SLEEPYKINS :: Mia’s Playroom / Top 5 Tips for the Perfect Playroom

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?

1. COLOR — especially colors that promote gender-neutral play
2. 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
3. STORAGE — install lots of good storage/shelving to free up space for playing on the floor
4. ART — hang art which your children like
5. TOYS — use favorite toys as inspiration in decorating

Thanks for sharing this delightful play space with us, Abbie!

xo, Gina