This has been a long time in the making, but today I am finally showing you the Room Reveal for our Playroom Makeover! Yippee! This will be a long post, but stick with me because I promise tons of beautiful pictures showing how I cleaned, organized, designed, and decorated our awesome playroom! And don’t worry, I have links to all the projects we did at the bottom of the post : )
It all started back in January, after dear old Santa left a big pile of new toys at our house. Once the holiday rush was over and it was time to put everything away, I realized the monstrosity our playroom had become! There were toys stacked EVERYWHERE and definitely no room to put away new ones! It was unorganized, dysfunctional, and a straight up eyesore. I decided it was finally time to get things in order and give the boys a fun space where they could play, create, and read together!
Warning: These photos contain the real deal disaster that had taken over our playroom. Boxes of Legos stacked twenty high, pieces of train tracks scattered all over the room… you could probably even find a small child missing in there. Photos like these can cause Moms to hyperventilate and you may need to avert your eyes.
The first order of business was to get all those toys organized. My kids and I went through everything together, and we donated a lot of toys we don’t use anymore and threw away piles of broken, useless stuff. It is amazing how much these kids accumulate over time! The majority of our toys got organized into storage cube shelves (like these) with fabric drawers (like these).
We decided what each drawer would hold, and the boys put all their toys away in the correct spots. The drawers are awesome for corralling toys with a lot of pieces like Lincoln Logs, blocks, and train tracks! You can read the full post about our toy organization here.
To make it easy for the boys to put their toys away, I created these Faux Chalkboard Medallion Tags to hang on each drawer. They have the trendy chalkboard look but won’t rub off!
There was a lot of empty wall space above the toy storage, so I added two shelves to hold some of the boys’ artwork and knick knacks.
This Framed Giraffe Art only cost me $1 to make and added a ton of cute to the room!
And these Plastic Elephant Bookends may just be my favorite project from the entire makeover. So simple to make and SO cute! A little spray paint makes everything better, right?
I added a few other pieces to fill in the shelves like a baseball with little sports figurines, some big wooden letters, our Disney pin collection shadowbox, and a piece of stripe art I created using leftovers from our Herringbone Watercolor Art.
I’m still playing with the look of the shelves, but for now I think they turned out pretty cute. The canvases my boys painted with artist extraordinaire Leoma Lovegrove always make me smile and bring back such sweet memories. You can read all about our painting lesson with Leoma and the story behind the paintings here.
Moving around the room, I used a small, empty corner to setup a Creative Center for the boys where they can build Legos, color, and do crafts!
I found a school desk at Goodwill for $10, which gave the kids some workspace plus a little additional storage inside the desk.
I took advantage of vertical space for storage and hung tool organizers from the hardware store on the wall above the desk. The bottom one holds Legos and the top holds crafts supplies. On the opposite wall I hung three clear wall files that I covered in a pretty blue chevron contact paper to hold the boys’ coloring books.
The boys are always wanting to draw or build something, and now they have their very own space to do it! You can read the full post about our Playroom Creative Center here.
Next to the creative center is a toy box for some of the bigger toys and a little reading area. A bookshelf full of books, a rocking chair with a comfy pillow (which I made to match the curtains I also made!), and a soft rug is all it took to create a cozy and inviting space to read!
I added a fun gallery of colorful old records above the reading area to spice up the boring gray walls.
And I gave a washi tape makeover to an old lamp for our bookshelf. Yes, I said washi tape! I spray painted the lamp base a pretty turquoise blue and wrapped the middle in a polka dot washi tape. It took no time at all and looks super cute! I just love washi tape… don’t you?
In the center of our room is a big train table that the boys love to play at.
We also have two Baking Sheet Magnet Boards for the boys to have fun with. It keeps all those crazy magnets off Mommy’s clean refrigerator and keeps the kids busy for hours. It is definitely a win-win : )
And above the magnet boards is a gorgeous piece of Modern Watercolor Art that my boys helped create! They made watercolor paintings, and I cut them up into strips and created a fun herringbone pattern with them! The bright colors look stunning with a white frame.
On the last wall sits one of the most brilliant organizing/up-cycling ideas I’ve ever come up with: What do you do with a baby’s changing table once you’re done using it? Turn it into a parking garage!!
Even though ours was a cheap one from Walmart, it had good shelving and was still in great condition once our youngest baby grew out of it. And let me tell you Moms, big open shelving like this is PERFECT for all those big trucks and tractors! My boys are little farmers-in-training, and there is never a shortage of giant tractors in our house that are impossible to store. But our old changing table was the perfect solution to house all those vehicles, and the boys love “parking them in the shed” at the end of the day.
On top of the changing table parking garage sits the containers we use to store video games. I got tired of finding games all over the house and tripping over charging cords, so I used simple dollar store bins to store, organize, and charge their handheld games.
My kids are 100% boys, and that means we own quite a few dart shooters, swords, and toy guns. My boys think they need to have a full arsenal in case the aliens attack or Loki comes to steal the Tesseract. (Please tell me I’m not the only Mom who knows what that means!) They’re fun to have, but absolutely impossible to store. I was about to get rid of an old wrapping paper organizer when I realized it would make the perfect “weapon holder”. A garbage can would probably do the same thing, but I like that this organizer is tall enough to hold the long swords. I just hide it away in a small closet in the playroom to keep it out of sight since it’s not all that pretty.
As part of the makeover, we also installed some extra shelving in that small closet to give us more space for games, puzzles, etc.
And that, my friends, is our Playroom Makeover! Whew, that was a lot of playroom to go through! Here’s a little Before and After so you can see how far we’ve come with this awesome transformation:
Big improvement right? I hope I’ve inspired you to tackle your own playroom and give your kids a space that is fun, playful, and organized!
What was your favorite part of the playroom makeover? Did you find an awesome organizing idea or a DIY project you can’t wait to try? Leave a comment and let me know what you liked!
Here are all the playroom projects again with more details and step by step instructions:
1) Plastic Elephant Book Ends 2) Modern Watercolor Art 3) Playroom Storage Solutions 4) Record Wall 5) Framed Giraffe Art 6) Baking Sheet Magnet Boards 7) Faux Chalkboard Medallion Tags 8) Disney Pin Shadowbox 9) Creative Center 10) Video Game Storage 11) Kids Canvas Art
Let’s Keep In Touch!
P.S. I’m sharing this post at some awesome link parties… Check them out HERE!
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The Weary Chef features weekly menus of tasty, quick dinners PLUS kid dinner ideas, bonus recipes, and Friday cocktails! Follow The Weary Chef on Facebook and Twitter to never miss a recipe!
The color scheme is fantastic! I really love the cookie sheets for the games on the wall and the labels on the individual canvas bins. What a great playroom!
Wow, amazing! This is every kid’s dream room! We just emptied out our computer room and I’d like to do something similar.
Liz – this is just beautiful! I especially love the giraffe picture you made. That’s adorable.
-Vicky
Very Vic
I love the cookie sheet magnets for the wall!!!! I also love the organized storage bins and the artwork!!! Everything is adorable! Great job!
The playroom looks fab and the colours are great.
That is one awesome playroom! You did a great job! Love all the little unique features, like the records on the wall!
Selene @ Restoration Beauty
What lucky boys to have such an amazing space. I love it. I love the cookie sheets on the walls – so much better than magnets all over the lower half of the fridge!
i love the train table, and what a great idea to re-use the changing table, er have a parking garage:)
Good job, Liz!! What a nice, bright room! Love it!
Great job, Liz! So many smart, organizational tips for a playroom. And it so fun & colorful too. The school desk in the corner is one of my favorite items.
I love the final result! Everything is so neat and organized! I wish I had thought of a parking garage for our changing table.. so smart! Great job mama 🙂
Your playroom looks amazing Liz!! I just painted ours and in the process of decorating now, I love the giraffe wall art and elephant bookends. So fabulous!!
xo, Tanya
Love the colors and the function…your storage choices are super kid friendly. That goes a long way when clean up time comes around! Nice!
Wow, this room looks totally great and has so much functional space! I was just downstairs in our play room sprucing things up…it feels so much better to have an organized space that looks so beautiful…you did a great job!
~Sarah
I’m expecting in Oct and I love looking at playroom makeovers cause I can’t decide what to do with the babies room! Yours turned out amazing! I hope you’ll come share it today on my linking party over at Fidlers Under One Roof! http://www.fidlersunderoneroof.com/2013/05/link-party-1.html
Hope to see you there!
You have great ideas! Thanks for sharing!! Looks great!
What an awesome play room! everything is so organized, I wouldn’t want to leave that room! The colors are so inviting. If you get a chance, please share this on my linky party: http://suburbsmama.blogspot.com/2013/05/sunday-link-party-6.html
Awesome play room! I love so many of your ideas, pinned it! The records really do add a little pop, the charging station is so clever. Check out my latest reveal at Fynes Designs
This is so beautiful! Love the color scheme and all the great organizational elements! I’m glad I’m not the only one with a truck parking lot in my house! 😉
I popped over from Making the World Cuter–thanks for sharing!
~Abby =)
AWESOME!! I have a play room that looks very much like your before! Only worse! HAha
Great job! I love the storage cube shelves and the color combo! We are expecting our first in 9 weeks and I am already terrified of the amount of toys he will accumulate over the years!!!!
Loving your labels for the bins!! Super cute 🙂 Just wanted to stop by from The Scoop to say hello.
Mandy @ The Hankful House
I love so much about this, I don’t even know where to start! I LOVE the colors of the fabric bins. I hope to use similar colors when we redo my boys room/playroom! There’s SO much inspiration here! I’ve already pinned!
I hope you’ll come share this at my link party, On Display Monday!
http://craftandrepeat.wordpress.com/2013/05/06/on-display-monday-link-party-1/
Have a happy week!
HUGS
Brianna
I felt like I was looking at all the toys at my house (except mine aren’t as organized as yours). I guess having boys means the same toys for all of us :). I LOVE this room! What a wonderful job you did. I bet you and your boys love being in there. Thanks so much for sharing. Have a great day, and Happy Mother’s Day (a bit early)!
So neatly organized! I’m hosting a new linky party at http://hickorytrailblog.blogspot.com/2013/05/efforts-and-assets-linky-party-1.html
I would love to have you!
Angela
Oh my gosh Liz! This room looks amazing!! What a fabulous creative space for your boys! So when can mine come over and play?? 🙂
Darling! You did such an amazing job 🙂 Off to pin!
Oh my gosh! I totally want to come hang out in that playroom! You have definitely inspired me to whip ours into shape!
Absolutely a fabulous amazing playroom space. Great job!! Wow!
Krista
This is great! My son is only 17 months old and I can definitely see a need for LEGO sorting in my future. He only has one set of DUPLO block now, but he is pretty much obsessed with them. It’s good to get a peek into my future at some of the storage solutions I will need when he gets older. Thanks for sharing!
I just love all these ideas! The parking garage is genius!
Turned out incredible LIz!! I know they will enjoy their time in the room! 😉
What an incredible playroom makeover!!! Love every inch of it!!
Just pinned, love all these ideas:)
Julie
http://www.thechirpingmoms.com
Tons of great ideas Liz; great work! The room looks beautiful and very organized! 🙂
So much awesomeness going on in here, Liz!!
You are incredible! That is all!!!! Now can you come help me do my house? 🙂
Love it ALL!! Even though I have girls we have some of the same toys. Now if I could only get our play room looking that lovely.
If you’re interested, I’d love if you shared this at my Show & Tell party this week. http://www.gingerlymade.com/2013/05/show-tell-25.html
Thanks for linking to Take-A-Look Tuesday over at Sugar Bee Crafts – you were featured on Wednesday!
–Mandy, http://www.SugarBeeCrafts.com
I love how this turned out, Liz!! You did an awesome job!
I’ve featured you today: http://www.52mantels.com/2013/05/home-decor-ideas.html
wow, you’ve been busy…now that you are done perhaps you can come and do our playroom?? LOL Chritine from Little Brags
I agree with Christine (see previous comment) : when can you come to my house and help me with all the toys ? If you ever come to France that is … I love your kids’ playroom, very organized yet stylish ! great job !
Liz, you did an amazing job! I really need to do something with our play area, it’s craziness in there!
As a mom to three boys I totally get your “Loki comes to steal the Tesseract” comment 😉 We have a weapon bin from an old laundry hamper. I love the coloring book shelves covered in contact paper and the sweet elephant book ends. One thing I did to save my sanity was to put up a precious Lego creations shelf to keep the little ones from breaking anything built worth saving. Great ideas!
Your playroom looks fantastic. My favorite thing is the fact that you let your kids play with guns.
Thanks! Growing up on a farm, my husband has always been taught the responsibility and safety of guns, and we try to pass that onto our kids. I would rather them be aware of them and understand them than be scared of them. Thanks for stopping : )
Where did you get those wall shelves from? I love those and perfect that they are long enough to put things on but I can’t seem to find long enough ones anywhere?
Thanks!
Hi Rachel! I picked these shelves up at Menards by all the closet setup stuff. They have quite a few different sizes to pick from, so I’m sure you’ll be able to find something that works for ya! Thanks so much for stopping by, and have a wonderful day!
the room looks great! curious to know where you found the chevron contact paper?
Thanks Mollie! I found that chevron contact paper at TJ Maxx! That’s the only place I’ve found really cute rolls at a decent price.
Beautifully styled. Great wall color.
I’ve used that wall color in just about every room of my house! I love a pretty, beige gray. Thanks so much for stopping by!
I can tell you right now that your Lego storage is awesome but you will need something bigger in a short amount of time…..Don’t ask me how I know this 😉 I LOVE the color scheme and the elephant bookends have got to be one of my favorite things in the room too!
Haha! Legos can definitely take over the house if you’re not careful! Thanks so much for stopping by, Melissa!
Where did you purchase white wall shelves? Lovely room!
Hi Claudia! The shelves came from Menards, in the section where you find supplies for closets. I hope this helps!
Just curious as to the size of this room. We are going to move our boys into a shared room, freeing up a smaller bedroom. Would love to turn that into a play room for them.
The boys’ playroom is about 14′ x 9′. Not very big, but it does the job! Very helpful to keep all the toys corralled in one spot. 🙂
I love lots of the ideas. I really love the records on the wall. My son is now 13. Super Lego fan. Owns upwards now of 5000 not including the Architecture pieces he builds for his bedroom. Do not throw out your small organizer. It will be good for all the small things. In our house, every member gets a mystery mini fig for Christmas. We have an enormous collection of just those. Even at his age, I look for the best way to organize. We have done soooo many! I also look for ways to pick them up. They sold a vacuum many years ago. Purely kid powered. Then they sold a Duplo one. That did not pick up the little ones. Your boys look like my son and his 4 boy cousins. Lots of nerf guns, swords, etc. By the way…love the wrapping paper holder idea. I will have to tell my sister. 4 boys, and 1 girl. 14 on down….lots of guns! Lots of swords! Keep up the good work with all your ideas and good luck as your boys get older and bring in more!
Those Lego collections just keep growing, don’t they?? A Lego vacuum, huh? I think that’s pure genius! Thanks so much for stopping by, Kathleen!