Tuesday, August 21, 2012

The Toy Room Makeover



Finally our Toy Room is finished. It has taken some time, whenever funds and spare time permitted but we are chuffed with the results.

The bones of our toy room were already quite good, and many would have been happy with it, but I was bored of the same decor, things were getting worn and tired looking and as our room (which is supposed to be our formal lounge/open theatre ) is ope to the main hallway and one of the first things you see when you enter our home, I wanted it to look a bit 'nicer'.
There are some before photos in posts HERE and HERE

Our home is predominantly beige/brown and white in colouring, so I knew I wanted to try something different and perhaps a little out of my comfort zone. Seeing as though our existing art canvas is yellow, it was a great place to start and there are so many products available in the grey/yellow tones at the moment so the decision was made.
You might remember I wrote a post with a few plans for the room HERE , well these were the main products that I purchased, the floor mat and the couch cover, and they weren't cheap, so this is one of my 'not so cheap organising posts' but I have never actually set out on a mission to decorate a whole room, in a theme or 'look'. My rooms have all just evolved and its probably why they all look unfinished. Well not this time, I was doing it right this time!!


So , here it is. Our toy room.
(NB- this room hardly EVER looks this way. Sure, maybe at night, when the little cherubs are tucked up in bed but during the day, its a sight to behold!!)
ta-da!!



Ohh I love it!! Absolutely LOVE it! So fresh and crisp. Colourful but not too 'in your face' and still nice and neutral when you walk by.

Now more details for everyone;
The floor rug is from IKEA, super cheap at $49.95, called GISLEV
Our original brown couch from IKEA got a new cover KARLSTAD Grey $199.00 (eeek I know! Nice Tax refund but a cheap alternative to buying a new couch!)
Yellow lamp on side table - Target , $35 on sale, originally $50



On the couch there is a mix of patterned cushions , all keeping with the colour theme, but all purchased on sale.
Yellow back cushion - $8.86 ( x 2) Target
Grey and yellow chevron cushion (x3) $8.86 and one was $5.86 with a small hole I repaired. Target
Grey polka dot cushion -  I made it. The fabric is Michael Miller and it was in my stash. The ruffle is just some scrap material and the gorgeous Felt flower is handmade by my sister from Bread n Butter Factory .(They are a brooch or a hair clip and come in a range of colours!) 



The reading corner has been very popular since removing the small couch. It was super cute but the kids were using it as a step ladder to reach higher books, and it didn't fit all 3 older kids , which resulted in fighting!
I just replaced the couch with white pillows, a few scatter cushions (the chevron one for $8.86 and a plain yellow I scored from Target last week for $2.86!!)
The star mats help to define the area and keep it soft to lay or sit on , and are from Target a little while ago, I scored them for $15 , and originally bought them for Angus' room.
The book shelves are the famous BEKVAM spice racks from IKEA, and we love them!! They are used all day , every day and the kids love being able to see all the books.


I made the Art Display Canvas a while ago, and it has been a fantastic way to display the current craft projects or drawings that come home from school.
Its just a large canvas (that I already had) , spray painted , with bulldog clips glued on.
The curtains are a new addition, and purchased from Spotlight. Also a while ago ( I told you I have been buying stuff gradually!). They are a light fabric with a gorgeous Grey and white pattern, and we reused a rod from our living area (we replaced curtains with Plantation Shutters).
The Storage unit is quite old but still in fantastic condition, it is the TROFAST unit from IKEA.





I picked up the print (in the greeny blue) at Target and it is perfect for a toy or childrens area.


On the main wall, we have put a few RIBBA Picture Ledges (also IKEA), at a bargain of $19.95, they are the perfect size to create this display area. I have placed a few framed prints that I found on pinterest, free of course and had them printed at a photoshop.
They are 4 cute Nursery Rhymes and you can print them in a variety of colours! Things like 'If you are happy and you know it' and 'twinkle twinkle'
You can find them HERE.

 We also added some small canvas' that the kids have done , and will swap and change these as new pieces are created.


The print on the end in yellow is from a little delightful and says
'so many smiles begin with you' . You can find it HERE


A few yellow tin buckets bought from Crazy Clarks for about $6 each were added as storage for play food, kitchen items and tea sets.
.


All the toy baskets were tizzied up with gorgeous yellow labels, laminated and tied on with yellow bakers twine. I am so pleased with the uniform look , and they have been great for Stella with letter and work recognition. They are the perfect size and I love the colour! Do you think you would like them too? (hint hint)
The white boxes hold all of the kids craft supplies, such as paints and glues, paper supplies, craft items etc. And the top row of the shelves is perfect storage for my scrapbooking albums and the kids art folders. They like to look through them whenever they please.


And on top of the Expedit unit, 2 baskets from Woolworths hold items that need to be out of reach from the kids, like a DVD folder, some colouring books etc.
The kids drawing supplies are kept in the turntable and a cute 'You are my sunshine' print found from HERE, was also printed onto photo paper and popped in a frame  I scored from Target at 50% off.


There you have it. Our childrens space for learning, playing and interacting.
Like I said, it has been one of our more expensive projects, but well worth it in the long run!
I hope you like our new space and have gained a few ideas or projects to do at home too!
I am so excited to be able to share a wonderful printable with you soon , so that your toy room could look as organised too!
Stay tuned!


13 comments:

  1. Oh wow! I absolutely love it Liz. You have done an amazing job creating such a warm, creative and fun place for your little cherubs :)

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  2. Your room looks fabulous :-)

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  3. LOVE it all so much, it is gorgeous and the colours work so well!!

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  4. Oooh I am so jealous! That looks absolutely gorgeous. I'll bet your kids have a ball in there!

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  5. Gorgeous! Do you have more details on the curtains? They'd be perfect for my nursery and baby is getting too close to arriving to not have curtains!

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  6. I love this. Thanks for the inspiration! Can I ask where you keep all of your soft toys?? And what does the poster from target say in the reading corner?? Thanks :)

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  7. Looks fantastic! I am in the process of making over our playroom, which sounds to be in a similar position to your home, so this has been a great template to follow. The colour theme is good too. You should be so happy :)

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  8. Looks fantastic Liz, love the colours.

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  9. Beautiful Liz! That room will grow well with your cherubs!

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  10. The new playroom looks fantastic, I love the pops of yellow. xx

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  11. Looks awesome. Just wondering where you got the turntable?

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  12. Love it. Just popped over from your instagram to steal sorry borrow your reading corner idea. I feel an ikea shopping trip coming on!

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Thankyou for taking the time to read and more importantly comment on my blog. They are all so appreciated! Liz x