Who doesn’t want to create an inspiring, functional, creative, and FUN playroom for their kids?

Friends, honestly? Doing a playroom refresh was NOT on my radar. I was busy one weekend cleaning the kids’ rooms out, getting them ready for their big makeover and I literally just threw everything in the playroom that was cluttering up their rooms.

Over the next few days I got inspired to organize and tidy it up and then somehow it turned into a totally different space!

I want to first share some cleanout tips, then I’ll share all my sources for allllllll the goodies in this playroom. Because it wasn’t part of “the plan,” I didn’t really have a big budget for this space. Pretty proud that we pulled this together for under $550!

The CLEAN OUT tips

1. Put all the toys into categories: ie costumes, kitchen, music, books, puzzles, etc. You will have piles allllll over the room. I’ve found when organizing/decluttering, it really helps to take everything out before you put it “back.” So basically it’s gonna be messy until it’s not.
2. Bring a trash bag and a donate box in there with you — trash anything that is broken, missing parts, etc. Donate anything that just needs to go (you know). Tip: don’t do this with your kids around. Ha! pick a day when they are at school, or at grandparents or just have your hubby distract them. 
3. I also SOLD a few things on the Facebook marketplace. I just took the photos right then, uploaded them, and moved them out. Kid stuff (at least in my city) sells QUICK. 
4. Here’s a tip I learned from my mom: rotate the toys in and out. You know how when you start cleaning stuff out, ALL the want to do is play with the toys in the “donate” box? Yep. So what I did was fill 2 plastic bins (I already had) with toys that they haven’t played with in a while, but I know they still love. The goal is to bring them out in a few months, and then they will seem like new again! Boom. I put these tubs in our little “shop” room in our home. 
5. If your kids are like mine, they have ONE MILLION STUFFED ANIMALS. Literally, where do they keep coming from? I let them chose their favorites to keep in their room – some are on their bed, and then each of the kids’ rooms has a basket for overflow. But the rest? I put in a BLACK trash bag (this is important, so they don’t see them) and put them away with the other plastic bin toys. That way, if over the next month or so they ask, “hey mom wheres my pink elephant toy,” I can go dig it out and avoid drama. If they don’t even ask, those buddies are going to a new home. 

We did it! We cleaned out the junk, threw away the broken things, sold or donated the rest and now we know what we have! Honestly, since I did this, my kids are playing with their toys so much more. They are being so much more creative. YES, they have less but what they have left are the things they actually play with. It really is such a win.

Decorating + making it your own

Michelle from Cultivate your space is who has helped me decorate pretty much every room in my house. We have gone room by room over the past 2 years and she has helped me clarify my vision, give me ideas I never would have thought of, sent me items to purchase, and then come back to install it all. It really is a dream, and she is so much fun to work with.

I spent some time one weekend browsing pinterest for ideas, texted her some screen shots, and then she sent me this mood board.

The next time she was over, we sat in the playroom and really dreamed up how we could best utilize the space and make it functional and fun for the kids. I knew there was so much potential but I wasn’t sure how to arrange things. Michelle to the rescue!

I had two cubes leftover from Camp + Asher’s old room, so we repurposed them in here. It was Michelle’s idea to get one long horizontal cubby to put in between and create a “reading nook” for the kids. Plus we have sooooooo many books, and I have literally been trying to find the best book storage for years. I absolutely adore how this turned out!

We have “separated” the room a bit now which I LOVE. We moved things around in the closets as well. For example, all of the dress up things are now in ONE closet: costumes, hats, shoes, accessories. I really want to get a full length mirror in here, too!

The Ruggable rug really “defines” the space, and I am obsessed with their reading area!!! This play canopy by Blue House Joys is perfect for cozying up with a book (or using it as “backstage” for your circus). I love the gold color and the navy + white triangle pillow. In a playroom for both genders, it really works!

The other side of the room is a lot of their “pretend play”: kitchen, theater, cleaning. Plus an art wall! I was inspired by this (link) on Pinterest, and thought it would look a lot cleaner to get simple white frames instead of the clothespin hanging. I need some fresh art to finish it out, but I LOVE this so much.

The craft area

Before you ask, this kids art table was built by a family-owned business in our old town, The WhiteHouse table .

My kids looooove art. It’s the one thing I specifically ask for gifts for them. We go through watercolors, art paper, pens, crayons and markers like they are going out of style. I knew we needed to keep them organized somehow. Here are my tips:

1. Get all supplies together
2. Organize by type
3. Put in glass jars
4. Ta da! clean and uncluttered craft supplies!

Links:

square cubbies// long cubby// glass jar1 // glass jar 2 // cubby insert 1 // cubby insert 2 // canopy // rug // wall stickers // lamp

*some of these links are affiliate links. That means I earn a small commission when you purchase. Thank you for helping support my family, and the time I spend gathering these resources for you!

I hope this has been helpful for helping YOU create the playroom of your kids dreams. If you have questions, or just want to chat – I’d love to hear from you!!!