Playroom essentials?

[Twobigbabies]

We're in the process of redesigning our house and planning to turn the back room into a playroom for our 2 toddlers. It's not huge- 10ftx14.7ft and one wall is non-existent as it opens on to the kitchen extension. My OH feels that the longest wall should be entirely storage- built in cupboards. We'd also like a Piano at some point. We would like the room to grow with the children. Would love some playroom recommendations- Bookshelves? Seating? Small table/chairs? Small pull out desk from the built in cupboards for future computer work? OH demands a TV? Thank you!

Same number of desks as children. These can be flap down as part of the storage wall.

I'd write down all the different activities they do and are likely to do in the next few years and take it from there. I’d imagine that by the time your toddlers are teens, you’ll need to re-do the room anyway.

Instead of desks, I’d go with an appropriately sized table and chairs in the middle. It will free up wall space and double up as a homework desk as well as craft table or somewhere to do a project/play a board game/have a tea party with friends.

we have 2 billy bookcases in ours for books, board games, playdough etc, a slimline double desk, trofast storage against one wall and a magnetic wall. My girls love it - no telly in there though, although its all cabled up for one but I like to have just the one TV in the house.

Thanks that's really helpful! Like the idea of the multi purpose table x

I find when toys are in cupboards they tend to get forgotten about so would go with more open shelves myself.

Only exception to this is is that we have an old IKEA unit in ours leftover from when we borrowed the playroom to use as a temporary kitchen during building work. The cupboards are rubbish (see above) but the two drawers are brilliant for containing all the party bag/comic detritus. The DDs have a drawer each and do actually look in them despite ignoring the cupboards

You can leave a piano sized gap in your storage and use it to house the tv for now and then get rid of the tv altogether when the children are a bit older-although you may want the piano now. Ours started playing with our piano around age one. *NB playing with, not actually playing.

A TV can be mounted on an arm in a ceiling corner.

We debated table and chairs for ours but in the end put in an old battered sofa instead. They love it, they have loads of adventures on it. I'm not sure we'll ever need a table tbh. The kitchen table is nearby.

We also put in a cheap carpet that's aggressively striped. Hides the inevitable spills and looks cheery.

I'd really try to avoid a tv in there.

A sofa would be a must in mine, with lots of cushions and blankets.

I would have hard flooring with cozy thick rugs, carpet is rubbish for playing with cars, train tracks or doing craft.

Lots and lots of storage that is easy to keep organised.

I also have one wall with three rows of IKEA picture rails quite low down (the bottom row just above the skirting) with all their picture books on it, facing forwards so the kids can easily see the covers of the books to choose them.