yup, here we go again folks. the playroom. always a work in progress, right? for me, the playroom in my home has been
the constant organization challenge. it's the little people's stuff that takes over. those with little people know very well that little people have a lot of little things. so there is never a wrong time or reason to get in there, clean up clutter and re-visit systems that aren't working.
and
hopefully, this is my last playroom to wrangle.
if you've been reading along for the last few years, you're familiar with
the old playroom in my arkansas home…
yes, it was amazing while it lasted. and the reason i had to be pulled out of that house kicking and screaming. no, not the kids. me!
then there was
the arkansas rental house playroom…
*sigh* seems like just yesterday the movers were there packing up that house.
now? here we are in cali and it's yet another playroom to tackle. however, while the 2 previous playrooms above were located in their own room behind closed doors, this space is in the heart of the house. which means when there is a mess, everyone sees it. most importantly, my eyes. and these eyes + clutter don't get play well together.
after living in the house for a few months and figuring out what needed tweaking, i pulled up my sleeves and got to work. i wanted the space to be kid-friendly, yet also adult-friendly…and flow with the rest of the house, since it's in the main thoroughfare.
first thing was to figure out a new system for this big wall…
my dream was a wall system that would accommodate the tv, wii gadgets and games, incorporate some hidden toy organization, and also give me the option to add photos and decor. pottery barn answered that dream with their
logan modular media suite…
(to make it clear, this was not given to me - i paid for that dream myself!)
the large suite is the perfect size for this wall…
it offers every feature i was hoping for...and more. i love that it has a built-in feel. it looks like it was meant to be in this space all along. and should that wall come down for some reason during the future kitchen remodel, the system is still mine and can be moved to the opposite wall.
now that i had a wall system, it was time to tackle all of those toys…
the kids and i spent a good 3 days going through each and every toy in the house - their bedrooms included. we went through each toy category and figured out what was and wasn't being played with. i also wanted a place or basket for everything. those "misc toys" are always the issue. we sorted through it all - from princess toys to batman to blocks to legos to scooby-doo…
to contain the majority of our keeps, i purchased these baskets that fit perfectly into the wall system (
havana utility baskets)…
there are 8 havana baskets on the wall system along with 2
havana underbed baskets on the top two shelves…
each basket contains one toy category. the baskets are labeled for ease of finding its contents, but they aren't see-through…which means there is less eye-clutter. the baskets also warm up the space with a natural element. i made these chalkboard labels a few weeks ago and
shared them here. super easy to make!…
the 2 underbed baskets aren't labeled (because i'm OCD) and don't want to advertise the fact these toys are hidden away inside each…
yup, guns and swords. mothers of boys unite in your ability to successfully hide the weapons!
wondering what's hidden away inside those lower cabinets? on the left side is games…
on the right side is wii games and components…
the base cabinets on each side of this wall system has a divided drawer that rolls out. the perfect spot to stow away any kind of game system and its accessories….
under the tv, the components are sitting pretty. on the very bottom shelf i created a charging station for the iPads. they were floating around the house and ended up charging in random spots. now they have somewhere to park and charge at the end of the day...
there is so much space in this wall system that i have yet to put anything inside the cabinets on either side of the tv components. oh, and next week? i'll be sharing how i organized the cords behind this unit. simple and easy, of course!
wall before…
wall after…
oh yea!moving on to the other 2 existing built-in shelves, these were overdue for some organization love….
i kept 6 of the mesh bins for additional toy storage on these shelves. was hoping to leave some open space on the top shelf for framed photos and decor. but the shelves needed to be adjusted to make that happen. i wanted to bump the mesh bins down to the next shelf...
so i drilled new holes in the walls for the shelves to be adjusted up…
boom…
now i could add those photos!…
sure, there are toys in view…but it's more controlled now and much easier to clean up at the end of the day…
the third wall in this space that used to sit empty, is now an art display wall (shared earlier this week
right here)…
the fourth wall is the main walkway between the garage / stairs to master suite and kitchen…
i added
a large area rug to warm the space. as far as any small future tweaks? you didn't think this room was *done*, did you? ha! i may purchase new couch slipcovers in a darker color or incorporate some fun bean bag seating for the kids. how fun are
these oversized bean bag chairs…
i found a site,
bean bag boss, that sells them in a variety of patterns and colors. the kids would go nuts for these. ok, you caught me...i guess i would go crazy for them too. ;-)
otherwise, this space has come a long way since move-in 3 months ago. it took me a while to figure out a good system that worked for the kids, but i'm happy to say this is working
really well. the space is generally tidy all the time. even if there is a little clutter, it's an easy and quick clean-up. the house is slowly coming together. this is one of my favorite views in the house…sitting on the living room couch and looking through the kitchen into the playroom. i don't know what it is about this view, but it gets me every time…
i guess it's the settled feeling. while i still desperately miss the south, this house here in calif is creeping into my heart.
hope you enjoyed seeing our newly re-organized playroom. can't wait to get back in here next week to show you some awesome outdoor updates! have a great weekend!
