Playrooms are the one space in the house where you can cut loose and indulge your sense of fun
Looking for playroom ideas? When choosing a decorating scheme for your children’s room, the more imaginative and colourful the better. It’s a play space for your children to spark and develop their little imaginations.
There are a few aspects to think about when planning your children’s room ideas. Firstly, compromise; you and your child will probably have different priorities when it comes to decorating the playroom, but try to meet in the middle. Find ways to create a flexible space that satisfies everyone’s needs and requirements. Next, plan for the future as decorating a playroom for a toddler is obviously totally different to creating a chill-out zone for teens. Try to choose furniture that will fit both and that will last through developing and re-decorating!
For more great tips and inspiration, take a look at our selection of the best playroom ideas.
1. Open up your playroom
Image credit: Robert Sanderson
Freshly painted wood and a huge sash window keeps this playroom light and bright with minimal fuss. Give your young ones ample and flexible floor space for imaginative play. Cover hard floors with soft, colourful rugs to create an inviting and vibrant room. Add plenty of seating so there is space to socialise with friends and to find some quiet chill-out time. If you have the space, a sofabed is a good option if there is room as then the playroom can double as an extra bedroom for sleepovers if needed. Bean bags are a good low-budget option, too.
2. Create a blackboard wall or cupboard
Image credit: Barbara Egan
Let’s face it, occasional scribbles on your freshly painted white walls can sometimes be an inevitable part of having small children in the house. So think how pleased they will be when they are actually allowed to do it! A blackboard wall or cupboard door is not only a fun playroom addition, but the block of strong colour also looks striking against a white background. If messy chalk dust isn’t your thing, try whiteboard paint, which has the same function but is a wipeable surface for washable markers. Team with an array of bright accessories to add colour to the playroom.
3. Factor in plenty of toy storage
Image credit: Lizzie Orme
This playroom has had an alcove specially designed with a work station in mind. Two sturdy cupboards support the wooden worktop desk. The wood’s rich tones warm up the bright room, while floating shelves above store a multitude of toys in co-ordinating storage. When planning a playroom, think about including a workspace. From nursery ideas to the teenage rooms a designated space for colouring or homework is a must. Put a corner to good use and add in a low table and child-size chairs. If you don’t have much room, try a flip-down wall-mounted table. You’ll also need storage for stationery that will keep supplies and creative materials orderly. A moveable trolley is a great solution.
4. Think in themes
Image credit: Lizzie Orme
Once you have the fundamentals sorted you can let your child inject their own personality with decoration and soft furnishings that are easy to update as your child grows. This nautical theme is age-friendly and just a new coat of paint or quick removal of the boat rug will transform the boyish vibe instantly.
Looking for more children’s bedroom inspiration? READ: Teenage boys bedroom ideas for sleep, study and socialising
5. Factor in a floor mat
Image credit: David Giles
Make floor play child’s play and encourage them to use their imaginations with a themed road mat – perfect for driving toy cars and trucks around for hours of fun. Play mats are easy to roll up for storage when not in use, or treat them like a rug and use them to cosy up a wooden or laminate floor. Team with a daybed and a quirky chair in case all that playing becomes too much!
6. Use colour and pattern to add pizzazz
Image credit: Melanie Acevedo
Here’s a playroom scheme where things are definitely looking up. The focal point is the bright yellow striped ceiling, which gives a lift to a grown-up monochrome decor. Texture plays a key role in this scheme with a cow hide effect floor covering and sheepskin rugs adding softness under foot and making playtime even more inviting.
7. Jazz up a plain wall
Image credit: Dan Duchars
If you want to keep the walls fairly plain, a stand-out feature such as a decorative sticker can add a burst of colour and a playful element, without requiring the room to be totally redecorated as your child grows older. Here, a woodland sticker can even double as a height chart. Carry on the theme with toy birds and a pretty birdhouse to encourage a love of nature.
8. Furnish your playroom
Image credit: Brett Charles
Playing on the floor all the time is no fun – it does little knees no good – so pave the way for school with a dinky sized table and chairs that are perfect for doing jigsaws, or painting and drawing. And this retro table and chair set ticks all the style boxes as it’s an on-trend grown-up design scaled down for tots. Choose furniture in white and it’s guaranteed to work in any scheme.
10. Go big on beds
Image credit: Paul Massey
Be creative with furniture or try adding a tent or den. Here a cabin bed has been turned into its own capsule playroom in the form of a timber treehouse-style structure ready for adventure. Vibrant blue-and-white striped walls ooze creativity and vibrancy, while a quirky coloured mattress makes a modern alternative to chill-out bean bags. A funky green rubber floor gives the impression of grassy fields and makes a safe alternative to hard floor.
11. Look our for low-level storage
Accessible storage at the right height is a key element for keeping the room organised and inviting. Zone it off and arrange it by theme, so it is simple for children to identify what goes where. Keep it low level so it’s easy to access (and tidy away) and perhaps incorporate the storage into spaces, such as under a window to make sure it’s tucked away.
12. Cosy up in a reading nook
Reading and picture books are a vital part of your child’s development and giving them a playroom with a place to take time out is just important as a space for lively play. Find a light corner and fill it with plenty of accessible books. Then make the area inviting with soft seating, cushions, bean bags and perhaps a cuddly friend or two.
13. Build in wall storage
One thing you can guarantee with a playroom – you can never have enough storage! And if cupboard space is at a premium, here’s a neat idea that makes the most of an awkward under-the-eaves space. The modular open wall shelving means toys and books are easy to hand, while the cabinets provide perfect storage for a train set. This storage is guaranteed to grow with your child as it’s cool for teenagers as well as practical for tots.
14. Make it memorable
Displaying children’s treasured artwork is a must, and if you don’t want to stick paintings all over the walls, you need to create a picture board where they can be shown off. Find a space on the playroom walls where a board can take pride of place – choose a design with ribbon (or decorate with your own), then you can peg paintings on with minimal damage. A bench beneath makes it easier for little ones to get involved – here, a cool white tongue and groove design is the perfect foil for all the colour.
After more playroom ideas? READ: Small children’s room ideas – to create a space your child will love
Feeling inspired to create a space that your child will love using these playroom ideas? The happier they are playing to their hearts content, the happier your home will be.
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