Playroom- stylish/chic but also kiddie friendly? Impossible?

[neena28]

We have a fairly large playroom for the kids just off the kitchen. It is at the moment just cream painted walls with a cream sofa (from ikea) with mad orange and red big print flowers on it. However the rest of the room is just a mess of toys and general crap. I have some of those clear plastic boxes but stuff just seems to get lobbed at the nearest box never 'put away'. They are loads of cuddley toys on the settee, so many you can't sit down on it, and I think I am just going to have to chuck some of those to the charity shop, but the remaining ones could do with a place of their own.

What do other people have? Shelves/ storage/ boxes? What works and what doesn't?

Also how do you get them to put stuff away in the right place not just thrown at the nearest pile?

The rest of the house is quite nice really, or at least it's getting there. I would say my normal taste is a rusticish kinda of vintage chic/ french painted furniture etc. The playroom just leaves me cold though and I can't seem to get it ok for me or the kids to want to spend anytime in it.

This probably sounds so minor and trust me I have had enough of a life to know that it is but it is driving me steadly insane.

Please help!!! Am going to bed but to anyone of you that seems to be able to stay up all night on mn any help would be fab so I can hopefully wake up to some positive thoughts about the bloody room!!!

Thanks in advance.

Really am going to bed now.

MN is sooo addictive!!

Just thought i'd bump in the meantime!
Night.

Bump please!!!

I have similar problem my playroom is out of synch with the rest of house but I have kind of switched off from it for now... just keep thinking when kids are a bit older we can make it more stylish... when levels of toys drops, it will get better...

What we have done is bought loads of shelves from IKEA and put them down 1 wall the top shelves are for our stuff books, pictures and sculptures etc... below is the kids stuff but in nice boxes -- not the horrible plastic ones... when toys put away shelves look almost stylish...

there is a big rug on the floor and we have had nice blinds made none of the kiddie at all all our taste... the walls are cream with kids pictures - but only ones that colour suit!!

Sofa has tasteful cushions... but still nice for kids...

Think secret is to design colours/soft furnishings/pictures in your taste and then just add the kids stuff into it... then when kids stuff away, you can relax in there...

Thanks manc mum.

Just out of interest how much did you spend on the shelves etc?

Do you have large boxes on them and if so where did you get large nice ones?

Feel a bit more positive now, think I am going to have to have a bit of a cull as well as the spoilt rotten thread is a bit close to home too!

Thanks again, anyone else out there?

Thats interesting as I was just trying to plan a playroom (ds only 3 months so not too desperate yet!). Just bought (and assembled) one of those flat bookshelves from Tidybooks (the books are face on rather than end on so you can see the front cover). It looks lovely so might be worth a look.....wouldn't blend in well as an adult room though...more like a kids corner in a book shop!

Well, our playroom is solely for the kids (2 DS age 5 and 1). Road map vinyl floor covering which is great except you can't see small toys on it!!! A red beanbag, red rug, piano, one wall completely shelved out in beech with bright blue plastic boxes for everything, cream walls with one wall covered in their 'art' and Thomas posters! Oh and of course TV and video. As they get older we plan to put in a desk for a computer and a sofa.

Little merlin and manc mum I think the main thing is that I just need to make the storage all the same don't I. Lots of the same type/ colour boxes and plenty of them.

Thanks for your help think I had just got to the can't see the wood for the trees stage.

Thanks for the tidy books idea too Olipop. Think they may be a little to young for older ds so don't think he'd be that keen. Also think we are well over the 85 books total. (I adore books so kids have got thousands) (and yes they are all read!)

Any more for any more?

Neena - although I have all the same blue boxes my DS (the 5 yr old) knows what goes in each box eg. a craft box, one for all the cars, one for building blocks, one for dressing up etc. And because his mother is anal about tidiness he i following in my footsteps and puts everything where it should be!!!!!

My ds has my and other half's total lack of tidiness but dp can't see it whereas I just hate tidying the mess drives me nuts!

i'd use lots of shelves and then big squarish baskets for storage that ikea do. we've not room for a playroom but the dining room is used for a lot of toy-storage. we've got those floating shelves in one of the 2 alcoves and baskets for toys on them. when it's tidy (ha!) it looks ok and not too kiddy-orientated

Any playroom fairies about or fab shabby chic interior designers?

Any other suggestions for shops for the organising kit. Have just looked at ikea and thought a lot was awful. Unless it looks better once it's in your house?

Thanks

trick is not to look at the kid's stuff in Ikea, just at the basic storage, and pick and choose - plain wooden bookcases with wicker baskets surely not too offensive, and slightly rustic? I think hoping for complete vintage chic in the playroom mught be pushing it a bit...

rubber flooring is fab

Think my total addiction to the ryland, peters and small books may be sending me into a dream world. Always dreamt of an organized 'space' that would kind of sort itself.

Mad, mad, mad!!

of course if your budget is large, then try the White Company or the Holding Company for very stylish storage with prices to match.
And if you budget is colossal, what about a painted armoire or two, whose doors you could at least close on the toys inside? White Co may have some nice ones, or try Laura Ashley or Scumble Goosie.

Have already got a limestone floor as we have underfloor heating. But thanks for the idea.

One of the probs is that cos the house is an funny L shape and one side of the L is glass you can see into the playroom from the lounge so it bugs me then. If you are out in the garden it is also plainly in view.

Right am going to bite the bullet and get on with it.

Anyone know which are the biggest wicker baskets that Ikea do?

we spent about £300 on beech shelves from IKEA think they are Billies we plan to put the doors on them at some point when the toys are more controllable and paint them..

I spent a lot on the nice boxes -- holding company and John Lewis.. they are worth paying for as they make storage stylish...

also, I am probably quite a cow and do limit the number of toys my kids have... mainly to prevent spoiling them but guess the mess is also an ulterior motive... I make sure that all toys can be put away -- the big ones are left in their bedrooms or are only allowed out for a certain amount of time... I like to see the floor!

Mrs badger...if my other half even hears the words scumble goosie again now he just looks pained!!! God knows what he'd do if more of their stuff turned up!! Can sort of justify their stuff for the lounge but think playroom is pushing it.

Think the large bookcases with same baskets is going to work. Think I will also try and get a small two person table so they can colour comfortabley.

Any other tips, you are all so good at this. Obviously have very lovely houses!

actually the one thing Ikea is great for is unfinished wood chairs - you can distress them to shabby chic to your heart's content
Table and chair sets for comfy colouring come in \link{http://www.ikea.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?topcategoryId=15567&catalogId=10103&storeId=7&productId=47225&langId=-20&parentCats=155671565915668\cheapy cheap} and \link{http://www.ikea.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?topcategoryId=15567&catalogId=10103&storeId=7&productId=15601&langId=-20&parentCats=155671565915668\much nicer}. There's also a rather nice plain low \link{http://www.ikea.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?topcategoryId=15567&catalogId=10103&storeId=7&productId=13033&langId=-20&parentCats=155671565915668\bench} and \link{http://www.ikea.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?topcategoryId=15567&catalogId=10103&storeId=7&productId=15034&langId=-20&parentCats=155671565915668\table}, or a painted \link{http://www.ikea.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?topcategoryId=15567&catalogId=10103&storeId=7&productId=15999&langId=-20&parentCats=155671565915668\chair} and \link{http://www.ikea.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?topcategoryId=15567&catalogId=10103&storeId=7&productId=15033&langId=-20&parentCats=155671565915668\table}. Don't think they'd go with Rustic French, but I rather love these \link{http://www.ikea.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?topcategoryId=15567&catalogId=10103&storeId=7&productId=53021&langId=-20&parentCats=155671565915668\red chairs}.
They also do a great range of \link{http://www.ikea.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CategoryDisplay?storeId=7&catalogId=10103&langId=-20&topcategoryId=16198&parentCats=161981629615646&categoryId=15646&cattype=sub&pageNumber=0\baskets} - biggest is 65x35cm and would have to go sideways on a deep bookcase. Or there's a floorstanding \link{http://www.ikea.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?topcategoryId=16198&catalogId=10103&storeId=7&productId=14691&langId=-20&parentCats=161981629615646\hamper} which would be great for soft toys or dressing up clothes.
The great thing about spending money on bookcases and baskets rather than dedicated Toy Storage is that later you can use them for the books, paperwork etc they'll keep generating till they leave home!

Mrs badger you are amazing! Thanks a lot for your time.

Think I am going to have to go to ikea and have a good look and try and buy in one go to save the pain of going to and from!

I love the red chairs too but agree they're prob not going to fit in!!

Thanks a lot!

no worries - I have the Ikea product range at my fingertips [shame] so takes me no time to find stuff.

(Make sure you grab some of their big cheap wooden frames for mounting the kid's best pictures in - they're plastic glazed so bounce if knocked off wall and unfinished for distressing to taste)

thanks again.

Do you wanna come decorate for me too!!!!

Or at least wave a wand!!

Borrow a TV and DVD player ... Hmmm I might give that a go actually.

What dvds would you recommended?

I've gone a bit ikea mad in ours!

We had lots of Billy bookcases which are great for books but not deep enough to hold board games, toys etc so I got the expedit shelves.

They're great, they do a whole range of different boxes to fit them. You can also buy doors and internal shelves for them too.

I got some black open top boxes and some cream leather type with lids and then left some of the shelves empty so toys can for in them.

Each dc has their own shelf and their own box. Their favourite at the moment toys, comics etc go in them. Also their bookbags from school.

I've also got 2 sets of shelves with 9 small wicker baskets in each. Great for storing toy cars, play food and tea sets, barbie, happy land people etc.

I took out the shelves from the Billy bookcases and tipped them onto their sides. The tv, wii, kinect are on the top of them and then long open shelves underneath hold books. Anything gaming goes on the top shelf so we never lose controllers, chargers etc. I have a small storage shelf for keeping the xbox wii DS games on.

Oldest dc is 14, youngest 11 months with a 5 and 7 year old in the middle so deciding on how to decorate it was tricky.

I've gone for 2 white walls, 2 turquoisey walls. All shelves white. Brown leather sofa. Beige cushions at the moment but i got some black material, with red, green etc pattern , ikea again(!) that I'm going to make new covers with. Some chairs in red. Some in white. White rug with bold red, blue, yellow, green pattern on it.

Cream bean bags. 2 huge mirrors.

The majority of the furniture and furnishing is from ikea.

I rotate the toys every couple of months from their bedrooms and find that they play with stuff more.

It's child friendly enough to spend the day in there with the youngest but everything has a place and can be packed away so that the oldest can have his friends over in the evening and not feel like he is in a baby room.

In the front room I have one small domestic science school type basket tucked down the side of the sofa with baby toys in it.