Rugs – Curated Play Spaces

Nathan + Maren’s Play Space | December 2019

January 2, 2020 curatedplayspaces

I can’t think of a better way to end the decade than by being given the privilege to create a brand new play space for two wonderful tiny humans. When I visited their home for a consult, the kids main play space was the open concept living room that connected with the kitchen. Having toys in this space works well, because it’s a great space for the kids to play when a parent is cooking and they want to be close. But the room as overflowing and with the prospect of a new play kitchen coming for the holidays, something new had to be done. The kids’s bedrooms were also jam packed with toys, most stored in way that they just weren’t being used.

The solution was creating a new play space in the finished basement, that up until now had double as holding place for things that needed storing or donating.

Continue reading →

Play spaces are not stagnant spaces!

October 25, 2019 curatedplayspaces

Processed with VSCO with q5 preset — BEFORE the play space ‘shelf shuffle’

You’ve worked your peach off and your tiny human’s play space is Insta worthy and beautifully organized. Bravo! Sit back and reap the rewards of watching your child play, engage, and not need you for awhile. 😉 But here’s the thing – remember that this space is not stagnant, and as your child grows and their interests change, so should their play space. You’ll probably know when it’s time too. Their interest in the space will wane, their need for you during play will grow, and you hear the dreaded “I’m bored” more and more.

You don’t have to go all out and replace and move around furniture (although it is true when they say change is as good as a holiday – haha), but you do need to be changing out toys, rearranging toy/materials layout to encourage and revitalize interest, and setting up new play invitations.
This can happen nightly when you do your space refresh (especially creating new play invitations – think setting up a train track for your child to find when they wake up).
Weekly – think the next time your child pulls everything off the shelves, instead of putting it back where it was, switch things up so new items are at their eye level.
Or monthly – pull and store some old toys, and bring out ones you had put away. And just like that, your play space stays fresh and full of life! 🙂

My Indoor Play Space | #mylittlehome

September 14, 2019 curatedplayspaces

I love change. My mind never switches off and is constantly thinking of all the different ways I could do things, including play space design (obvi). Not just for the folks I work with but also my own home. Our house is very small and over the last 3+ years we have worked hard towards living a more minimalist life. We aren’t there yet and we (like every other person with children) have junk, but with time, research, patience, and being able to work on so many other people’s homes, we are getting closer to creating a dream space for our family.

My boys (now 2.5 and 6.5) share a bedroom and also have a shared separate playroom. This means we can keep their room a zen toy-free space (with the exception of LEGO, but that’s for anther blog) and I can put all my brain power into creating the perfect play space for them. This room changes a lot – not just materials, but the layout too. As my boys have grown so have their needs and interests. I’ve also learnt a lot about what works and what doesn’t for them when they play alone, together, and with friends.

Our current set-up may be its best iteration yet. We added really simple DIY pine shelving around the room, which freed up a lot of floor space for play. I downsized what toys and materials are out, and we also created a gorgeous gallery wall with all the little pieces of art we could never quite find the right place for. It is absolutely my favorite room in the house.

…On a side note, this is how you should feel about your play space too! Children’s spaces should not be messy, junk-filled eyesores. This is not conducive to happy engaging focussed play, and it’s not nice for anyone in the house to look at. Businesses do a good job making us feel like kids need their own specific everything, from rugs to plastic colorful everything, when really all the magic, fun, and color should come from them – not the furniture or decor.

Eddie and Walter’s Play Space Makeover | July 2018

July 29, 2018 curatedplayspaces

This play space makeover was all about organizing and cleaning. Eddie and Walter have some amazing toys and other resources, but everything was lost in deep baskets, out of place, spread around the house, and in total chaos. Their mum was overwhelmed and didn’t know where to start, so I came in and helped get her on the right track. They had everything I needed there, so I came armed with cleaning supplies, time, and my mini sidekicks to help get it turned around. I focused on four main areas in the end…

THE PLAYROOM

BEFORE

The space was crowded with too many toys and the deep baskets on the Kallax shelves meant that things were thrown in and lost in the ether.
The foam mat on the floor was working primarily as a dust/dirt collector.
The room also doubled as the kids’ clothing storage space, but the large dresser took up too much valuable play room.
The same went for the large armchair, which didn’t serve much purpose in the space except to house a watchful adult.
The artwork on the walls was years old and there were other things to mount that no one had had time to get up.

AFTER

I removed some of the unneeded furniture and then shifted around the furniture that was left to create more floor and counter space.
I sorted through all the toys and removed ones that were broken, gimmicky (think McDonalds toys), or not age appropriate (i.e. baby toys).
The newly sorted toys went back into baskets and were organized in the room by type to help create play areas and inspire play arcs.
Art supplies were placed out in the open near the newly introduced easel + work table to encourage art to happen.
An area on top of the shelves was created for Eddie’s STEM toys + Legos, out of the reach of baby brother Walter.
The foam tiles were removed and small rugs I sourced around the house were added.
Old artwork was taken down and new organizational pieces put up – hooks for ukuleles, a hat rack, and a height chart (all things that were waiting to be mounted).

BEFORE Continue reading “Eddie and Walter’s Play Space Makeover | July 2018” →

Isabel + Molly’s Play Space Makeover | July 2018

July 26, 2018 curatedplayspaces

Four-year-old twins Isabel and Molly’s sunny play space needed a little sprucing up. The room had lots of wonderful elements but needed more storage, more organization, and some restructured spaces with additional open ended toys.

Their mum was at her wits end with keeping the space clean and organized, especially the art supplies, and hoped the girls would expand their play interests towards the blocks. She also wanted a place the girls could read and a little space for them to explore tiny treasures (something she had seen at a friends’ house and hoped to replicate).

The play space is occasionally used as a workspace when the girls’ parents work from home, so we needed to keep their workspace/desk in the room + their books in the upper half of the built-ins.

BEFORE 70d8d525-bbfd-4d5a-a150-8bae3bf2f37b The play kitchen in the space was no longer being used productively, so we removed both the plastic kitchen and the wooden fridge to make space for a designated spot for the dollhouse (a favorite toy) and a building nook – something the twins’ parents hoped they would become more interested in.

I also created a little fine motor exploration tray (a specific request from the girls’ mum) in the same way I made this tray, only I filled it with little tiny treasures, bamboo tongs, and stacking bowls for sorting them into.

I sorted and organized the food and other accessories from the kitchen, and used two of shelves on the built-ins as a space for picnic play thanks to a picnic basket I found in the basement when cleaning up.

I also used leftover FLOR carpet tiles the family had to create a soft carpeted area for the girls’ to play on, and to designate the play space in the room. Continue reading “Isabel + Molly’s Play Space Makeover | July 2018” →

Foam Play Mats – just say NO!

July 23, 2018 curatedplayspaces

Friends – consider this a play space PSA. We’ve all seen those soft and colorful jigsaw style foam play mats that parents love to buy for their little ones. And I get it. It is an easy way to cover a floor and make it safer for babies and toddlers prone to falling. And they certainly brighten up a room. But let’s get real. Those things are the WORST! They catch all the dirt and muck in the cracks, are annoying to clean, come apart far too easily, get chewed, get thrown, and do nothing for the decor and ambience of your space.

My advice. Say no to the foam and get yourself and your little one a REAL rug. Not a kid rug with bright primary colors and farm animals on. Not one of those rugs with roads to drive toy cars on. I’m talking a real deal grown-up rug that you love to look at and that you’d happily put in any room in your house. There is no reason that your little one can’t have something that makes you happy too! Your space will feel better for it and so will you. And you might be surprised all the ways they play on and with it. The pattern on our playroom rug doubles as islands and rivers and different little worlds.

IKEA has some great options. So does rugsUSA.com (and they always have sales).

Goodbye foam. Forever. And good riddance!