How to Design a Play Area in a Sitting Room
Transforming a sitting room into a play area is a good idea for many parents; it can offer an opportunity to take a room that is rarely used and transform it into an area just for the kids and all their toys. This designation allows parents to avoid having toys strewn throughout the house, potentially keeping messes constrained to a single room. Once the kids are grown, the sitting room can transform back into its old self again. Does this Spark an idea?
Other People Are Reading
Things You'll Need
- Tape measure
- Graph paper
- Pencil
- Poster board
- Marker board panels
- Plastic sheeting
Instructions
-
-
1
Remove all furniture from the sitting room. Store it somewhere for the long term. You can put it back when your children are older. If the furniture is old, or you intend to replace it later, you can leave it for the children to use. Do not leave good furniture on which the children can spill paint, other craft supplies or food.
-
2
Measure the playroom to determine both its size and to plot where you may potentially place certain furniture. Draw the room's dimensions on a sheet of graph paper; mark where the doors and windows are so you will be aware of where you can place the furniture for the room.
-
-
3
Use the graph paper to decide where toy furniture pieces can be placed. Decide if you will need custom pieces for the space, where those items should go, or where existing toy pieces can be placed.
-
4
Sketch possible placements of toys and small-scale furniture. Erase and re-sketch possible placements (or use extra sheets of paper to keep dibs on different options) until you decide on a final design for the playroom.
-
5
Consider whether you will repaint the area. Numerous colors, either bright or pastel, are ideal for a playroom. Fill a poster board with clippings of things you wish to include. Include paint samples and pictures of furniture you own or will use in the play area.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
Build or purchase child-sized playroom furniture. Play kitchen sets are easier to purchase than to build, while you may find it easier to build your own custom, child-sized table or shelf.
Prevent children from drawing on the walls in the converted sitting room. Attach 5-foot-tall marker board paneling board to the bottom of the walls; this will create a surface kids can draw on with markers.
Protect an existing floor surface by covering it with plastic sheeting; this protects the carpet or other floor surface from both stains and water damage.
