Before the adult realities of keeping house set in, children love to play house. They enact the rituals they see their parents engaged in, they exert their otherwise limited power over their own domain and give their imaginations free reign. That's what's so special about play houses - their diminutive size inhibits too much adult oversight.
I sort of had a play house growing up - our garage was an old two-story barn that my sisters and I (and the neighborhood kids) had run of. We had a couch, fold out cots and metal cups and plates from an old picnic set. We didn't so much play "house" as Olympics dormitory - to each their own.
If you are considering a play house for your kids (or, like me, just enjoy fantasizing about one), here are twenty to browse through. They're all DIY to some extent. Some were made by parents wholly from scratch while others were bought second hand and totally spiffed up.
Enjoy!
(Images: 1. Den Gode Feen 2. Christina Schmidhoffer/Sunset Magazine 3. Flickr member Cindy Funk licensed for use under Creative Commons 4. Todd Selby 5. Mousehouse by Megan 6. Saving4Six 7. Restyled Home 8. Atomic Ranch 9. Birdie Blue 10. Nathalie Bearden 11. reader Jill 12. Cutest Little Things 13. via Cookie Magazine 14. Joanna Gick 15. reader Lynne 16. Jenny Brandt/Dos Family 17. Belinda Graham/The Happy Home 18. The Germinatrix 19. Fifi Mandirac 20. Kelle/Nest of Posies)
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I like the ones that actually look like play houses. Some of these seems like a house you can actually live in if there was plumbing.
All pretty.
I'm extremely tired (not sure why I'm still browsing) so all I can think is, 'Oh no, another space to clean'.
But really, I just wish I had that pink one to curl up in.
these are all so darn cute! i hope to find something in a yard sale or craigslist to revamp for my daughter.
totally worth the time, money and effort.. my children have an elevated playhouse with an extra open space build on the side serving as an extra wide balcony or space they can sit and draw and create on with access by steps or slide... they would live in it if i allowed!
I just saw last week that the Queen's childhood playhouse has been rejuvenated because of the Jubilee. It's so charming, a 2/3 scale replica of a real house, fun to look at and for ideas. Here's a link to a video about it.
http://www.people.com/people/package/article/0,,20395222_20596911,00.html
Fabulous roundup! I love the mix of traditional and modern - it shows there's really a style (and price point) for everyone.
I was blown away by the house in Sao Paolo from The Selby - they deserve a post all about their kids' rooms.
I want number 2 fitted out as an art studio!
LOVE these! All so creative. Now I need some grandkids.
#9 is the CUTEST little house! I love the loft inside!
Love them all. My dad built me an INCREDIBLE playhouse in the mid-80's. It had a loft inside an an exterior deck and minitature pieces of wood furniture he built from scratch. I loved it so much!
beautiful.