DEFINE THE PROBLEM
(WHAT'S NOT WORKING?)
This playroom has gotten cluttered and disorganized very quickly after Christmas. Since we already cleared out her toys before Christmas to make room for all the new toys she would be getting, she didn’t want to part with any more of her toys.
She got a lot more presents from family and friends that I wasn’t expecting; and although they’re greatly appreciated, it caused her playroom to become cluttered and disorganized very quickly.
Also, the amount of pink between her existing wall color, the textiles and patterns, and add on all the pink toys, her room quickly became one big pink box and quite honestly it looked cluttered and chaotic.
There was so much pink between her decor and the all of her toys, the room was literally glowing into the hallway with PINK. It was too much.
I noticed also between her new toys and her old toys, she wasn’t utilizing all the space that I had made for her between her stations + imagination play. Her interests have changed, but not too much.
The storage bench I built was being used solely for blankets and pillows. She never used the seating nook. It was taking up a lot of floor space that her new Barbie playhouse would fit perfectly in-giving her even more floor space = playing room.
Also, the existing black rug was scratchy and although she never complained of it hurting her knees, I didn’t even like sitting on it. I thought an indoor/outdoor rug would’ve been perfect considering traffic flow + how messy she gets (crayons/paint/ being a kid). But the black rug was really darkening the already dark room.
CREATE SOLUTIONS
(WHAT TO DO YOU NEED TO DO TO MAKE IT WORK FOR YOU?)
Whatever I did to this room had to be done on a small budget. I’m talking only $200- tops. I love a challenge, mix that in with my passion for interior design and you’re liable to see some innovative ideas and creative solutions.
The changes I wanted to make were:
PAINT
- Paint the walls. That pink had to go. As I mentioned before, it was too much. Painting is one of the best ways to make a dramatic change with the least amount of money.
WINDOW TREATMENTS
- Change out the window treatments. The valance was cute, but I wanted to tone down the colors and prints in this room.
TOY ORGANIZATION
- Tear out the storage bench. It would have been great…if she used it. She needs more floor space to play with her new Barbie dream house
- The closet I had converted into a store was a great idea, but she never used it (like I thought she would! *And like like she promised me she would 😉 She still plays Doctor, Veterinarian, Baker, etc…but she didn’t play in the closet like I had intended that space for. She brought all the stuff out into the main floor space…maybe she felt claustophobic? Taking out the desk will free up a lot more space for toy storage.
PLAN OUT A COLOR SCHEME/DESIGN BOARD
WHAT DO YOU WANT THE ROOM TO FEEL LIKE? WHAT COLORS DO YOU WANT? WHAT PATTERNS? ETC...
For a small room (especially without many windows) it’s wise to go with lighter colors. Remember paint always looks darker once it’s up on the walls and dries.
I’m also going to recommend not to use pink paint in a girls playroom unless you want to be downing and pink decor! Pink on pink on pink on pink.
Sherwin Williams-Zircon
I went with leftover paint I used in her bedroom because I liked it so much. It’s very neutral, creamy, and timeless. It’s not too dark and it’s not too light.
I made this design board as inspiration for her “new” playroom. It looks so much more calm + will flow much more nicely with the decor in our whole house.
There will be some DIY projects I will be posting here on the blog as well as the final result.