Before having a child I couldn't understand why parents had kid crap all over the house. Did the ability to put anything into containers disappear? Well, now that I have a child...a 17 month-old I clearly understand. No sooner do you put a toy away than the kid is right behind you pulling it back out.
For a while I wanted all of P's toys in her room. Then I realized how isolating that must be. I feared it would translate to her as: mommy doesn't like my toys, mommy doesn't like me. I was inspired once again by my friend Tracy and her home. Her kid's play area is right in the heart of the home, exactly where the kids should be.
So, my challenge began. How do I incorporate a kid play area into our living/dining area while keeping a grown up feel...and trying to move towards more modern?
I rearranged our furniture and out of it a free corner in the living room came about. That would be P's space. My parents gave us the Jill table and little Jake chairs from Room and Board. It was a great start. The corner still looked empty, not fun. Wall graphics would work but would it be too much kid in the middle of our house?
I found great wall graphics from Boodalee at 2modern.com. For $55 you get three trees, with leaves you can layout yourself and lots of animals to also fill your forrest. I found it to be the most wall coverage for your buck.
So far I'm happy with how it's turning out. I still need more kid friendly, warm elements...like a chalk board. To be continued...
Labels: kid space
