How to Create a Colorful Kids Playroom

One of my most popular photos on Instagram is of our happy, colorful kids playroom.

Wanna hear something funny, though?! I have never ever written a post solely about our playroom here on the blog. Crazy, right? So we’re gonna change that today.

This room in our home is technically a formal living area, but when we moved into our home about four years ago, we had no formal living furniture but DID have a boatload of toys. And so this room on our main level became a colorful, fun mecca of play food, books, games, dolls, craft supplies, and so much more.

Our Colorful Kids Playroom Today!

A full look at our kids playroom, complete with a cube book shelf packed with books and toys, a colorful blue kids activity table, a kitchen playset, and colorful decor.

This large shelf is a great way to keep all the kids’ things organized. It’s like the MVP of our playroom.

A look at some of the colorful decor in our kids playroom - a bright blue table and chairs, geometric area rug, and bookshelf with colorful books and toys, perfect for storage.

The art wall in our kids playroom is a place where we hang their colorful artwork. There's also a small workstation with a kid-sized desk and chair perfect for writing, coloring, or doing homework.

The art display in the kids playroom! We created this wall by hanging picture string and hanging art with clips. Above, a Pablo Picasso quote inspires creativity.

Two decorative floating shelves in the kids playroom holds some of the colorful playroom decor - a globe, jars of colorful art supplies, framed artwork, and little plants.

Mom and dad join their daughter in the colorful kids playroom, sitting at the kids activity table, helping her with an activity workbook.

A different angle of our colorful kids playroom - from this view, we see two windows with white floor-length curtains, a colorful geometric rug, floating shelves with kids books, and the colorful blue kids activity table in the corner.

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How to Make a Functional Kids Playroom (4 Easy Tips!)

I won’t talk about every upgrade and change we’ve made to the room over the years, but I will share a couple of tips to keep in mind as you’re setting up your own play space.

These are easy tricks to think about as you’re making design decisions about your space, and they’ll help you create a spot in your home that will be both functional and stylish for every member of the family:

Think about the activities and toys your kids love the most, and then buy furniture and decor that aligns with those interests. Are you kids obsessed with books? Then that cute giraffe-shaped bookshelf probably isn’t going to cut it. Consider the toys and activities your children play with and do day in and day out — then look for furniture pieces that can accommodate those items.
Use your vertical wall space to your advantage. Take advantage of your wall space! Adding an IKEA Kallax wall unit like the one we have in our playroom is a great way to store lots of toys, games, and more without taking up too much precious square footage. You can also use wall-mounted shelving, wall-mounted baskets, or a magazine rack turned coloring book holder…..there are lots of possibilities here.
Leave open floor space. It drives me nuts when I see a playroom that is so cluttered with decorative stuff or toys that the kids don’t actually have room to, well, play. I mean, where is that giant Lego tower going to go, or how is anyone ever going to play My Little Pony memory?!
Keep at least one catch-all storage area. There are always going to be those hard-to-store toys — whether it’s a couple of stuffed animals, or maybe dolls and dress-up items and a plastic bathtub for a baby. Keeping one catch-all place for those random toys will save your sanity. My favorite is a storage ottoman, which can also double as extra seating when the lid is on.

Shop Our Colorful Kids Playroom Decor

Many of you have asked where I purchased certain items for our kids playroom. Well, here’s a full list of sources for you!

In the event that some items are no longer available, I’ve done my best to find similar items wherever possible.

Wall paint color: Rocky Bluffs by Valspar
“Sorry About the Mess But We are Learning Here” print: Etsy
Black rattan accent chair: Target (no longer available, but CB2, Article and Grandin Road sell similar chairs)
Shibori accent pillow: Etsy
Cactus accent pillow: Crate & Kids (no longer available, but this rainbow throw pillow would look darling!)
Jute floor pouf: CB2
Gray striped floor bin: Crate & Kids
Gray and white ikat toy chest/storage ottoman: Crate & Kids (no longer available, but this Overstock steal is so similar)
White cube shelving unit: IKEA (you can also find IKEA cube shelving units on Amazon)
Numbered canvas cube bins: Crate & Kids (the exact style is no longer available but these are pretty close)
Tasseled cube bins: Five Below
Multicolored triangle area rug: FLOR
Aqua table and chairs set: Crate & Kids (you can find a similar version of the table here, and a whole rainbow of kids’ chairs)
Multicolored bamboo wall clock: Crate & Kids (no longer available, but here’s one that is similar)
Play kitchen: Kidcraft
White desk: IKEA
Desk chair: IKEA
White wall shelves above desk: IKEA (I spray painted the brackets)
White wall shelves used for book wall: IKEA
“Every Child is an Artist” vinyl wall decal: Etsy
Artwork display with hooks and wire: DIY project
“I’ve Got the Whole World in My Room” wall canvas: Houzz

Are there any other playroom decorating dilemmas you’re facing? Let me know in the comments, and let’s chat about them!

Image of a cubicle book shelve in a kids playroom filled with storage bins and colorful books and toys. Image text reads "simple tips to create a fun and functional playroom"

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