When Danielle Watkins and her family upsized their home last year, a playroom was at the top of the list of how to use the extra space.
Danielle took her time creating this calming playroom, making sure it was easy to tidy and keep clean at the end of the day.
Better Homes and Gardens Online caught up with her to find out more about the process.
What did the playroom look like before the renovation?
The room used for the playroom is the second living area of the house. It is situated opposite the kitchen so the positioning was perfect. We started with a blank slate – the room was a good size and shape so no structural changes were needed. It measures approximately 4.3m x 3.9m.
What inspired your renovation?
We moved into our current property from a really small house. There wasn’t room for the kids to have a designated play space and I was forever tripping over toys and picking them up. So a playroom was a priority for my husband and I when we moved last year.
I wanted the space to be neutral in some respects but still have colour. Green is my favourite colour so I chose this as the accent colour. I took inspiration from Instagram and Pinterest but really developed a lot of my own ideas as I went along.
Have you done any renovations before?
No renovations as such but I love doing hacks! I have made over my kids’ cubby house, a Kmart play treehouse, my daughter’s dollhouse, and my kids play kitchen to name a few. Plus, I’ve painted a lot of little bits and pieces throughout the house.
What kind of look were you after?
My main goal was to create a functional play space where everything has a place and is easy to tidy at the end of the day! The kids have plenty of space to play in the middle of the room and can access all their toys easily from the Ikea Trofast units.
I chose every piece carefully as I wanted to ensure it had a purpose and would be used often. I wanted the space to have colour but also be calming.
What was the biggest challenge of the renovation?
I would often visualise things in my head and found that when executed it didn’t look nearly as good as I’d imagined. To solve this I played with the space a lot, moving things around as I went until I was finally happy with the layout.
How long did it take?
It took around 6 months in total from when we moved into the house until I felt like it was completely finished. As we didn’t make structural changes, the kids could still use the room as I was designing and acquiring furniture and décor.
How much did you spend?
I bought a lot of things but I also sourced things from op shops and FB marketplace. Many items were gifts as well. At a rough estimated, around $1750 (including things I was gifted).
Budget Breakdown
Ikea Trofast units: From $126
Desk top: $99 from Bunnings
Stuva Units (sides of desk): $60 each
Rug: $199
Craft Trolley: $80 (roughly) Made with the Kmart bamboo trolley, large tubs from Kmart and hanging tubs from Ikea
White Stools: $9 each
Table and Chairs: $49- Special Buy from Aldi
World Map: $198 (custom size)
Ikea Play Kitchen: $129
Kmart Train Table: $39
Ikea White shelves: $23
Hanging Rack: $9 (no longer stocked at Kmart)
Kmart Treehouse: $39
Favourite part?
I love the Trofast toy storage and the world map. The storage is so practical and easy to use and the map just looks awesome and fills the wall so well. I wanted a statement piece there that was educational as well, so this really nailed it!
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