the doors in this house.  The color will be Benjamin Moore Wrought Iron like all of the others we’ve done.

11. Reading Nook-  Not a thing will be changing with our wardrobe reading nook.  It’ll be providing some seating for Olivia since her Ektorp sofa that never gets used is outta here.

12. Storage Baskets- I found these baskets at Walmart that are the perfect size for the built-in shelves to hold small toys.  I’m planning to make labels with pictures on them to help Olivia keep them organized (hopefully, anyway).

13. Play Kitchen-  We’re still keeping her play kitchen that I found at the thrift store for $20 a couple of years ago.  It’s the one toy she uses ALL the time.

We’ll probably bring in her dress-up rack we made for her huge heap of costumes she plays with too.

And as for the fireplace, I’m working on a kid-friendly solution for that.  I’m thinking we might limewash the brick like we did in the living room though.

So that’s the plan!  At least maybe now we have a better shot at organizing this chaotic space (and I photographed it on a “clean” day, just so you know).  It’s hard to teach a little one how to clean up if you don’t really have a system in place to begin with, so that’s the real goal here.

We’ll be starting on the whole process this weekend, so I’m sure I’ll share all kinds of sneak peeks on my Instagram Stories!  I can’t wait to see how this one comes together.  It’ll be ahhhhhh-dorable!

If you want to save this post for later (in case any of you mamas are in playroom planning mode too), you can pin it here:

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