Kid’s Playroom Design and Organization for Small Spaces

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Have your children’s toys and craft supplies taken over your home? Here are three ways to create a unique and fun kid’s playroom with organization and purpose.

This post generously sponsored by The Container Store.

All thoughts and opinions are my own. Post may contain affiliate links where I earn a small commission on your purchases at no additional cost to you.

Transforming a Kid’s Playroom

How many of you can relate to how my children’s playroom looked before I took on this project?

The playroom decor was the least of my worries. This room was a catch all for ill-fitting furniture, leftover decor and extra boxes from our move. It was supposed to serve as the kids’ playroom, however who would want to play in here?

The problem with it was two fold. First, it is a small space and we had too much furniture in it. Second, there are no windows in this basement room and it felt like a dungeon. Bonus third: the walls needed some help.

So I decided that if I ever wanted my kids to actually use their playroom, I should create it as a retreat. My playroom design ideas included:

• Bring the outdoors in with a “sky” ceiling and “trees” on the walls
• Provide a place to do crafts since they prefer crafts over toys
• Provide a cozy reading nook for my budding readers
• Organize the explosion of possessions with quality furniture
• Keep decor minimal and let the design make the statement

Playroom Design Plan

The first step in this project was to remove the wallpaper and give the walls and ceiling a fresh coat of paint. I painted the ceiling so it felt like you were looking at the sky. This helped open up this small, windowless, space immensely.

I decided that rather than hang expensive wallpaper I would try to hand paint a design onto the “craft” wall. This was certainly 100% experimental. I’d never hand painted anything in my life.

The feedback from my Instagram friends was mixed to say the least. However, my kids think it is cool! So for now, it stays.

We also updated the light fixture to this pretty modern ceiling light to make a statement.

{You can see how I built this DIY oversized picture frame for $25!}

On the opposite wall, I added the affordable version of skinny lap with these 1x2x8″ furring strips. This wall is my favorite! I thought about staining it but ended up leaving it raw wood to help mimic the look of trees.

Kid’s Playroom Furniture

The next step after getting the walls dressed up was to add quality kid’s playroom furniture. My kids mainly use books, craft supplies, and minimal toys. So to accommodate the insane amount of books we have I lined up three of these awesome cubbies from The Container Store.

I love how these offer an elevated design because of the legs. Most cubbies you find are flush to the ground. These ones look custom and three of them fit perfectly on this wall.

I added these gorgeous and sturdy whitewashed rattan baskets to the bottom row to house all our books. These are perfect for hiding the books because they stack so nicely inside.

However, I wanted to display certain books. These are either special ones that my mom has authored for the kids, and/or my kids’ favorites. Two of these picture ledge shelves serve this purpose perfectly and offer easy access for our most read books.

I also found this vintage table that fits two stools perfectly. Using a vintage work table as the kids’ art desk is the perfect solution for me. Not only is it large enough for them to both work at, but it will also just get better with use and age.

Playroom Organization

The final step in getting the kid’s playroom organized was to strategically purchase bins and baskets.

Since the kids don’t have a ton of toys, I used two of these beautiful Hyacinth baskets to corral it all. One houses the kid’s toys and the other stores games and educational tools.

If you’re looking for ways to hide kid’s craft supplies in plain sight, make sure to check out how I accomplished that in this post!

I chose this super practical divided lazy susan for the kid’s crayons and other craft supplies. It’s so nice to have all of the supplies in one place so the kids can just grab it and move it to the desk or wherever they are being creative.

In the last two weeks since I finished this project we’ve all snuggled into these oversized bean bag chairs many times to enjoy the new playroom design! I love actually using a space that has been given purpose!

If you’re looking for functional and well designed pieces for your playroom, then make sure to check out The Container Store!

Diving Deeper into Organization

We all know that organization is helpful throughout the home. Last year I dove deep into organization and took an online course called Love Your Home Again. It’s a 10 module online course that helped me dive deeper into organization on every level. It covers all of the rooms in your home in an easy to follow method. It is all done at your own pace and it includes free printable checklists for each area.

I found it to be extremely helpful and worth the investment to reclaim my home. I’ve continued to work through each space in our house and, as you can see, recently tackled the playroom. If you’re interested in diving deeper, I found this course to be so helpful!

You can purchase it here and you have lifetime access.

Children’s Playroom Design

This space was transformed using three simple steps.

1. Thoughtful playroom design ideas
2. Sturdy and stylish playroom furniture
3. Strategic playroom organization

But do you want to know my number one tip for how to keep a playroom or kid’s bedroom picked up and tidy?

Clear out the clutter

Before we began this playroom transformation I took several bags of trash to the curb and 3-4 boxes of unused and outgrown toys to our yard sale and then on to a thrift store.

You’d be amazed at how many items your kids have outgrown or have broken, let’s be honest. By beginning the entire process with only items your kids actually use you will be setting yourself up for success!

I hope these tips have been helpful as you prepare to recreate your own playroom!

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