If you are anything like me you long for a space in your home that can be designated as a “Playroom”. I dream of a room like the ones I see in the Pottery Barn Kids catalogs that can be dedicated to my children and all the toys and activities that keep them occupied. In reality, we share all of our space with them. Our “Family Room” is exactly that, a FAMILY room.
Recently, we made some very big changes to our “Family Room” that have made it a comfortable space for all of us to “play” in. Using Markor storage solutions from IKEA, I have created a “grown up” look to store all of our childrens toys. In addition, we have storage for DVD’s, video games, books, accessories, and our new flat screen TV!
Reminder: I am an interior designer, not a photographer!
While I still long for a designated “Playroom”, I am happy with the solutions that we have put into place in our “Family Room”. What storage solutions have you implemented in your “Family Room”? What would be on your wish list for a dedicated “Playroom”?
stephany taddeo 
We decided the 3rd bedroom we’ve been using as an “office” was no longer functional and moved the computer to the family room. The old office was turned into our daughter’s play room and if you don’t refer to it as that she’ll correct you – “Not ‘Sasha’s Room’ mama, ‘Sasha’s PLAY room!'”. I houses her mini trampoline, a mirror, baskets filled with dress-up clothes and toys, a princess tent she got for X-Mas with an old crib mattress set inside so that she can watch “Ni Hao Kai-lan” in peace while mama watches “mama shows” in the bedroom. It’s been a chore to clean with all of her stuff in it but much better than trying to pick up the same amount of stuff strewn throughout the entire house! As a little kid who is told “don’t touch!” and “no, no, don’t play on that or with that or on there…” she is so happy to have a space of her own. Turning a peaceful quiet space like her bedroom into a play zone was counterintuitive since we want her to associate it with rest, not bright loud play and now she does. Adding X-Mas lights to the upper boarder of the playroom made her less sad when all of the decorations went away too. Kudos for a place for every “thing”, everything in its place!
Great solution! A playroom does not need to be a huge space to be enough room for children to play! A designated area/corner of a larger room or an extra bedroom are great areas to use for play.
Agreed, I think making sure there is a “designated” space and/or section of a room for kids to call their own as well as some sort of containment protocol for their toys the mess is more focused and easier to handle.
I love the shelving, especially the bins.
Our house is decorated “Toys r Us” style. I’d like to think the toys are organized but with 3 kids, all different ages, it does seem like the whole house is kid zone!! I am starting to get to a point where I want my own space though. We are thinking of redoing the basement and I may take a corner 🙂 Great job. I always love seeing pictures of your house. You have such awesome taste.
xo
Tracy
I’ve seen this room “in person” and it’s a place for the whole family to be comfortable and play… Stephany is a fine photographer, but no photo can show how the colors just “pop” and make the room a happy place to be.