Playroom

If you want a chic arched cabinet without having to pay big bucks for it, check out this playroom’s cool IKEA hack.

The stylish storage isn’t the only improvement in this one-time dining room.

The tiniest, most adorable kitchens you ever did see.

There's even swings!

This basement's color palette went from fluorescent orange and sage green to all-white and serene.

Yes, the room is snake themed!

This playroom is like a mini studio apartment. "I am so proud that I built almost everything in here with my own two hands," the homeowner says.

Cybele and her husband transformed their very old, gross garden shed into a playhouse that their daughter uses every day. The inside is about 8′ x 10′, and the exterior wrap-around porch adds even more room for tea parties during warmer months. I mean, how many kids have their own wrap-around porch? The answer is not many.The adults did the fix-up work while their daughter napped.

I love it when kids’ rooms look like, well… a room fit for a kid! This is a great example of a clean, organized, yet creative space for a little one to flourish.Kara Rosenlund designed this room to be a cheerful, relaxed space perfect for a growing little boy. From the dramatic floor-to-ceiling chalkboard walls, to the sunny ceiling fan, to the “grass” rug on the floor, there’s no risk of mistaking this room for a serious grownup space.

Before and After transformations just never get old, especially when the results are utterly unrecognizable. Case in point: Back in 2013, we posted a project about an empty stairwell space that was transformed into something unexpectedly wonderful. Cut to five years later and it’s been viewed almost four million times. We recently went back to see just what made the project resonate so much with our readers.

Have you ever seen a closet with steps? This weird feature made it less useful as a storage space, but Aimee’s toddlers were enthralled. So she decided to turn it into playroom, for just a little over $100: From Aimee: Plastic rain gutters on the back wall serve as book shelves. Homemade cushions soften the giant steps. Cheap Ikea frames with free printables were an affordable wall art solution.

This family uses their basement for watching movies, playing, and hanging out together. The space satisfied many of these functions, but with its hodgepodge of furniture, beige walls, and random floorplan, it was less than inspiring. With the help of 6th Street Design School, this bland space was transformed to one with patterned wallpaper, bright colors, ample seating, and function-specific areas. Bright, poppy, and fun, this space is much more energizing than its original incarnation.

It doesn’t take long before kids toys totally take over a playroom. This room was actually a pool house that had gotten out of control and the parents brought in Miki Steiner to turn it into an organized and enjoyable playroom. Miki tells us: I am a self taught interior designer, working in the Bay Area. My clients are mostly renters who seek to improve the interior of rooms on a very tight budget.

Homeowner Kathleen would be the first to say that this room in her house was just kind of sad. It was intended as a playroom for her kids, ages 6 and 9, and as a place for the family to hang out together. With paint, some new furniture and colorful accessories she was able to breathe life into the room to make it a vibrant, stimulating part of the home. She even found a way to make the big brown couch work in the space.

One of my favorite home trends is families using their space to suit current needs and desires instead of being hemmed in by traditional floor plans or how a room had always been used. Last week we saw Lindsey turn her family’s formal dining room into a family study and today’s example is a huge family room re-imagined as a dream playroom for two young kids. It’s quite the transformation and is just what this family wanted.

Yeah, okay, this bedroom is fine. It’s got some beds, so it’s functional. It’s got walls, you know, because you need those. But it lacked pretty much everything else. Until now…What a transition! Out of nothing, Kelly created this super stylish playroom/studio for her to share with son Aston.

This townhouse only had two bedrooms, and desperately needed a dedicated workspace and playspace. Angie was struck with inspiration when she thought about all the unused space in their 2-story foyer — why not build a loft? Join Us on Pinterest: Apartment Therapy She had her husband and father-in-law build this clever, creative loft and made it into a little nook for working and playing.

Julie’s basement needed some work to become a cozier spot for her kids to play and she also wanted it to be a relaxing, attractive spot for the whole family. The new room has big changes: new floor, new ceiling and painted walls as well as furniture and storage.Julie shares: When we moved into our new home, the basement was unfinished. I had dreams of making it into a world-class chaos wrangler, I mean playroom.

There’s a reason basements often become cluttered dumping grounds, they’re usually dark, uninviting and an excuse to hide your mess away. If you have an underused or unappealing basement, take some cues from designer Frances Herrera who transformed this one into a bright, welcoming playroom.What was your goal for this space – what did your clients ask for?My clients needed an inspiring place for their 5-year-old daughter to play, craft, and entertain her friends.

Spaces in our homes serve different needs at different times in our lives and this family decided that instead of a traditional car garage, they needed a playroom. See how they made that happen:After!Tracy, her husband and their son Harrison live in Seattle and she told us about this terrific project:We live in a small townhouse with a rather small shared driveway making it almost impossible to park in our driveway.