We are lucky enough to have a basement playroom space for the kids. For the last seven years it's contained all sorts of little kid things - a play kitchen, an easel, a Pottery Barn Kids art table sized for little ones, buckets full of trains and Little People sets, etc. The kids have outgrown most of it and are in desperate need of a space to create and display their art, do homework, play board games, and build Legos. Enter my master plan. We are getting rid of most everything currently in the playroom (some of it we're selling, some we're giving to friends, and some we're donating) and are moving full steam ahead with a (relatively) cheap redo that centers around two oversize desks and a 4 X 4 Expedit bookshelf from IKEA. I went looking tonight for a design board to pull it all together and found Olioboard and created this:
Notice that this looks a bit like my scrapbook style? Neutrals (white, stainless steel) with pops of color and a touch of whimsy. We currently have white walls and an off-white carpet. We're leaving that as is for now, but my dream is to rip out the carpet and put in laminate flooring (not planning to splurge on real hardwood for a basement).
Some details not visible in the picture:
- The desk pictured above is not exactly what we are getting, as we are getting two of the drawer units for each kid to anchor the desks (instead of legs on one or both sides) and are getting a long (6') desktop for each. That way they will each have plenty of space for a computer or iPad, homework papers, art supplies, Lego-building space, etc. Sadie will also have a home for her vintage typewriter, which is a behemoth that currently eats up about a 1/3 of the craft table we have now.
- I got four of the metal locker baskets to go in the Expedit to help corral non-book items. I think I will pick a row, maybe the second row from the top or the bottom, and line the baskets up there.
- Eli is getting the orange desk supply cups and the red chair, and Sadie is getting the aqua desk supply cups and the pink chair.
- We already bought three of the Trofast shelf units with green buckets for Lego storage and are planning to add two more.
- The vintage game pieces (which I bought on Etsy for a grand total of $16.00, including shipping) are going to get collaged/glued into shadowbox frames for some cheap art. I figure that will be a fun project to do with the kids.
- I am currently negotiating with Seth - I want to move our old white double-glass-door TV cabinet into the playroom for board game storage and put it against the wall under where the vintage game art pieces will go. Most board games won't fit in the Expedit shelves and it will make sense to have a home for those in the playroom. If not, I'll get something similar, although maybe just a low bookshelf rather than something with doors.
- We also have IKEA metal art cables with clips that we bought last year and never hung up. We'll run one or two rows of cable above each of the desks so that the kids can clip up their artwork and homework.
- I found some cool Lego art on Etsy, but then realized that instead of hanging art above the Trofast units the kids can just display built sets on top of those as dust collectors (did I say that? I meant as art).
- I might also get each of the kids a set of stackable metal mesh desk trays so that work in progress can stay organized and visible.
- We're going to get all of this in place and live with it for a bit before making one last decision. I wanted to add a round table in a corner so that the kids could have a communal space for game-playing, art projects, etc. for when friends come over. I think I may be overestimating the amount of space we have (must leave enough open for a dance floor! :)) so I'm going to be cautious about this and wait and see.
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