Tips for Nurseries and Kids' Rooms
Recently Ramsin Khachi and I participated in a kid-themed show for CityLine television (www.cityline.ca). We featured a classroom makeover project we did for students in Port Alice, B.C., and we also showed some great options for furnishing nurseries and kids’ bedrooms in both traditional and modern styles. Here are some suggestions for setting up a functional and fun playroom for your kids:
Kid friendly storage. Plastic buckets are light-weight, durable, and can be moved to the area where the playing (and mess) are occurring and then put away in a closet or on a shelf.
Décor and Kid friendly storage. Another great option are baskets, particularly if the play area is part of an open concept family space. This way when the toys are stored away the texture and look of the baskets add to the overall feeling of the room.
Label your bins with images of what’s inside. This is a good system for a quick visual reference of what goes where and reminds children of all those toys that might be forgotten when ‘out-of-sight’.
Consider what kind of toys/items you need to store and how those needs will change over the years. When children are young there are lots of large toys, like riding cars and big colorful dump trucks. It is nice to have a big (deep) closet with adjustable shelves. This is inexpensive to build and can later be reconfigured to house board games, and other items.
If your children like to do puzzles provide them with a flat surface that can be moved for storing incomplete ones. For example, your craft table might have a shelf right below the top to slide the puzzle away for completion at a later date. A “Puzzle Keeper” makes storing a snap. This is a piece of hardboard (1/4” thick), cut large enough to accommodate the largest puzzle (i.e. 30” x 36”). Sand the sides and corners to remove the ‘sharpness’. Then cut a piece of Plexiglas the same dimensions. The puzzle and pieces are sandwiched between the two and secured. The simplest way to do this would be with large binder clips. The clear top piece allows you and your children to see which puzzle is which, in case there are a few on the go.
Add white boards/blackboards for their pleasure and to give parents a place to do a ‘lesson’ when helping with homework. These are best when they are oversized so smaller children can reach them - and they work for adults, too.
Less is more - kids like space to play. Leave room for them to play, instead of filling the space with furniture. Big colourful toss cushions can be stacked out of the way but thrown down for seating when needed.
Other features to consider adding…
Sink for washing up dirty hands, paint brushes, and other messes.
Closeable doors to hide the space when needed.
Durable and washable surfaces (floors, walls etc). Cork is a nice option - it is easy to clean, is a warm and soft floor and helps deaden noise (which can be nice for Mom & Dad too).
Kid friendly storage. Plastic buckets are light-weight, durable, and can be moved to the area where the playing (and mess) are occurring and then put away in a closet or on a shelf.
Décor and Kid friendly storage. Another great option are baskets, particularly if the play area is part of an open concept family space. This way when the toys are stored away the texture and look of the baskets add to the overall feeling of the room.
Label your bins with images of what’s inside. This is a good system for a quick visual reference of what goes where and reminds children of all those toys that might be forgotten when ‘out-of-sight’.
Consider what kind of toys/items you need to store and how those needs will change over the years. When children are young there are lots of large toys, like riding cars and big colorful dump trucks. It is nice to have a big (deep) closet with adjustable shelves. This is inexpensive to build and can later be reconfigured to house board games, and other items.
If your children like to do puzzles provide them with a flat surface that can be moved for storing incomplete ones. For example, your craft table might have a shelf right below the top to slide the puzzle away for completion at a later date. A “Puzzle Keeper” makes storing a snap. This is a piece of hardboard (1/4” thick), cut large enough to accommodate the largest puzzle (i.e. 30” x 36”). Sand the sides and corners to remove the ‘sharpness’. Then cut a piece of Plexiglas the same dimensions. The puzzle and pieces are sandwiched between the two and secured. The simplest way to do this would be with large binder clips. The clear top piece allows you and your children to see which puzzle is which, in case there are a few on the go.
Add white boards/blackboards for their pleasure and to give parents a place to do a ‘lesson’ when helping with homework. These are best when they are oversized so smaller children can reach them - and they work for adults, too.
Less is more - kids like space to play. Leave room for them to play, instead of filling the space with furniture. Big colourful toss cushions can be stacked out of the way but thrown down for seating when needed.
Other features to consider adding…
Sink for washing up dirty hands, paint brushes, and other messes.
Closeable doors to hide the space when needed.
Durable and washable surfaces (floors, walls etc). Cork is a nice option - it is easy to clean, is a warm and soft floor and helps deaden noise (which can be nice for Mom & Dad too).
posted by Karen |
5:39 PM
