I cannot emphasize enough, the enjoyment I get out of creating spaces that put smiles on the little faces. They are the most rewarding projects of all and ones that continue to provide that return on investment through years of happiness. Once we decided on this house, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on the playroom. I never had a designated space like this as a kid so I was excited for my daughters to get that place where they could grow their imagination. My girls love having me around or even joining them for play, so it doesn’t hurt that I get some enjoyment out of their surroundings too! I took a few risks and they turned out to be exactly what was needed to pull off this one-of-a-kind design that lets them shine and grow in wonder.
First there were a few things that had to happen: the girls rooms are located right off the playroom, so it’s almost like their own apartment upstairs. This meant the rooms should flow effortlessly from one to the next. I needed to marry the woodland/farmhouse feel but add a little magic to inspire their play. So I thought…why not bring the Texas outdoors…indoor? The vision was a sky-colored room complete with a Texas sunset wall. But the ceiling needed to be that wow factor that tied the whole scene together. Birds…clouds….skies? Yes! Then the other details just started to falling into place.
For the sunset wall, I used the paint colors already in both of my daughters rooms to compliment the transitions, and then I purchased a few quarts of some of the other colors keeping with the overall pastel hues. Between each paint color I poured some of each can to get a blend of the two. I prepped with a glass of wine, turned up the music, and began from the top down. I did larger strips of the main colors, but before the main strip was dry, I went back over with the blended cup color and did a random brush stroke to help blend as much as possible. The trick was to keep going so that the next color paint didn’t dry so I could achieve the ombré appearance. Kyle refilled my wine as needed, and I’m proud of the finished product. You can see I wasn’t the only one!
The rug helped bring in that green you will see throughout the house, but it also plays as the grass for their indoor meadow. Next, I knew I wanted a pretty sheer curtain with vines, and while it took me a while to find just the right ones, these I ordered to size from Etsy and they were perfect! The driftwood curtain rod from Pottery Barn was important to make it feel more natural overall.
The tree stump stools I found on Amazon, they took forever to arrive but the patience paid off! They paired amazingly with the rustic table (this used to be our coffee table you might recognize from the Childhood Home Transformed post). that we re-purposed for crafts or dollhouse play! Side note: Decorating the dollhouse is also quite fun…it’s like I’m designing a dream within a dream within a dream!
We also already had the twisted driftwood lamp I picked up at World Market and it was just the right whimsy for the room but still provided some appropriate lighting in the evening. I even wrapped it with a vine that has small twinkle lights that look like fireflies! The teepee and horse photo were a way to tie in the other two rooms. I found the horse photo online and put it on canvas then my dad helped build the frame. I couldn’t believe I found a mama and baby horse nuzzling each other while standing in BLUEBONNETS!
Almost there but not quite yet…there is also the fairy garden! We needed the storage cubes for the toys (easy way to hide the mess of smaller trinkets especially), but I thought the girls would get a big kick out of having a fairy garden in their our indoor-outdoor playroom. Plus it keeps them from trying to climb on top of the furniture. We had fun creating the trees from odds and ends at Hobby Lobby. The fairies even move at night on special occasions! Kind of like Elf on Shelf but waaaay less involved. In fact we have never done Elf on the Shelf actually in our family. At Christmas, we have a “Mouse in the House“ named Tartan that helps us decorate and the girls LOVE it. Besides, I like little nibbles of cheese more than cookies anyway. :)
The denim navy cubes tie into the navy in both girls’ rooms on their quilt and chair which ties into the navy futon. Eventually we will upgrade the furniture, but while they are still on the younger side, we will stick with what we have. Plus we love family movie night, the girls get excited when we add a pillow topper and bedding and curl up together to watch Mitchells vs. The Machines (love this movie!) on Disney+. This is a great option for spontaneous sleepovers too! I like the idea of bunk beds but for us, it’s more of a vacation home option. Because let’s be honest…it’s a challenge to make that top bunk for an adult, let alone a six year-old!
Whether it is quiet time or playtime, YouTube has some great options with scenic slideshows or drone documentation of the beautiful countryside mixed with relaxing music that is good for focus and fostering creativity. You can even just make it another piece of changing art like these photos show! How smart is that?!
The wallpaper installation I outsourced, as I would recommend for most because the ceiling can get tricky. A good arm workout no doubt but too much room to make a glaring error. Leave this job to the professionals and if your ceilings are textured, you will need to skim first anyway. We chose this Hygge & West paper for obvious reasons, but they actually offer the same print in a variety of colors and can be used in so many fun ways. I have another example of it in our Bathroom Envy Styling blog.
If we are in this house for 10 more years then I may consider updating a few things to make it a teenage appropriate hangout. But until then I am soaking up all the fun with my little ones, all while enjoying the sunset view.
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