Next up: Creating a playroom

For my next big project, I’m tackling our upstairs bedroom and turning it into a playroom. Elise needs a space where she can’t get into trouble. (No breakables. No pretty lamps!) And it would definitely be nice to get the bulk of the toys out of the living room.

This is the last room in the house to be decorated and it probably needs the most help. The space is large at approximately 11 x 17 feet, but so far we have used it for little more than a dumping ground for baby stuff and to house surplus books. 

This entire converted attic is divided into one large bedroom, an adjoining bathroom and two large walk-in closets. The staircase leads straight into the bedroom, so I’ll have to find a sturdy baby gate for the top of the stairs.

This wall between the bathroom and the stairs has been naked for about a year. We were hunting down a leak, which ended up being somewhere else, so we’ll have to put the paneling back up.

Technically, this room is “supposed” to be the master bedroom, but one of the strange quirks of our house’s layout is that the staircase is behind a door in Elise’s bedroom. That is, to get to the upstairs, you have to walk through Elise’s bedroom. Not the optimal situation, especially when she’s sleeping. I don’t know how it will work if we had another child, but I’m sure we could figure something out. Anyway, the funky layout is the major reason this space isn’t being used as a bedroom.

I really really hate the blue shag carpeting. My guess is that it is about 25 years old. It’s not in terrible shape, but it is faded and did you notice it was BLUE? I don’t think it needs more explanation why it needs to go.

The walls are wood paneling that is painted a drab caramel color. This room gets quite a bit of natural light with its west-facing windows, but the beige just eats it up and makes the room look dingy. I want the space to feel bright and airy, so I’m going to paint it white. I’ve never wanted to paint a room white before, but I think this is the perfect space to do it.

My goal is to get the room completed before winter so we have a place to play when it’s icy out. There’s a lot of work to do, some of which will require help from my dad, so I hope we can get it done on time!