Boys at Play!

 

This week I want to share with you my boys' playroom! It has been a work in progress for quite some time now, but it is finally finished!

 

I designed this room on an extreme budget so you will find lots of DIY projects, fun ways to involve the kiddos, and color inspiration! Read on to find out more!

 

The room was already painted khaki from when we first moved into the house. I thought it was best to leave it this color so that it had a neutral background for the fun Navy, Red, and White color scheme I planned to use.

 

 

I thought about doing a fun navy chevron rug for something soft for the kids to play on, but then I stumbled across this cute 'road' rug at Ikea for only $14!! And since I have boys, I thought what a better way to have function and fun at the same time! My son Liam loves to play with his trucks and cars on this rug!

 

 

I also found this adorable kids table and chairs at Ikea. I believe the table was $30 and the chairs were around $15 each. It is finished in a grey/brown color and is very sturdy. We use it to play with puzzles, color, stack blocks, you name it!

 

Next to the table is the Ikea Lack bookcase in white. This was actaully in Liam's nursery, but as he got older, he didn't really play much in his room and it was mainly used to display baby items and decor. I decided it would be of better use in the playroom to organize ALL of the toys! And I am sure all of you momma's out there understand what I mean when I say ALL!

I placed all of the books at the top since a lot of them are paper back and my 2 year old doesn't quite understand that we don't rip pages yet. This way they are high enough to where he needs to ask to see one and we can read them together.

 

From there I designated one cubby per toy type and on the bottom row, I used bins to fill each cubby. I have self-proclaimed OCD, so for me, even the playroom must have order! My husband and I have put huge emphasis on clean up since my son was only a few months old. Now that he is 2, we have tried to make it even more simple for him to understand. Each bin in the bookcase has a type of toy, i.e. cars, balls, trains, and random (or "guys" as he likes to call them). At night when we clean up, we pull the bins out, put one toy item in each and he does the rest. This is such a great way of teaching your child clean up and organization.

 

This is a magnet board, also from Ikea. We use it to spell words with magnet letters!

 

 

 

We were given the sleeper sofa for free but it was this hideous forest green color, so I bought a white slip cover for it. I know, I know, you're probably thinking, "you bought a white slip cover for a kids playroom?!?" GASP! Yes, I did!! I find that white is a much easier color to treat and wash. Bleach works wonders!! It still looks brand new even after a year of use! And the sleeper sofa serves a second purpose as a guest space when we have company!

 

 

I found the cute fabrics at JoAnn's and covered old pillows I had stashed in a closet. I also made a small valance to top off the window.

 

 

 

For Christmas last year, we bought Liam a Home Depot Tool Bench Set. It is the cutest thing in the world! It also has a place to store everything!

 

 

 

I found this TV console on the side of the road. It was a little banged up, but nothing a little paint couldn't fix! It was a faded yellow/cream color with a walnut top, so I had it painted by Stephanie with Something Old~Something New (she is a fabulous at furniture restoration and I send all of my client projects to her! click the link to her FB page and "like" it for pieces she currently has for sale!) being that I was pregnant with baby #2 at the time. It is this beautiful blue color and I added the nautical knobs $2ea from Hobby Lobby. It is great having a TV in the playroom so the kids can watch cartoons and movies!

 

I finished off the room with a large photo in a frame and some number art. Both were DIY projects from old decor/art I had stuffed in the garage.

 

 

 

For this project, I started by removing the art from the center.

 

 

 

Then I painted the frame red and distressed it.

 

 

I bought a large matting from Hobby Lobby and cut it to the size I needed with an exacto knife.

 

 

 

I placed the photo behind the matting, used a little tape to hold it in place, and voila! A $20 custom made large scale frame!

 

 

 

For the number art, I used 3 wood art boxes. I covered the fronts with cardstock and painted the sides to match.

 

 

 

I used cardboard craft numbers and covered them with fun printed scrapbook paper.

 

 

 

I then attached one number to each box with gorilla glue and hung them on the wall!

 

 

I hope you got some great ideas and inspiration from this space! Kids spaces are at the top of my favorite rooms to do. There is such fun and whimsy in a kids space! And of course no stuffy design rules! :)