Before + After: A Farmhouse Modern Playroom Upgrade

It’s no secret I love to organize, but I especially love playroom projects. Maybe it’s the season of life I am in but turning chaos into calm for both parents and kids is such a joy!

I recently had the pleasure of creating a new playroom for a couple with a two year old daughter and another baby on the way. The family’s plan to move into a larger home before baby’s arrival unfortunately fell through and they had just two months to rearrange their current space to meet their changing needs. To my good fortune, they contacted me to help! Though their initial thought was to use the dining room as a playroom, it quickly became clear that the space was too small: once we moved the changing table, bouncer, reading chair, and larger toys into the room, we realized that there was little space to play. Additionally, the room is out of view from the family room where the mom would be spending much of her time with the baby, leaving little sister unsupervised.

As we were brainstorming solutions, inspiration struck. The formal living room was much larger than the dining room, and there were easy site lines to the family room. I proposed that we transform the formal living room into the playroom, and use the smaller space for a living room.

Both of the clients really loved the formal living room space so, they were a bit reluctant. I took out my handy tape measure, magic sliders, and furniture pads and reassured them that I would move everything back if they didn’t like the switch. Dad left with sister for the morning and mom took a much deserved nap while I got my cardio in for the day. The most beloved part of the formal living room was their gallery wall so, I left that intact and designed around it, using the farmhouse modern style as inspiration for the room redesign. 

Not only did the larger room allow me to add some much needed storage furniture, it also gave me the space to create activity zones. I utilized the far wall as the main toy storage area. Mom and dad prefer not to see the toys when they’re not in use so, I selected the IKEA HAVSTA storage cabinets which have a more traditional feel (and compliment the storage cabinets in their adjacent family room). The low cabinets are kid friendly. I stored different categories of toys in farmhouse canvas bins and added chalkboard labels to fit the theme. I saved precious space by eliminating the bulky changing table and instead added a changing pad to the top of one of the cabinets. In the cabinet, I organized all of baby’s diaper changing items and toys. The bins are not full so there's room to grow. It will also be easy to switch the contents and the labels as interests change. Reading is a preferred activity so, I created a reading nook. A selection of favorite books were organized in a basket for easy viewing and retrieval. Their little girl also loves to build so, large blocks were placed in handled baskets that are, again, kid friendly. There’s plenty of space on the large rug in the middle of the room for building cities and hosting tea parties. The space between the windows was a perfect spot for a little table with a handled basket for basic coloring supplies. She can also do puzzles there. In the other corner, I organized the larger toys like the combo kitchen and playhouse and grocery cart. 

Of equal importance was creating an adult space where mom and dad (and family and friends) can have a cup of coffee in the morning and a glass of wine or cocktail at night while listening to records. We sold the dining room table and replaced the chandelier with a more fitting flush mount light fixture. The couch was placed along the stair wall to allow as much natural light as possible to filter into the space. This arrangement also allowed me to set a chair next to the window to create a reading spot. We also sold the large bar unit to gain seating space. The formal living room is now an intimate, comfortable space, conveniently located next to the kitchen. Mom and dad (and little girl) were thrilled with the transformation! It’s not only my job to help my clients declutter but also reimagine their space to maximize space and function to suit their vision and day-to-day needs.