A Carpeted Dining Room Is Now a Vibrant Playroom Thanks to a Rainbow Mural
In some homes, it makes sense to tuck a play area away — in a basement or living room corner, for example. But sometimes, if you have the right space, a playroom can serve as the center and soul of a house. After a pitch-perfect makeover, that’s now exactly the case for Vicky Burton’s family.
Initially, their playroom was the dining room in their home in Bristol, United Kingdom. But Vicky was thinking long-term about how the room could flourish for her daughters, Eva (5), Tilly (4), and Alice (2).
She Wanted a Space for Her Daughters to Grow In
“I wanted a space that was for them and us to use as a family,” Vicky explains. “The idea of this space is to grow alongside us. We can keep an eye on them now, which is perfect, but when they’re older, it’ll be great to have a living space filled with books and cupboards for homework and crafting.”
She Painted a Giant Rainbow Mural That Quickly Became the Focal Point
When the family added an extension to their house, they found the perfect opportunity to create this room. In order to help establish a flow with the new dining area, Vicky painted just the fireplace wall the same blue shade: Dulux’s “Mellow Flow.”
Vicky originally tried painting the playroom walls a soft yellow, “but it just didn’t work!” she says. The main focus, though, is the wall on which Vicky painted a giant, pastel rainbow mural.
Her Daughters Even Helped Her Set Up the Room
To really lean into the playroom vibe — and to get the girls involved in setting up the room — Vicky asked her daughters to help hang a Samsung Frame television and whimsical artwork. “We (also) regularly display their art and crafts on the shelves, so it’s very much a space for them that changes,” Vicky says. A patterned play mat and dusty pink chairs complement both the artwork and the rainbow wall.
Of course, the room needs to be functional, too. After searching “high and low for storage in the alcoves,” Vicky discovered secondhand pine cabinets and painted them the same blue as the wall they sit against. A lot of guests think that the cabinets are custom-made to fit the room’s dimensions, but they cost her less than £100, or about $135.
She Loves How Everything Is Still on Display but It Doesn’t Look Messy
“I love how the storage system works. [The girls’] toys and crafts are on display, but it doesn’t look messy,” Vicky says. “My favorite thing is to add baskets for smaller toys and to make it easier to play. The girls love that the sofa is a sofa bed, so they can have cozy movie setups with the Frame art TV.”
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This post originally appeared on Cubby. See it there: Before & After: A Carpeted Dining Room Transforms into a Vibrant Playroom with a Rainbow Mural
