Play Time

When we first walked through The Lodge, the layout of the bedroom wing of the house really had me perplexed.  The previous owners had taken a bedroom, and built on 2 new bedrooms to the far side of it, turning the first bedroom into a walk through space, which at first felt really awkward for me.  I don't have all the measurements exact here, but the layout is pretty much like this:

Then the Hubs said 2 magic words, Play Room. (Actually, I think Playroom might be one word, but let's not start judging my grammar/spelling, 'cause we'll be here all day.)

And that's when this big lodge started to feel like a home.  I could imagine this "Kid's Wing" of the house, even though we still only have one, (singular) kid.  The Playroom would be a great place for them to play as children, and as they crept into teenagers we could change it to more of a den for movie watching, video game playing, and if we're lucky a little homework. 

I'll be honest, even though I'm the mother of a 2 year old, I'm still a very Type A person, and the idea of a room that we would walk though multiple times every day, which would be littered toys, plastic kitchens, Tupperware bins, etc... makes me twitch.  Like Ozzy Osborne twitching.  Lucky for me the Interwebs has great examples on how to make a Playroom a beautiful, inspiring and organized space.  (At least for those days when you have friends over, pick up real quick and pretend that you are always this put together.)  Here are my favorite inspirations for this space right now:

Come Sit Awhile

We have an Expedit book shelf from Ikea just like this looking for a home, and the Playroom would make a perfect place so that we can organize all those toys.  I love how she uses a mix of different baskets on different levels to keep the space clean, colorful and not too cluttered. 

Project Nursery

I know that chalkboard walls are nothing new, but I love the way the crisp dark black can define a space.  It's not only useful and creative for the kids, but it fills the wall while still being clean and modern.  Plus it will help balance out the big, dark bookshelf.

We Heart It

 I have a Tom Cruise circa 1987 crush on this rug.  I think this photo, and the multi-colored rug in the photo above show how important a great rug is to a Playroom space.  Even though our Playroom already has a low pile cream carpet that we don't plan to tear out in the near future, we think that layering with a low pile, fun rug will define the space and help preserve the rug below.  (Talk about a high traffic, walk through space.)  I especially like Flor carpet tiles for this use, because the individual tiles can be removed/cleaned/replaced if they get stained, instead of having to replace the whole rug.  Plus, I love how you can play around with creating a custom rug. (And they can be incredibly affordable!)  This is what I've created so far, and like as of today anyway....

And then there's this beautiful guy:

Pottery Barn Kids

Leave it to Pottery Barn to create an amazing design that is out of reach.  Usually it's because of the price, but in this instance Pottery Barn doesn't even sell the amazing light fixture above.  They just lure you in with it, wait until you love it and then crush your lopes and dreams. I'm considering creating my own with these affordable shades from Ikea though.  Although they don't necessarily have the colors I was hoping to go with.  Really the lesson that I get from this example is that if there is anyplace for a fun, statement making light fixture, it's in a Playroom.  Major pieces like rugs and lighting can help you transform the room from "former bedroom that we put toys in" to a room with a clearly defined purpose, i.e. "Playroom."


What about you guys?  Where do all the toys migrate to in your house?  Any suggestions on organization that works for you?  I'm going to need a lot buckets...