Good Monday morning, everyone! Remember Mia’s colorful playroom we featured a little while ago? There’s more — little 3-year-old Mia has a wonderful play-oriented bedroom, too! I asked her mama, Abbie, to tell us more about it.
What does Mia love most about her room? What about you?
Her favorite thing about her room seems to be the wooden dollhouse. She spends the most time playing with it. It’s either that or all the books in her room. She is forever climbing on the chair and pulling several off the bookshelves.
My favorite part of her room is the “Fur Neil” poster by Martin Krusche. Mia has always loved the moon and I wanted to get the poster for her for a LONG time. She likes it too and refers to it as “Mr. Moon.”
Before she was born, what was the one decor item you just HAD to have?
Before Mia was born, we lived in a different home. We were renting, so I couldn’t do a lot for her room. Truthfully, I was still sort of in shock of becoming a parent for most of my pregnancy and didn’t really think about things like perfect items for her nursery. It sort of makes me sad that I didn’t think like that! I’ll definitely think more along those lines when planning a nursery for a second baby! What we did for her room before she was born was order removable (and reusable) vinyl wall decals from Wall Candy Arts. We have a tree and also an owl and glow-in-the-dark stars-and-moon set. They were in her room in our first home and they are still in her room now. I don’t know if I will keep them up forever…I’m starting to think I’m over them. Mia seems quite fond of them, though.
What do you have your eye on to add to her space?
I’m constantly wanting new items for her bedroom. I’d like shorter bookcases so that Mia can reach everything by herself. The ones she has now were mine as a child. I’d also like some String Pocket shelves. And a Norsu elephant bank. 
There’s a definite transition which takes place once a child outgrows the crib and the space is no longer a nursery. How has Mia’s bedroom changed now that she’s in a “big girl” bed?
Actually, her “big girl” bed is sort of a farce. She sleeps with me, in my bedroom, every single night. We only removed her babyhood crib a couple of months ago and I decided to leave to crib mattress in the room as a reminder of her crib (in case she freaked out over the crib’s removal-it was more a fun spot for her to play than anything else!) I’m hoping it might become a real bed one day. The next plan is to move a bigger bed into her room and I’ll start sleeping with her in her own room before I try teaching her to sleep away from me. Cosleeping works for our family. Mia wakes up a few times every night, so it’s easier for me to have her in bed with me. Not ideal…but I know it won’t last forever. She’ll be a teenager who sleeps fourteen hours a night before I know it!
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Thanks for sharing with us, Abbie!
How about you — what do you love most about Mia’s room? I’d have to agree with Abbie, I’m crazy for that Martin Krusche poster.
-Gina xo
SHOP THE ROOM
Hello lovelies! Did you have a nice Memorial Day weekend? We spent most of ours outdoors in the sun, which was fantastic. And now as we ease back into routine on this Tuesday-which-feels-like-a-Monday, I have a great little dose of interiors inspiration to share with you all. Isn’t this a fun and colorful playroom? Mia’s mama, Abbie, was even so kind as to share her top five tips for the perfect playroom, which you can read after the images.
Tell us about Mia, the lucky girl who gets to use this playroom.
Mia is a very spirited three-year-old who is all about pretend play. She is an only child (so far — we are hoping to give her a younger sibling asap) and that means that I end up playing with her A LOT. It’s only been in the last month or so that she’s been happy playing by herself. So, it’s really important that I am happy in the spaces in which we spend so much time.
Did you start designing the room before she was born, or more recently?
Actually, her playroom is a fairly recent development in our home. We’ve had the room since we moved into the house when she was only 8 months old, but at that time it was sort of an office, with some toys for Mia to play with when we were in there. Gradually, more and more toys started ending up in the room and the grown-up office stuff started disappearing, so it became a full-on playroom. Last Christmas when Mia got a play table and chairs and a play kitchen seemed to mark the real beginning of it feeling like a true playroom.
As the room starting coming together, did you work from a single design inspiration, or several?
I would say that there is both a main focal point AND also a lot of separate pieces. The main point of inspiration for me is COLOR. It almost always is. I love colorful spaces, especially children’s spaces. Mia’s toys are bright and colorful. I chose art for the walls that is too. The walls are white, so I felt color was even more important. I really love bright pops of color against white walls. Sometimes I think I might go a bit overboard with use of color, but usually those are just briefly passing thoughts. It sort of feels like a rainbow of a room to me.
What’s your favorite thing about the playroom?
I have two favorite parts in the playroom. One is the mini-gallery wall (the large “Apple Pappel” poster by Fine Little Day with the vintage map garland by Etsy artist Happy August, the “Bonjour” print by Allison Cole/The Land of Nod, the kraft letter “m”, and the picture book shelves/wall ledges. Every single time I look at either spot in the room, I smile.
As she gets older, is she having more and more say with what goes into the room?
Luckily for me, Mia is pretty easy-going about what rooms in our home look like. I do try to choose elements that remind me of her or seem like something she would like. She was so excited when our “Apple Pappel” poster arrived in the mail. She was so excited to see me put the Miffy poster (sent to us from friends in the Netherlands) in a frame for the wall. I have already started thinking about what it will be like when she has stronger opinions about the space around her some day; let’s just say I’m glad we aren’t there yet.
I spy Cactus Pups displayed in the little wooden house! Tell us more about your and Mia’s collections.
Before Mia was born, I collected Japanese pop culture toys. I already had A LOT of toys years before getting pregnant. I’m slowly trying to purge a lot of my collection, but my favorite items have and will remain for Mia (and I) to enjoy. Most of those items aren’t even out in the open in the playroom, but stored in the closet. The room has plenty in it already without all of my Japanese collectibles. There are some, of course. We have Tokidoki vinyl toys (i.e., the Cactus Pups) and blindbox toys (along with an assortment of other small toys) in baskets in a bookshelf. There are nine Sonny Angel dolls, which Mia and I both LOVE. There is an assortment of vintage Fisher-Price Little People toys: the blue and yellow dollhouse and the schoolhouse. I love wooden toys and have a great collection of wooden puzzles and wooden play food.
This whole room is such an inspiration! What are the top five elements which make a perfect playroom?
- COLOR — especially colors that promote gender-neutral play
- ACCESSIBILITY — ensure toys and other children’s items easily accessible to the children so they can reach their playthings without having to ask an adult for help
- STORAGE — install lots of good storage/shelving to free up space for playing on the floor
- ART — hang art which your children like
- TOYS — use favorite toys as inspiration in decorating
Thanks for sharing this delightful play space with us, Abbie!
xo, Gina
For Jessica’s room I wanted to focus on brightness and allowing the sun to shine in on her space. I am always a fan of white walls so I knew I could add pops of color here and there. I also wanted her room to be versatile so it could grow with her as she became older. I kept this in mind while purchasing items such as curtains, duvets, rugs and art.
While we still have the hardwood floor to put down, I’m happy with how her little room came together. To save space and give a feeling of openness I turned her walk-in closet into a play area. It’s a great place to tuck herself away and get lost in her own world of imagination. A simple kitchen set becomes a restaurant and a rack of shoes a street side boutique. This is exactly what I had in mind when planning this room. A whimsical space where the creative mind can let go. A place to play. A place to create.
xo
Liz // Yellow Finch
About this series: SLEEPYKINS features real rooms from real kids. Do you have a special place — your child’s bedroom, playroom, or favorite corner — you want to share with us? Send photos to gina@babiekinsmag.com or yellowfinchdesigns@yahoo.com! Details here
When we found out it was a boy I took the nursery as a project to pour all my excitement and anticipation into! I wanted it to be a soothing room. I considered the idea of a playful room, but as a fanatic of all things old and rustic, I just couldn’t stray away from my vintage style.
I began the enormous task of designing our first baby’s room with none other than an inspiration board of ideas and a color palette. There were a few pieces I just knew I had to have such as the jute chandelier, the wall paper and and a serene sheep mobile. Everything else built upon these elements throughout my research.
One of the main things I wanted to accomplish was a room that would “grow” with baby, and I believe that I accomplished that (minus the crib of course).
I also wanted magical and dreamy touches, that’s why I decided to incorporate a quote from a Disney song on the wooden sign my husband built. I also “carved” Peter Pan out of paper alongside whimsical wording in the pages of a vintage book.
I left the room with a lot of space for Ezra to one day pick and choose things and toys he might want to add, so the room will truly be his own creation.
xo, Vania/Simply Bloom Photography, LLC
            
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About this series: SLEEPYKINS features real rooms from real kids. Do you have a special place — your child’s bedroom, playroom, or favorite corner — you want to share with us? Send photos to gina@babiekinsmag.com! Details here.
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From the VW wallpaper to the painted floors to the colorful details, this bedroom is enchanting. We’d kind of like to move right in! Thank you, Cindy of My Daily Garbage, for this lovely glimpse into your home.
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About this series: SLEEPYKINS features real rooms from real kids. Do you have a special place — your child’s bedroom, playroom, or favorite corner — you want to share with us? Send photos to gina@babiekinsmag.com! Details here.
Sisters Isabella and Emilia, who live in Oslo, Norway, love books, necklaces, and animals. This energetic room is the perfect place to showcase all three!
Of course we just had to know what the writing above the bunk beds meant (aren’t you curious, too?) The girls’ Aunt Camilla translated the Pippi Longstocking quote for us: “I have never tried that before, so I think I should definitely be able to do that.”
Does that sound like a little one YOU know? : )
We want to see your child’s bedroom, playroom, or favorite corner! You can email photos to gina@babiekinsmag.com. Details here.
Scarlett’s room is just full of warmth and life! Her mama, Lauren Rebecca of Saratoga Springs, NY, tells Babiekins, “I started collecting things for Scarlett’s room when I found out that I was pregnant. I didn’t really have a rhyme or reason. I just picked things that I was fond of. Putting together her room was heartwarming because I was able to take all of the wonderful treasures that I had collected and put them in her one, special room. Vintage finds, hand-made pieces and a few new selections helped me stitch together an eclectic room of love for my little girl.”
Do you have a special place — your child’s bedroom, playroom, or favorite corner — you want to share with us? We want to see! Please email photos to gina@babiekinsmag.com. More details can be found here.
Finley’s bright and colorful room is just an absolute delight! We love the mix of modern toys interspersed with older items which once belonged to his parents. Thank you, Camilla, for sharing such a playful and imaginative little boy’s room with us!
Do you have a special place — your child’s bedroom, playroom, or favorite corner — you want to share with us? We want to see! Please email photos to gina@babiekinsmag.com. More details can be found here.
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