Playtime

I was gone, but I'm back now. I thought I would just jump right into what design-related stuff is going on around here. I may have mentioned it before but our playroom is about the only room on the main floor of our house that hasn't been painted or really decorated since we moved in about seven years ago. I mean, it's a playroom, and it was yellow and my kids were 4 and 1 at the time. We made do. Well, now, they're 11 and almost 8, and have much more discriminating taste. Let's just say the playroom is long overdue for a makeover. Cue the ugly photos of what it currently looks like:

This is a typical Saturday morning scene in the playroom. Blankets and pillows everywhere and Pierce bouncing on an exercise ball. Meg chilling in the corner. And, of course, Zoe, the sweetest dog ever . . . 

Thanks to Craigslist, some of this stuff has already gone, specifically the tiny kids table more appropriate for toddlers and the Pottery Barn shelving unit/changing table that mainly held junk they no longer played with . . . 

There's really no rhyme or reason to the current furniture, mainly cast-offs or whatever I could find a few years ago at a consignment store when my post-grad sofa literally came apart at the seams. But now, the children are older and a lot less messy. No smeary fingerprints much anymore, just some crumbs and general disarray. 

So, here's my plan. Paint the walls a nice, clean, calming color called Sonnet by Benjamin Moore. Reupholster or slipcover the sofa in a dark gray fabric (maybe black) to hide dirt OR possibly purchase an IKEA Ektorp and sell the old one on Craigslist . . . whichever is cheaper. Also, the carpet is trashed from years of use (it was here when we moved in) and abuse (from a trapped cat, etc.), so it's time for it to be replaced. I was thinking a charcoal gray berber possibly. I'll layer the current Persian from eBay on top. Oh, and the Mastercraft credenza from down in the "Tornado Room" migrated upstairs to the playroom at the behest of my daughter . . . she manages to snag all the good furniture (yes, the tornado room is now the music room, more of a place for Meg to practice piano than hang out). Oh, and some curtains on the windows might be nice now that there's much less threat of the kids pulling them down.

Here's a little mood board I mocked up of what it could look like . . . 

Click on photo to see larger.

I know what you're thinking . . . it doesn't really look like a kids' playroom. Well, good. I've always disliked kids' rooms that scream "only children hang out in here." Come on . . .  children like nice/pretty things too (well, at least my children do - wonder where they got that?). Plus, I spend a considerable amount of time hanging out with them in there too. But please do not worry, their childhood whimsy will be well-represented in here - their art will adorn the walls and all their "stuff" will reside in the room. 

The credenza already holds the treasured TV and is chocked full of video game paraphernalia (I know, I'm a bad mom). Meg picked out the Mellby side chair at IKEA on our weekend shopping trip to Atlanta, so that's currently in the room now too. I also picked up the prints at IKEA and we already have the area rug and similar black and natural baskets. The room will be painted next week and hopefully I'll be ordering the carpet soon. I already have the laminate burl wood table and chrome chairs from the flea market already set up for homework/arts and crafts. And, I don't care if leather Moroccan poufs are trendy, my kids love them and they seem fun and appropriate for a playroom. Nothing is precious or breakable . . . just comfortable.

Oh, and did you notice I changed out the light fixture with a Stimulight urchin chandelier from my last post? Well, I'm not sure if that's going to the final decision or not, but when the very kind owner of Stimulight saw my last post on their lighting he offered my readers a 20% discount on their products! If you want an urchin of your own, just use the code SEARCHINFORURCHIN20 at the Etsy store check-out. Not a bad deal. He also mentioned they're experimenting with different materials and are actually working on an acrylic (stop it!) and wood version of the urchin now. Very cool. 

So, what do you think about the playroom plan?