Playroom Makeover Reveal
We made it! The playroom is finished just under the wire.
At the beginning of the New Year, Robert and I made a goal for ourselves that we would have this room cranked out before March. Ha! Crossing this finish line feels pretty awesome.
This space is so very different from the rest of our house, as it should be for a little girl (and another biddy on the way), since it’s a bit more modern and much more colorful than the other rooms we’ve spiffed up so far.
Definitely not quite as colorful as the bright yellow it was before though…
Once we donated the junk, hauled that sofa out (which was just taking up space because Olivia really only used it as a stuffed animal keeper), painted the walls, built some proper storage, and came up with a more sensible flow, this room became the savior of my sanity.
Everything has a place, and I feel like we’re no longer drowning in toys!
Yesterday, I finally worked up the energy to lime wash the fireplace in here too. This playroom actually used to be the living room back when our house was built in the 1960s, but our current living room was an addition built in the 1980s, so that left us with a quirky playroom fireplace.
We didn’t want to totally seal off the fireplace since it’s still in great shape and could be a good selling point one day if we move again, so I just stuck Olivia’s little $10 dollhouse in front of it that I found at the thrift store and fixed up.
(When the baby comes along in the fall, I might attach a metal fireplace screen with alphabet magnets or chalkboard to attach to the front to keep the little one from crawling in, but we don’t need to worry about that yet.)
This corner of the room has improved so much thanks to good ol’ purging and organizing.
I came up with some much needed wall art too so Olivia could make this room feel like it was an expression of her.
On the other side of the room, we had this clunky wall cabinet that we’re guessing used to sit above a desk for an office nook.
But it did us no good at all, so we ripped it down and anchored our DIY Narnia reading nook wardrobe in its place.
And those shelves we built from IKEA bookcases might be the best thing we’ve EVER done to get our house more organized.
These baskets with these toy labels are the bomb-diggity. I tell Olivia to clean her playroom now, and she has it done within minutes because she knows where everything goes! Hallelujah!
Getting a table and chairs in here with plenty of space for creating art projects was definitely the right move too since coloring and Play-Doh is something Olivia does on a daily basis.
There are already so many sweet memories that have been made in this playroom, and I can’t wait to see how it will grow with our little one(s) as the years go on.
But even when this room isn’t organized- when toys are strewn all over the floor and crayons are spilled all over the table and I find slime stuck in my hair, I’m thankful for the crazy chaotic stage of the young years. They go by so quickly, and I’ll be holding on tight for as long as I can.
If you want to know about any of the sources or projects we used in this makeover, you can find them all here: (Some affiliate links are provided below.)
- Wall color: Benjamin Moore Swiss Coffee
- Trim color: Benjamin Moore Simply White
- Door color: Benjamin Moore Wrought Iron
- Built-In & Mantel Color: Sherwin Williams Tree Swallow
- Rug
- Table with Adjustable Legs
- Metal Chairs
- Baskets
- Built-In Shelving
- Sugar Mold Marker/Crayon Holder
- Pendant Light
- DIY Narnia Reading Nook
- DIY Lime Washed Fireplace
- DIY Storybook Art
- Large Watercolor Map Art (Discontinued but similar one here)
- Letterboard
- 16″ Square Frames
- Cork Board
- Lion Pillow
- Crown Pillow
- Stuffed Animal Storage Basket
- Lion Art
- Goat/Lamb Art
Apparently this is the year of the kid spaces for us because now that this one is finished, Olivia’s bedroom is next on the list, and then the nursery! There’s going to be SO much cuteness. I don’t know if my mama heart can take it!
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Ok, tge final decision is in, everything you do is drop dead fabulous. You always get me when I see your email. I can hardly wait to open it, because I know it will be out of this world gorgeous
It’s soooo super-darling. Love the Tree Swallow shade and the fireplace looks beautiful.
What a super play space for your growing family.
Wonderful space! I wish I had a space like this for the grandkids. Do you have a post about limewashing? I’m so curious about it.
Hi Lauri, I sure do!
Here’s the post: https://www.blesserhouse.com/2017/08/diy-lime-washed-brick-fireplace.html
Lauren~
Oh my goodness!!!!!! What do I love in this playroom?…….well everything!!!! Yes! Every. Single. Thing. 🙂 🙂 However, my most favorite thing EVER to date that you have ever done is, hands down, the Narnia Reading Nook. It just captivates my decorating soul. 🙂 Seriously!!! It turned out beautiful, and I am sure your little princess will spend many, many hours reading and playing and dreaming and imagining all sorts of sweet things.
Deb 🙂
What an amazing space for fun and creativity!!! I love the light fixture too, what a beautiful makeover Lauren 🙂
Lauren it is not only beautifully done but practical too. And here I thought there was no way you could surpass yourself with the last playroom!
Lovely! I would’ve been too afraid to use the Tree Swallow color on the mantel, but it looks perfect, especially with the rug.
Such a lovely Playroom for Olivia! You and your husband have done a wonderful job! Olivia is going to enjoy this for years!
Well,you have knocked it out of the park. The play room is beautiful and so inviting to a child. Olivia and the biddy will have great times playing. I snorted when you called the baby the biddy.
What a beautiful room, I love the colors. Great location too for you to keep an eye on her.
Have you thought about putting a piece of sheet rock (or similar item) in the fireplace hole, maybe covered with some cool wallpaper? That would be a nice back drop for the doll house. I love the room.
What a beautiful room, I love the colors. Great location too for you to keep an eye on her.
Have you thought about putting a piece of sheet rock (or similar item) in the fireplace hole, maybe covered with some cool wallpaper? That would be a nice back drop for the doll house. I love the room.
Christine
Amherst, NH
Great job! Love the practicality and function, the colors and choices you made bring the room together! She is one lucky girl! Looking forward to seeing her bedroom and the nursery also. Congrats!
Wonderful room! A win-win for both children and adults! What fun the children will have in there for years to come.
The room is really cute. How does Olivia get up into her reading nook? Does she have a step stool?
She’s tall enough to climb up, but she also has a step stool. The wardrobe is anchored to the wall.
Just gorgeous! What a fortunate little girl, she will have so much fun in her beautiful playroom.
This is fantastic! I love how the space is laid out. So organized and functional but also a place where kids can be free to play. Great colour choices too!
I. Can’t. Even!!!! It looks sooooo good. Love that fireplace.
Absolutely beautiful! Special space for a special girl and her Mom and Dad.
Congratulations! Can’t wait to see what you have lined up for a Nursery.
Judy
It’s gorgeous! Great job!
where did you stash all the “big toys”?? chalk board, dolls, etc..??? the room is great for all those little things, but I’m wondering if there’s a big closet that i missed to stash those bigger and bulkier items that just don’t fit in a basket??
We put her doll crib and doll stroller in front of the window beside the fireplace (you can sort of see in one of the pictures). And her play kitchen is beside the reading nook. We got rid of the chalk board easel because it was completely broken beyond repair, and she didn’t really play with it anyway since she prefers to color/draw at a table. We purged a few of the stuffed animals and kept the special ones in a big basket on the other side of the reading nook. Her dolls are in one of the baskets, and her dollhouse is in front of the fireplace. She had outgrown the big stuffed pink chair in the before pics, so we donated that as well. Those were really all of the big toys though.