Moss Name Sign. Bookcase in Weathered White. Stacked Storage Baskets. Bunny Alphabet Prints from Riley Sheehey (No Longer Available). Vintage Bunny Print. Scalloped Wicker Frame. Stacking Toy Bins in Weathered White. Play Table in Aged White. Velvet Chairs in Dusty Petal. Floral Trellis Rug. Beige Linen Armchair. Pamplemousse Peluches Bear. Animals on Mantle by R. John Wright. Pink Play Kitchen. All Kitchen Supplies Linked Here.
It took me about ten minutes after walking into our house for the first time to completely fall in love with it. One of the biggest reasons was the thoughtful layout, centered around family life. We were told it was built by a large Catholic family and all of the details they added make so much sense. This sun-drenched room was perfect for a children’s playroom; it has large built-in storage cabinets and a bathroom around the corner and I can see Georgie playing while I’m doing laundry and cleaning up after breakfast. It even has a cozy fireplace for chilly winter afternoons.
This was the first finished room in our house. (You can read the House Q+A I wrote from your questions submitted on Instagram.) We realized how much we utilized the playroom in our last house and we knew we would need a spot for Georgie to play during moving, unpacking, and all the repair/maintenance appointments that followed; I felt like they never ended and it was key to have a designated spot for her to be able to play without being underfoot!
My mom and I decorated this on our own but my decorator came up with the idea to paint the ceiling in Sherwin Williams’s beautiful “Little Boy Blu”, evoking the feeling of blue sky peeking through. The walls are Farrow & Ball’s “White Tie” and the trim is Sherwin Williams “Ivory Lace”. With a view of the outdoors, this room feels like a little garden oasis. In the future, we may do a trellis wallpaper or painted garden mural on the walls. And once the children need more of a study area versus a playroom, they will be relegated elsewhere and this room will become my office and craft area. (And I already have my sights set on a chintz-filled theme Mario Buatta would approve of!) But for now, it’s an ideal spot for Georgie to read and play while I’m still close by.
I feel badly using the real estate listing photo for the “before” photo, but I’m afraid this room was always so taped off during home improvements, I had difficulty getting a good “before” photo of my own.
A few tips I picked up while decorating this playroom…
- Stick to neutral colors. I always lean toward soft neutrals when decorating a playroom; the colorful books and toys infuse plenty of color into the space.
- Organize books by color. Speaking of books, one of the best things I’ve learned from watching The Home Edit is to organize books by color. It’s not only pleasing to the eye, it makes my mid-day and nightly tidying go so much faster.
- Reduce clutter… Constantly. When I moved in, I needed/wanted to purge Georgie’s toys. I did this by asking myself how long she played with an item (stuffed animals were excluded as littles can be quite fickle with these). If she played with the item for less than five minutes, I donated it. Something tells me this will be a lifelong process, so when things feel cluttered again, I try to take a look at what I could rid out.
- Contain small toys in bins. Bins seem to be essential for containing small toys and little toy collections like Georgie’s stuffed bunnies. I love these stacking bins, but you should be aware they come in rows so you will have to purchase the number of stackable rows you need. (We have three.) As a result, you’ll need to utilize the included hardware to attach them together and tether them to the wall for safety.
- Store stuffed animals in baskets. Every mom I talk to mentions the dreaded stuffed animal collection… It never stops growing! But they’re darling, so I am happy to find a place for them. I love these stacked baskets for storing stuffed animals. They’re beautiful, light, and you can organize the stuffed animals by size.
- Add some area rugs. Someone asked me if the rugs shed as reviews mentioned. I have not experienced shedding yet after nearly three months of use and this is in a very high traffic of our house. That being said, I don’t get down on the floor often as we have a shedding dog and I’m usually trying to keep my clothes clean. Maybe this process occurs in the future… But I haven’t seen shedding yet.
- Tidy daily. “How do you keep it tidy” was a popular question. I try to tidy when Georgie takes her nap and after she goes to bed at night. I think it’s the only way to keep your sanity with a toddler. Some days I’m just too tired or have other things to do during those times and I always regret skipping it because I end up spending so much more time tidying later. If it’s too much to tackle at once, just set your timer for fifteen minutes and see what you can tidy in that amount of time.
You seemed to love the “bunny brunch” we had in the playroom the morning before Easter and had so many questions about this space, so I hope I answered most of them!
“Pink Asiatic Pheasants” Tableware: Burleigh Pottery. Rattan Glasses: Julia Berolzheimer x Amanda Lindroth. Gingham Eggs: Hobby Lobby (old). Gold Bee Napkin Rings: The Lark, Denver. Flatware: My grandmother’s. Floral Eggs, Flocked Animals, Fluffy Chicks, Pink Ruffle Placemats and Napkins, Floral Tablecloth: All Mrs. Alice.
