Play Room

Anatomy of a Child’s Room

Fun, playful, safe and entertaining – an environment in your own home where your kids want to play is definitely on your top 10 list of necessary rooms.

Cold, rainy, dreary days keep you inside and having a fantastic place for your children to play should not be considered a luxury more than a necessity. This playroom – nick named Kidtropolis – is just that space for two lucky kids. You can be a pirate in the tower, a chef on the floor, a superhero flying down the slide or just a kid swinging on the tire swing.

In designing a play room there are 5 key components to work with: theme, storage, focus, growth, and safety.

Theme – A kid’s playroom should be primarily fun and playful. Whether you choose a specific theme or just an all around feeling, that choice should be maintained throughout. This room took advantage of the high ceiling, large area and multiple windows to create an open and bright room. Bright primary colors were chosen for each wall, one section was painted with chalkboard paint and the ceiling adorns a bright blue sky complete with clouds. Extreme elements were then added to contribute to the feeling that just about anything goes in this room.

Focus – The focus of this room is also the largest element – the tower and slide. It takes up a large portion of the room and also adds additional play space with the additional levels. It can be difficult to add such a large element into many rooms however, by adding the multi-level tower the play space has more than doubled. The additional levels are padded surfaces upholstered with bright and textured fabrics. The large shelving unit was built on the opposite wall from the tower and reflects the same design cues creating balance. A play room should also have smaller areas dedicated to specific toys or activities. Under the tower a portion of the wall has been painted with chalkboard paint and a small desk has been added with a large roll of paper dedicating this area to the young artist. Also under the tower is where the play microwave and food items are stored on the shelves for the budding chef. Large toys placed in the room will create mobile areas of focus whether it be a kitchen set, workbench or Lego table.

Storage – Every playroom inevitably has a huge amount of toys of varying sizes and pieces. Storage is a necessity in a playroom even more so than in any room of a family’s house. For this playroom the shelving needed to accommodate varying sizes of toys as well as the large television. Keeping in mind that the toys will change as the children grow up and the shelving may need to change also; the unit was constructed to allow the shelving to be adjusted using floating shelving boards and pegs the boards can be adjusted. Open shelving was the best solution in this room, keeping some shelves open for the larger toys and introducing baskets for the smaller objects. Moveable storage options are a great storage solution including baskets, buckets, crates, or canvas bags. Color coordinating the baskets allows the kids to know which are theirs and where they should go. If at all possible, keep like toys together for easy access and location. Retiring toys on a regular basis will keep storage requirements in check and will provide space for new pieces.

Growth – When the foundation of the room has been built with growth in mind, smaller elements can be added or retired to update the room quickly for older children. Many times a playroom must be usable for multiple ages at the same time. Keep shelving lower for the youngest child to access toys, books and other items and higher shelves for the older children to keep their more mature toys out of reach of the younger siblings. In this room the tower has a rock climbing wall and a rope ladder to get up to the first level. The older children can maneuver these obstacles and prevents younger children from gaining access when you are not in reach.

Safety – A playroom is inevitably going to be a place where bumps and bruises can occur but keeping safety in mind during planning and construction will prevent serious injuries. All exposed screws and bolts have been covered by plastic molds or rope twisted around metal joiners. These safety elements should work into the overall look and feel of the room. Elastic netting has been installed over all openings of the tower’s upper levels to allow for the open look and feel of the tower while still preventing any little players from falling off the higher levels. The tunnel slide was specifically chosen as the placement was near an open stairwell. An additional feature of the room is a camera installed in the corner of the room allowing the children private playtime and the parents’ quick visual access from any television in the house.

A playful, imaginative and safe environment in your own home where your kids want to play will bring the entire family hours of enjoyment. Be prepared for many play dates on those cold, wet or wintery days!