Practical and Magical: Playroom Design


A playroom is usually disorganized, cluttered and the “after thought” of the house. But a Utah designer set out to design a play space that is pretty, and also practical.

Kirsten Krason from 6th Street Design School explains the inspiration behind her “Land of Nod Playroom” makeover – and share a few design tips, she learned along the way.


This playroom has been such a labor of love! To read more about it, and see the final result, click here:
http://6thstreetdesignschool.blogspot.com/2013/06/our-land-of-nod-playroom.html.

Here are a few stand-out details I love:

Teepee: Growing up I had 5 younger siblings so I was always looking for my own spot to get away and daydream, read or draw. It’s such a fun place for my son to escape to. He likes to bring all his play food in there and have picnics.

Bean Bags: I had no idea that my son would end up loving our beanbag as much as he does. I think he is overjoyed with the fact that this is furniture he can actually jump on! He loves to get a running start and fly through the air onto his beanbag. It’s also a fun place for him to curl up with a book.

Toy Organization: As a parent these bookshelves are my very favorite part of the room. I love having a place for everything. It makes such a difference. Before this playroom we had all the toys piled up into two huge bins so we were losing everything all the time. I like having smaller bins for smaller toys and medium bins for medium toys. Then we also have the huge cubbies down below for all the huge awkward toys

Here are a few tips for designing a “kid-friendly” space:

Outdoor Pillows: Outdoor furniture, pillows and rugs are great options for kids. If these pieces can withstand the outdoor elements they can withstand your children. Outdoor pillow are made with outdoor fabric, which means almost nothing can penetrate them. Outdoor rugs work great, especially under dining tables and they can be easily scrubbed down. I will even recommend upholstering an entire chair or sofa in outdoor fabric if you know it’s going to get a lot of use like at a lake house, cabin or mudroom.

Zippered Pillows: It’s always a good idea to buy textiles that have zipper or button enclosures so you can take them off and wash them if you need.

Kid-Friendly Fabrics: I know a lot of people don’t like the look of microfiber but most parents will swear by it. If you can’t get yourself to buy microfiber then try polyester velvet it also cleans up really easily. Fabric with a lot of texture is good because it hides dirt and smudges. Faux leather is great for spills and doesn’t fade as fast as real leather. Surprisingly a lot of designers also love white slipcovers. They can be easily washed and more importantly easily bleached.

Here are a few “design tools: every parent should have on hand:

– Museum putty

– 3-D command strips to adhere things to the wall that you don’t want getting knocked down

– Bleach Pen

– Magic Eraser

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