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When you have children their stuff seems to take over the whole house. Somehow, even though Erin doesn’t really go into our bedroom, she has things in there as well. We are really lucky to have a large living room/ dining room that has a bit extra coming off one side in an ‘L’ shape. Over the past few years we have been working on turning this extra space into a play area for Erin so that our living room isn’t completely overtaken! I wanted to share some ideas with you on how to create a family friendly play area in your own home.
Theme
If you are setting up a play area in your living room, or maybe even your dining room, you might want to think about a theme. This is the kind of thing you usually do with a child’s bedroom or nursery so why not for a play area. Of course, you will probably already have a colour on the walls or wallpaper but could can decide on other things. Do you want wooden items or maybe white? Do you want certain toys or just make it a free-play area? It could also be fun to create a play room based around role play!
Flooring
Anyone with young children know that spills and messes happen, no matter what they are doing. Somehow, children seem to carry dirt around with them where ever they go and manage to spill no matter what they are doing. While carpets might be soft and warm on your feet they’re not really very practical for a play area. Going for something like solid wood flooring would be a much better idea for multiple reasons; food spillages and crumbs can be easily swept up and any accidents with things such as paint are a lot easier to clean up. There are plenty of colour choices for flooring too so there will be something to match the colour of your room!
Storage
The thing that I hate the most about Erin’s toys being all over is how messy they look. A must have for any child’s playroom is clever storage. It’s important to find something that suits your space so that it doesn’t overpower the room and so that it doesn’t take up too much floor space. Cube storage such as the IKEA Kallax system is a great idea as you can buy this in different sizes. Toys can either be kept out on the shelves or hidden away in brightly coloured storage boxes depending on your preference. The play area might be a mess during the day but it will be nice to know that everything can be put away at the end of the day.
Accessories
Having a play area in your living room or dining room can mean being stuck with the decor that’s already there. Accessories can really help to make the space more personal for your child though and there are plenty of options. You could go for really bright and colourful prints on the wall or maybe you’d like to put some shelves up so you can move around what’s on them. Another option could be to add a really nice rug or play mat to the area. If you have decided to go for a hard floor then this is a great way to warm up the space and make it softer to play on!
Do you have a dedicated play area in your home? What did you do to make it work for your family?