Fun Fact: this room is one of the main reasons we bought our house!
My favorite part of redoing a house is making it our own sweet home that works for us & only us! So when we toured our house for the first time and saw this formal dining room located right off the kitchen and living room, I instantly knew I loved the space, just not as a formal dining room (at least right now in the phase of life we’re in)! However, a playroom for two boys that I need to keep an eye on at all times of the day- YES! YES! So, we rolled up our sleeves and got right to work!
Before Pictures
They covered up so much natural light with those heavy, dark curtains!
We thought the carpet was completely fine to leave, but first things first- we took down the arm rail, painted the crown molding & French doors, & put in new baseboard. We switched the lighting out to a small modern flush light that works perfect for the space. Lighting fixtures, paint, & baseboard are small jobs that can quickly update any room!
After:
Bright, Light, & Playful Patterns!
Shiplap
If you know me, you know that I adore shiplap and would love for it to be in every single room if we could afford it- haha! I decided to shiplap one wall, which is adjacent to our kitchen. I loved the idea of seeing the shiplap effect from the living room & kitchen. We typically use the Arauco 9/16 in. x 5 1/4 in. x 8 ft Primed Pine Nickel Gap Ship Lap Board from Home Depot & a nail-gun to put it up. The boards are self-spaced, so no need to add the nickel gap yourself. FYI- we have seen an increase in price & decrease in supply for shiplap since COVID began, so if you find a ton of material- I’d scoop it up, because it most likely won’t last long. We still need to caulk the crown molding at the top, but if you know us we’re usually in that 95% club, where we finish a project 95% before we get anxious & move on to the next project, haha!
Wallpaper
I went with a black and white gingham watercolor wallpaper from Joanna Gaines line called Magnolia Home. It is an easy spray with water & stick on the wall type of wallpaper, but because of the pattern, it takes a few more brain cells to line it up accurately. I needed 1.5 roles to complete my two walls, so take that into consideration when estimating how many rolls you’ll need. Also, we definitely messed up in a few spots, but hope no one notices. Can you spot them? Whoops! It’s safe to say, it’s not a huge deal if you mess up. 🙂
Mike made a bench that sits infront of the bay window that I sit on each morning & drink my coffee, while I watch the boys play.
Chalkboard/Magnetic Wall
I loved the idea of adding a space for the boys to get creative. I painted a chalkboard/magnetic wall and I think it’s my favorite part of the whole room (my teacher dreams coming back into action!)
Tips for the Magnetic/Chalkboard wall:
- I used 2 cans of the RUST-OLEUM Chalkboard Paint, Black Finish and 1 can of Magnetize-It! Magnetic Paint & Primer – High Standard Yield 32oz
- Make sure to paint with the magnetic paint first! It is very thick, but you’ll need to use at least 3 thick coats. The more coats, the more magnetic it will be. I waited just an hour in between each coat and only did half of the wall, where I knew the boys could reach.
- The chalkboard paint is very thin! I put two coats of the chalkboard paint on top of the magnetic paint.
- Both paints have extremely high fumes! Make sure to have good ventilation & wear gloves.
- After you paint the chalkboard wall, let it sit for 3 days before writing on it and most importantly, don’t forget to “Season the Chalkboard“. This is simply covering the whole surface with chalk and then wiping it clean. I used the side of a piece of chalk & left it for a few days, before wiping it clean. Without seasoning, any writing you make on the chalkboard will leave “ghost prints”- meaning the marks will never completely erase.
- Weekly, I’ll use a 1/4 vinegar/water mix to clean the board & keep it looking nice & new.
Toy Organizers
I recently came across this IKEA toy storage and am loving it for the boys! The containers are a great size, so that the boys can pull them in and out with no problems. I also love that both boys love to stand at the toy storage and use the top as a table to play at. The toy storage comes in a ton of different colors and sizes!
The other organizer (below) is also IKEA and I will say it often just collects JUNK and is so hard to keep organized. The IKEA baskets tend to get so heavy, that my youngest can’t even pull them in and out very well. With that being said, it’s not my favorite piece in the playroom, but it sure holds A LOT!
Playhouse
The playhouse and kitchen (inside the playhouse) were Christmas gifts for the boys this year. The playhouse is the KidKraft Garden View Outdoor Playhouse, which I painted white/black & added a few fun details to. I’m going to do a blog post on this very soon, stay tuned! The kitchen, which somehow fits perfectly inside the playhouse, is the KidKraft Uptown Natural Play Kitchen. The vintage basketball net is from Hobby Lobby and perfectly breaks up the shiplap.
Other
Firefighter- Police Officer- Buzz Lightyear- Superhero! Even boys like to play dress up! The boys have collected a few dress-up items over the years & I thought this corner would be perfect to hang some of their favorites. The Homegoods basket holds everything else dress-up related and the sign is a favorite of mine from Hobby Lobby. How accurate is the sign? HA!
And that’s all, my friends! I’m truly head over heels pleased with how the playroom turned out. I hope you like it as much as I do! I’ve linked everything I could below, but let me know if you have any questions and as always, I’ll be happy to help out.
Take care! Cheers!
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