Playroom goals

The other day my mum came over for a coffee and to have a play with the kids. Excitedly, I showed her the changes we had made to the playroom over the past few months and showing all the little additions. I was proud. Quickly detailing the functionality and purpose of each of our design choices and the benefits they would bring our children. It was then that she said, ‘don’t be upset if they don’t realise how lucky they are. You and your brother and sister didn’t have these things all set out in an organised playroom, you just played.’ Nothing like being reminded, it’s not about the perfect playroom which hits all of the Instagram and drool worthy playroom goals. But rather its about creating a space that invites my children to play. The messy, unstructured, open-ended and engaging sort of play that creates little problem-solvers, explorers and lifelong learners. But, maybe I can also enjoy a playroom that wraps these elements up nicely in a fun and functional space.

So here is our little hacks for creating a multipurpose space that kicks your playroom goals.

Storage:

Yes, we are huge fans of the sliding Trofast storage options from Ikea. They are easy for little hands to grip and slide out, fingers don’t get jammed and there are different sizes and combinations to fit every play space.

Our craft bench hack:

Mr Freddy & Co (Matt) is getting handier by the day. He went to Bunnings and got a pre-cut wooden board. Using the wall brackets that came with the Trofast units, he screwed the bench top to sit in between the two shelves. Add a couple of little wooden Ikea stools and Boom a craft/work bench.

Couch:

We chose one with washable covers in a colour that wasn’t white to hide marks. Because even though I’d love a white couch, I have three kids. And the play room is supposed to be a fun bright space for them. We also got one with a sofa built in because now that we have three kids we need the guest option. Finally, a play couch... still an aspirational purchase but we want this play couch from Little Adventurers play couch.

Play kitchen hack:

Again an ikea product. But this time I bought it from marketplace for $20 and gave it a total makeover with play kitchen hack stickers from Minnie & Me interiors. I love how it turned out and it only took me about half an hour. I love a hack that actually saves time.

Dress up basket:

Yes, it looks cute to have a rattan hanging rack and coat hangers for dress up clothes so that they can see what they’ve got. But do you know what isn’t cute? Me when I have to repeatedly hang things up. No thanks. I went and got a woven laundry basket from Kmart which beautifully hides all the dress-ups from sight, and I don’t mind if the kids shove them in inside out when they are packing up.

Picking the perfect play mat to hit those playroom goals:

Currently, I have floral with grey diamond and a round Roadtrip with Sand Safari play mat in our playroom. Like most of these playroom hacks, they all help create the illusion of a neat and tidy space, but flip it to the kids side and you have a fun and engaging design which invites your little ones to play. So perfect for playroom goals. Which design suits your play space? Check out the full range here.