Before & After: Dingy Closet Turned Happy Play Space

Carrie McBride
Carrie McBride
Carrie is a former Apartment Therapy editor and the original editor of Apartment Therapy Media's first site for kids: Ohdeedoh. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband and two kids..
updated May 4, 2019
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Empty closet with wooden shelves and beige walls, labeled "Before" in red.
(Image credit: Sarita/Mama Drool)

When Sarita and her husband bought an old home that needed a lot of work, they cooked up a plan to keep their two young daughters occupied and not underfoot while they spruced it up. Their mission: transform this unappealing closet into a happy play space.

(Image credit: Sarita/Mama Drool)

Sarita describes the project:

This tiny closet is the first thing you see when you walk in the front door. I work as a muralist for children’s spaces and love colour! I was anxious to play with bold and bright yellows. Gauguin is my favourite artist, so I feel confident that I’ll be happy if I use colours from his paintings.

The linoleum tile had to be peeled up and we replaced it with hickory, hand-scraped wood flooring we bought at Re-Store. Since the walls are a bit wanky, fitting straight floor boards in was a big chore for my husband, but the results are fantastic.

(Image credit: Sarita/Mama Drool)

Thank you Sarita! Readers, visit Sarita at Mama Drool.