Must Be That Time Of Year, I Want To Rearrange My Playroom!!!

[Crazy8]

seems everyone is doing it lately!! I posted last summer when I was painting and putting all new cubbies in my playroom and some of you helped me set it up. Unfortunately I've never been really happy with it. The one thing that was successful was the layout cutting down on the "rough" play/running that I was having a problem with. But there are so many aspects I'm just not happy with.

I had toyed with the idea of getting rid of my dining room furniture and extending the daycare to both rooms but honestly, I am guessing I will only do daycare for a few more years (been doing it 11 years already) and I generally only have 3-5 kids in here, 1 usually an infant. Kids rarely stay past age 3 here so really the one room IS big enough for them - its not like I have 5 school agers here, you know?

This is the room, what do you think I should change?????


In case you can't tell - on the left of the pic is the art/eating area and then behind the cubbies the dramatic play/main toy area. On the right of the pic is the changing table, infant area, then the cubbies divide it from the reading chair/bookcase and then up top divided from the dramatic play area is the block/train table area.

I like having all these separate areas and want to keep them - I just think I want to rearrange where they are in the room - especially would like the infant area to be bigger - I have foam mats in there now (they weren't down yet in the pic) and I'm stepping on it to change diapers. I want it to be where I'm not stepping on it!

Any thoughts/ideas on how to change it up???

[Truly Scrumptious]

I change my room every month. I have a themed curriculum, so I set it up according to what the theme is. I get bored easily.happyface

[Heidi]

Pretty room!! I love the color you chose...not typical dc colors, which I love.

It seems like in the pics you are missing something...maybe stuff you added later, but I don't see any pictures up. You can buy that tacky stuff at the school supply store so your beautiful walls don't get messed up..maybe some picture of children of different races and abilities, and some wildlife pictures, and a picture of each of your dc kids, with you in the middle.."a circle of friends" or something like that.

Do you have a mirror for dress up? I didn't see that.

And your beautiful floors! You said you have some mats down for the infant space. How about a couple rugs in the areas to define the spaces a little? They don't have to be "kid" rugs. Just something to add a little warmth to the space. It would be neat if you could find some in your color scheme, with leaves or some other natural-ish prints. Maybe you could do a valance over the windows, too, in those same tones, but again, not necessarily "kid" fabric.

As far as the arrangement goes, I like that you have it seperated a bit. Do you have it in "centers?" like block corner, reading center, housekeeping center, fine motor, etc.

I have one other idea for you...around your housekeeping area, how about making a simple structure of birch (the white looks cool) branches, then wrapping white christmas lights and white or pale green tulle around it? It would look so cool...and kind of go with your natural looking them...

That's just a few ideas I had...

What are the dimensions of the room?

[GotKids]

I think it is a very nice room. I think what I would change is adding something fun to the walls, posters, decals something that says we have fun here!

[DCMom]

Love the color!

It's very crisp and calming...I need a new color scheme and I would like to stay away from the 'traditional' primary brights. I have muted blues, greens and reds with butter yellow walls right now, but I am so tired of that.

All these pics lately are giving me the urge to redecorate!

[Crazy8]

oh yes, there are things on the walls now. These pics are from the week I was arranging and didn't want to add things to the walls so soon after painting. Actually, quite a bit has changed when I look at this but the basic layout is the same. I have a big magnetic chalkboard on one wall, a dry erase schedule board for our daily schedule, a toy w/a mirror in the baby area. Little signs that say "reading center" "block center" etc. I had found a bunch of those classroom type things this time last year in Target when I was doing the room.

I'll have to take a newer picture but basically I want to try to come up with a new layout for all these little "areas". I think I would love the infant area to be where the kitchen/workbench are but I don't know how to arrange everything else!!

[Heidi]

I was thinking the infant area might be nice over by the window. Then, your housekeeping area could be on the closer end near the art area.

How do you define your infant area? Is it just sort of everyone knows, or is it hard to keep seperate? Maybe you could create a border with some large foam blocks covered in fabric? You could velcro them down onto the mats, if you have enough mats to give up the edges for that...or buy another set, if it's in your budget.

[countrymom]

your wall color looks like the same wall color that is in my family room. I love green. I see the back of a book case, can you put it against the wall or put something infront of it.

how about laying a rug ontop of the foam mats. Do you need the change table or can you change them on the floor. If you have a chance you post a picture of it all around. I love the dark furniture.

[countrymom]

oh you need curtains or a valance to break it up

[Crazy8]

your wall color looks like the same wall color that is in my family room. I love green. I see the back of a book case, can you put it against the wall or put something infront of it.

how about laying a rug ontop of the foam mats. Do you need the change table or can you change them on the floor. If you have a chance you post a picture of it all around. I love the dark furniture.

the bookcases were mostly before I put the backs on them. I purposely arranged them coming out into the room because before everything was flat against walls and I hated the big open space in the middle because kids ran around like wild. I do have the backs on them now and have kid friendly posters and stuff on them so they aren't so boring looking anymore, LOL!

I did order a 4x6 rug for part of the room, not for over the foam mats though. I like the mats - they are brown and green and go with the room. And yes, I do need the changing table - no way my back could handle changing kids on the floor - I tried it for about a month and hated it!!! I'd rather give up a corner of space in order to save my back a bit, LOL!

[Crazy8]

I was thinking the infant area might be nice over by the window. Then, your housekeeping area could be on the closer end near the art area.

How do you define your infant area? Is it just sort of everyone knows, or is it hard to keep seperate? Maybe you could create a border with some large foam blocks covered in fabric? You could velcro them down onto the mats, if you have enough mats to give up the edges for that...or buy another set, if it's in your budget.

I haven't decided how to separate the infant area, would love more ideas on that!! I think it won't be fully separated, more like just a place to put them down to play in their own little spot. Since my kids usually only go up to about 3 years old nothing in the room is really "unsafe" for babies. I just want to give them a little dedicated space. I'm thinking the one set of cubbies for baby toys and that little house thingy will be 2 things to kind of separate the area. I thought of using a gate but I don't want it THAT separate if you know what I mean.

[Crazy8]

Love the color!

It's very crisp and calming...I need a new color scheme and I would like to stay away from the 'traditional' primary brights. I have muted blues, greens and reds with butter yellow walls right now, but I am so tired of that.

All these pics lately are giving me the urge to redecorate!

I had a bright yellow daycare area in my old house and after about 6 months I hated it. When I did this I wanted something that didn't scream primary color daycare - its actually the first room you see when you walk in my house so I wanted it to at least sort of blend in.

[texascare]

I get bored easily and want to change things up but my room is not that big. I get so many good ideas here i always go into rearranging mode when I see things like this!!!::

I like your room!!!

[Heidi]

I haven't decided how to separate the infant area, would love more ideas on that!! I think it won't be fully separated, more like just a place to put them down to play in their own little spot. Since my kids usually only go up to about 3 years old nothing in the room is really "unsafe" for babies. I just want to give them a little dedicated space. I'm thinking the one set of cubbies for baby toys and that little house thingy will be 2 things to kind of separate the area. I thought of using a gate but I don't want it THAT separate if you know what I mean.

How about these? They were on another thread:

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/90116275/

Sorry...I can't cut and paste them in.

You could use them to define the infant space, and store infant toys at the same time (using them horizontally, make a simple back out out of peg board). Easy to see over, and you could even make a quilted or foam fabric top and use really heavy velcro to fasten it. When the baby is old enough to crawl over, they are probably ready for the "big kid" section. If you have no infants, you can stack them or open up a walkway and change it to a cuddle corner.

[Crazy8]

thanks for all the input so far. I tried moving a few things around today and it seems the biggest problem is the area where the dramatic play/toys are now (top left corner of pic) is the biggest area and that "center" is where I need the most space as that is the "main" play area for all the kids. That wall is not big enough to break into 2 areas and then have the table/art cabinet. If I put the infant area there in the corner I don't need all that space but then its not big enough to add another of the areas I need. Does that make sense???