Playroom Nook

With a little bit of tape and paint, we created a wall mural and transformed an unused nook at the Woodland Cottage into an imaginative play area for the girls! At our apartment in New York City the girls have a little playroom, and they have certainly missed having their own space at the cottage in Pennsylvania. They have been playing in the living area, but we’ve noticed they play differently when we are in the same space with them. We wanted to create a play area that was all their own. The small nook at the base of the stairs was the perfect solution!

Ombre Wall Mural

We decided to paint a playful wall mural, inspired by the mountains that surround our cottage.  I purchased 2 shades of blue paint several months ago at Lowe’s in the “Oops Paint” section. The gallon of navy paint cost $5 and the gallon of lighter blue paint cost $8! We used the navy paint to transform one of the cottage bedrooms, and plan to use the light blue paint in one of the cottage bathrooms eventually. I combined the 2 shades of paint to create 4 total shades for an ombré effect on the walls.

We started the wall mural by taping painter’s tape on two walls in the nook. We then took a picture of the walls and numbered each section with its shade of color.

Over the next two days I painted the wall mural, leaving time for each section to dry before lifting the painter’s tape, taping necessary borders, and adding the next color.

We wanted there to be visual definition between the mountains, as they gradually became lighter in color.

We love the overall effect of the mountain wall mural and how the paint helps to zone this little nook as a play space for the girls.

Before and After

Here is the BEFORE of the wall:

And the AFTER:

Zoning the Space for Play

To further zone the space we hung a chalkboard on the mini wall next to the stairs, added a colorful rug and a pouffe seat, and set out a few toys. The nook is not large enough to store toys, so we keep toys in a cabinet in the living room and will bring in a few at a time. But the space is the perfect size for play!

The girls squealed with delight when they walked into their new space for the first time. We added a 4’x6′ play mat to the play room nook. We chose the beautiful, artisan-designed Mali Indigo print mat from Tribe West. This large, stylish play mat is made of durable microfiber suede. The natural rubber surface is soft and cushioned, and can be easily wiped clean.

We love this additional play space in a previously unused entryway! I hope it’s an area they love and enjoy for years to come!

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