a few things you must know:
i wanted a home that prioritized play. my college degree is in learning and development, I used to be a teacher, and I know the invaluable benefits of play - therefore I wanted plenty of play worked into our home’s layout.
and I didn’t want - at least for the time being - a closed-off, separate room with a door for play. i wanted kk and future siblings playing near me. I wanted to be able to cook or work on household stuff or rest or do whatever I need to do, all while able to see them playing (and they can see me). which means I needed play things worked into the main living area of our home.
but I didn’t want my home to feel like a primary-colored toy store. i wanted the play things cohesive with our home’s decor - I wanted it to still look like adults lived here. which meant buying things in white (or painting things in white), and keeping things in white or wicker baskets, as white and wicker are two big decor components in my home.
this felt like a pretty tall order, but I managed to get it done and I’m in love.
of course, like with everything else, this will all change as our needs change. but for now I’m smitten.
okay, let’s tour the play areas of our home!
the table room + kk’s art supplies
yes, we need to start with these things first to better explain the rest of the layout.
brett works 100% from home. and recently - for a multitude of reasons - we moved his home office to the empty front bedroom.
so we moved our dining room table set into what used to be the home office. we now affectionately call the former home office The Table Room, as it’s now this sweet little space with a big ol table. I love having this space for entertaining, for working, for projects, etc. we even store our beloved puzzle board on the table, but I love that this could be turned into a craft or homework space in the future. but most of all, I love that I can step into that room, shut the doors, and get some serious focus time without ever leaving my house.
and in this room we also store all KK’s art supplies (YAY Art Carts!), sticker books, construction paper, playdough, etc. see how we organize this room with all kk’s art supplies here!
we do themed art activities each month - see the full list of activities here!
we aim to put a peekaboo easel in this room, too. and while the art carts and easel can be used in The Table Room, they can also be pulled out into the main area.
make your home work for you.
our new play area!!
did you catch that? the former dining room space next was now wide open - and it was an open floor plan concept so that the dining room space was connected to (and visible from) both the kitchen and the den. aka the perfect place to play - I could have KK independently playing while I did whatever I needed to do. the first two days we turned this into a play area, we utilized it 10x more than we had…ever. say it with me: make your home work for you!
in this space we have:
our two beloved sensory tables + two little stools
see our monthly themed sensory bins here!
my big ol mirror from Anthropologie - from when I used this space for my floral arranging days, but I love it even more in this play space
an Ikea cube unit with these seagrass baskets for favorite, open-ended toys we keep out all the time
two big ol baskets from Home Goods that currently store blankets but could change as our needs change
a big ol comfy armchair for me (no source - it’s from my childhood lakehouse)
this white push cart that’s technically a stroller but could also be a grocery cart
and our beloved hallway storage - more on this next
want to see photos of this space? follow me on instagram - I’m always showing this area on my stories and in my highlights!
our beloved hallway storage
still obsessed with this hallway project. I wanted hallway storage that wouldn’t make our hallway seem narrower, and I wanted storage that could adapt and change with us as our family (and needs) changed.
right now, our favorite open-ended toys are stored here
and these storage units face the dining-room-turned-play-area, so they’re in the perfect spot, and unofficially turn our wiiiiide hallway into potential play space, which I love.
it’s three ikea shoe cabinets. i changed out the hardware (not linked, because I was not pleased with the company’s customer service. but if it helps, know i googled “chinoiserie knobs”). brett removed the original tops of the cabinets, and replaced it with one long piece of wood so that the three units appeared to be one continuous piece. (brett found through internet search the color of paint to use to match the ikea paint - I’m sorry I don’t know the name or link to this!)
other faqs about the gallery wall/frames/storage unit found in this instagram post.
that sentimental jar explained in this instagram post.
we currently store kk’s toys and dog treats/things in this piece - and I like that the bins are narrow so that I have to be reallyyyy intentional what goes in each.
but what I love most is that this is a piece we’ll grow into. like, while it may be toys right now, it can easily become something more geared towards older kids and teenagers in the future.
our Nugget play couches
we have two and we move them around the house. we got them when KK was three months old and we have considered them the best investment ever every day since then.
kk’s rice bin
a reminder that we have a separate, simple rice bin - like this Busy Toddler post! - that KK LOVES. if i feel up to it, I may use bowls/scoops/tools that match this month’s colors and/or small parts that coordinate with this month’s theme. or I just keep it as-is and it’s still a GEM.
we store it under a bed and pull it out as needed
yes, yes. this is separate from our beloved sensory tables. see our monthly themes for play for our favorite ways to use our sensory tables!
our laundry room of riding toys
we have the perfect hallway for riding. but I don’t likes staring at (or tripping over) KK’s riding toys. so we store them in the laundry room, parking lot style.
we have and love:
this white push cart
i know I already mentioned it above, but I wanted to say it again. this thing is a gem. because since I feel very strongly about kk’s play area being immersed into my main living space and because I feel strongly about her play things being somewhat cohesive with my decor, I feel very strongly against a lot of push toys. which is hard, because kk loves push toys and push toys apparently only come in garish colors. and apparently this is 1000% my hill to die upon.
but enter this beauty. it’s WHITE! and, and! here’s the BEST part: it’s so simple and open-ended. while it’s sold as a stroller, it can also pass for a grocery cart…or any cart, really. so the imaginative play possibilities are plentiful. and, more importantly, it’s not red. BLESS.
our duplo table
we did it very similarly to this tutorial, except we used four of these white lego mats* to better match our decor.
*yes, we used lego mats. they only loosely fit duplos, but we wanted some longevity with this table and KK doesn’t seem to mind.
please note I got white lego mats to go on my white cart. like I’ve said time and time again, I buy things in my decor color scheme whenever possible.
our den + our pikler triangle + our toy rotation
in our den we have a patterned rug, an upholstered, patterned ottoman from TJMaxx, a hand-me-down rocker/recliner, a hand-me-down couch, and a white Facebook Marketplace couch (the seat cushions covered in white fleece throws because I prefer to wash those and preserve the slipcover). all that to say, our den is cozy and child-friendly and I-won’t-freak-out-if-something-spills.
in our den we have our pikler triangle - aka kk’s indoor slide she loves.
and we have a white four-cube unit from ikea next to our couch and here is where we keep kk’s toy rotation - we have two of these baskets on bottom, two of these trays on top, and two 3M hooks on the side.
this area tends to be where I rotate seasonal play invitations and activities that practice fine motor skills.
see my monthly play themes - and our favorite toys and activities - here.
however this area could also be changed to accommodate future siblings, too.
our toddler bookshelf
next to the couch we have this toddler bookshelf. it seems to perpetually be out of stock, but there are other similar options out there. and, because I know that I love the color white for decor - and because I knew painting it white would make the bookshelf more cohesive with the rest of our den - I painted the bookshelf white with this paint.
and I rotate the books out each month - each month has a different theme. see our monthly themes - and a full list of books each month! - here.
our dollhouse
we have this awesome fold-and-go dollhouse. I love that it folds up, I love that it’s unfinished (and therefore doesn’t clash with my decor), I love that KK can pull it out whenever she wants to play, and I love that I can move it around the house.
our big, magnetic chalkboard + our cart o magnatiles
we hung a big, magnetic chalkboard near where I cook. perfect for my inner calligrapher (prebaby Haley also had a calligraphy business!) and for a free way to decorate for holidays and celebrations, but also perfect for kids. coloring with chalk, playing with magnets, hanging school papers, displaying family photos. it’s another thing in our home that will grow with us - that makes me so happy.
and next to that chalkboard I keep a rolling cart (which used to be my nursing cart). and in there I keep rags for the 447201 messes we clean up each day, and in there I also keep a whole bunch of Magnatiles.
our monthly themes for play always includes some sort of magnetic activity for this area
our monthly play themes
did you catch that? the storage pieces in our play area usually have the same open-ended, favorite toys in them all the time. blocks, balls, cars, baby doll stuff, etc.
but! I have monthly themes that allow me to rotate in a few themed activities and toys each month. see 5 reasons we love monthly themes and the full list of themes (and coordinating activities!) here!
kk’s kitchen cabinet
all of our kitchen cabinets are locked (we use these locks) with the exception of one cabinet: KK’s cabinet. it’s a cabinet down low that she can reach, and in there I keep a few kitchen-related things (and toys!) with which she is allowed to explore.
i also have 3m hooks on the inside of the cabinet door.
I rotate it out every so often, but usually it’s real-life things, mixed in with a few play pieces
she loves her cabinet and while it definitely occupies her while I make food, she’ll sometimes choose to play in this cabinet during her independent play time. i just want kk to grow up knowing that i wanted her in the kitchen with me.
curious when KK plays each day? see a peek into our daily rhythm here - one of my most popular posts!
kk’s kitchen stool + kk’s high chair + our baby gates
not play pieces per se, but important to mention nonetheless.
we purchased a kitchen helper from this small shop and had them paint it white. I wanted a twin version so that future friends/siblings/cousins could use it, so our stool is extra wide, which I love. and I love that this one in particular had various heights from which to choose. so ours will be able to fit under our counter. YAY! kk lovesssss being able to crawl up her stool to be with us while we prepare dinner.
here’s a DIY version I liked, but also a good google search will yield tonssss of these types of Kitchen Helper stools if you are looking for something different.
we also love our highchair that she can independently climb in and out of - we use this chair and kk’s kitchen stool every single day.
see this post for our other toddler favorites for the kitchen and for mealtime. like our favorite plates, what we keep on hand for easy snacks, and what we do when KK doesn’t like a food.
i asked brett to build me some baby gates - I want custom-built baby gates to be attached to the doorways of two sections of our home, I want the baby gates to match my decor, and I want the baby gates to be sturdy enough to endure the reign of our babies, yet beautiful enough that I don’t mind them staring me in the face during the aforementioned reign. (a long, long reign, I might add.)
brett announced, “turns out, I’m not a carpenter,” so we bought the gates instead. THEY’RE AMAZING. but, we were originally going to use these DIY plans, if that’s helpful for you!
our favorite bath toys
our bath time play is simple and it’s good.
our favorite things for outdoor play
our backyard is pretty small, so we have to be really intentional of what we have to play outdoors - but I’m thrilled with the pieces we have, and KK is, too. outdoor sensory tables, the best slide ever, a sit-on scooter KK is obsessed with, etc.
Whew!
Want to see more photos? Follow me on Instagram - I’m always sharing peeks into our home and our daily life on my stories. I’m always tweaking our home and our routines and our systems to best meet our current needs in our current season, so my Instagram has the most up-to-date photos.
Curious when KK plays each day? See a peek into our daily rhythm here - one of my most popular posts!
Want to see all our favorite baby/toddler things and toys from birth until now? see this post!
