Have you ever thought about showing love through decor? Our client wanted her children (1, 4, and 7) to see their specific interests represented in their playroom. So! Knights, fairies, geodes, and ladybugs all make little cameos in the space. This got us thinking, these kiddos must feel so seen and known by their mom! Letting your child know you understand their thoughts, preferences, and inner world is a way of caring. And even if they’re not connecting those dots right now, (Mom framed a ladybug print for my playroom which means she knows what I love which means she loves me), these little acts of care add up. Keep reading for more details about the room!
Atelier Shelves
This was our first time installing deep, exposed shelving in an atelier and we are ~so~ happy with how it turned out. Our client wanted maximum coziness in the playroom, so we decided to mix woods- dark shelves, light desk, and rich warm chairs. Very fairytale-esque! We put the children’s creations on the tippy top shelves and used acrylic bins to store all of the necessities on the lower shelves. The ceilings were HIGH which allowed us a good amount of wall space to play around with. We wanted the setup to look dynamic, so we found shelves of various lengths and nuzzled a trinket shelf and decor into the white space. We think this gave it a very personal, vintage-looking vibe. Would definitely do this again in an atelier!
Magnetic Doors
We love using wall space in creative ways, or in this case, cabinet doors! The magnetic paint totally transformed these doors and created an opportunity for vertical play where there wasn’t one before. Now, the children who use this space can play with Magna-Tiles in a new way, build familiarity with letters, and display their latest masterpieces. Read more about our experience using Magnetize-It! Paint here.
Wall Calendar & Wall Ladder
Our client requested we include an interactive wall calendar in the space and Claire was STOKED to find the perfect product, as she had a calendar of her own as a child that she adored. We liked this wooden product from Etsy because we knew it could withstand some wear and tear and could be used for years. This product offers both visual and tactile learning opportunities and requires engagement for it to work. It has pieces for months, weekdays, seasons, weather, and moon phases. We think the best way to use this is to weave it into a routine your family already has, AKA habit stacking! Visit it before bedtime each night or do it right after breakfast each morning. This way, your child will anticipate the ritual of it and look forward to switching out the pieces.
If you have 1) children who are BOoOOouuUuUnNcinG off the walls and 2) have limited space for indoor gross motor play, let us introduce you to the wall ladder :) This lil contraption right here offers so many kinds of stimulating challenges- climbing, hanging, swinging, sliding. We’ve been curious about these for a long time and were happy to see how nicely it fit into the space. You can adjust the overhang to cap the climbing at a certain height if you have toddlers, and the swings are also detachable if you don’t have enough width to accommodate that kind of movement. Our conclusion? This is a great gross motor play option if you don’t want to splurge on a climbing wall or permanently change your space.
Canopy
When we began this project, our client had a rattan daybed in the space that served two purposes: reading nook and guest bed. We were tasked with upping the coziness factor by finding a billowy canopy and lots of comfy pillows. Happy reading (and resting)!
