The Playroom in Progress-from Mommy

Our playroom is always in progress, and since so many of our friends and family have never seen it, I thought I'd share some pictures of the project. We're trying to make our playroom fun for kids and comfy for adults-something we can all enjoy but not ourgrow. We're thankful to have this room, and we love to share it with our guests!


We made a trip to Ikea awhile back (yes, we're so thankful to be within a reasonable drive of an Ikea!) and found two Lack bookcases to put under the windows.
I found some canvas baskets to fit the cubbies and added a little ribbon to them. (I looked pretty much everywhere to find the right size basket for a decent price!) I bought two big sheets of foam at the craft store to make seat pads, and Jeff helped me cut them to fit. Here's Jonathan driving on the foam.

I found some Waverly fabric on super clearance that was a pretty good match with the valances. With the help of this book and some advice from my mom, I made two cushions for the bookcases to turn them into window seats. It was my first try at an upholstery project this big. (And I love that the cubbies are just the right size for board games!)

Here's an up-close look. Many of the baskets are empty, which is nice!

Jonathan finds the cushions useful for parking.

We also got an Expedit bookcase and added some baskets to it. It was even harder to find canvas baskets for this one! (But, we found all the baskets at the same place...Wal-Mart. Thanks to Amanda for helping us find enough of the same color!) The baskets are small enough to have small books behind baskets of toys, and that works well for us right now. The grownup things are up high, and the kid things are down low. The cubbies are 13" square, big enough for scrapbooks!

Here's how that corner of the room looks with everything together. Eventually, I might use this idea and put some coordinating fabric or wallpaper behind the shelf.

I decided I wanted to add some words (probably inspired by Jennie!) I bought some letters at the craft store, painted them, and mapped out their positions on waxed paper.

Here's how they turned out.

This is how that corner of the room looks right now. I'll probably add throw pillows to match the window seats.


There's a little book nook behind the couch.


My next project...recovering these chairs that Grandma picked up for us at a yard sale. I may use more of the Waverly fabric, or I might pick up a remnant of something else. There's always another project! :)

Update: To see the photo collage I put on the far wall, click here. To see the recovered playroom chair, click here.

11 comments:

The VM Family said...

This looks SO GOOD!!! We're excited to play in it on Wednesday.

amy@flexibledreams said...

I found your blog through the Ikea Hacker blog.

GREAT window seats! I've been looking to make some banquet seating in my kitchen and can't afford anything I've found. I think I'm going to use your idea. Thanks!

Karen said...

Found you through ikeahacker! I love how you made these seats! We're going to be moving into a house that will have a little bump out near a window and I thought a window seat would be perfect. :) I may just have to tackle this. And the great news....I own that book already! :)
Now, a question....are the pads somehow attached to the shelving? How do you keep it from slipping around? Thx.

Yummy Mommy Mia said...

Came here from Ikea Hacker...I really like the idea of having a little nook behind the sofa!

marta_tururu said...

Good and practical idea!!

all the best from http://babydeco.blogspot.com

Sonya said...

Another one here from Ikea Hacker. LOVE the window seats! I've seen a few others on their site but they weren't quite "right" for me. These are beautiful. Good job! And your playroom looks great too!

aerialsoul said...

Great Ikea Hack!

What firmness did you use on the foam and what thickness? i've been putting off creating a covered foam cushion for an ikea piece we have since the foam cushion seems either too soft or super expensive.

Kat said...

Hi, Amy, I'm also here from Ikea Hacker. I'm really interested in what you've done here because I'm trying to find some child-friendly storage solutions. Just wondering... In your opinion, are the Lack corners and edges relatively kid-proof (imagine a 4-year old pushing a toddler, or two toddlers having a tussle)? And also, did you have to attach the Expedit to the wall? I really like the look of the Expedit, but I also have carpet and I'm not sure it's safe with two young toddlers around. I'd love to hear your opinion on this.

Embracing my perfectly imperfect life said...

Amy,
Amazing bench and exactly what i have been dreaming of. I think i can afford to do this. Would you mind emailing me so i can ask some detail questions? I found a place to order foam but wonder exact size you used my email is Nancy-reed@cox.net

Anonymous said...

super cute room, but the large cubbie holder with the bins up high look dangerous for a small child. I hope they are anchored to the wall!

Jonathan said...

No worries, Anonymous, they are firmly anchored to the wall. The shelf comes with brackets, and we had wall straps that we put on to anchor the shelves right away.