Young House Love

Home Decorating & DIY Tutorials

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Adding A Play Kitchen And Bookshelf To A Kids Room

Step right up to the wall ‘o fun! Sounds like a carnival ride, right? Don’t worry, there will be no clowns or motion sickness. It all started when we moved Clara’s crib out of her room, and shifted the dresser that used to be on this wall to the former crib wall (more on that here). Which left the wall to the right of the bed completely bare. So we decided to bring in a lot more fun to that blank space, now that there was room for it. Clara already has some baskets of toys and books along with a play-table where she loves to build castles and draw, but things like her play kitchen, refrigerator, and food cart were all relegated to other rooms for lack of space before the crib got the boot.

fun-kida-play-area-final

Yeehaw! Amiright?

At first, it wasn’t looking very exciting. Check out all of that bare white wall going on.

Dresser Gone1

And here’s where I show you my chaos and say “welcome to the first ten minutes of any project.” It almost always looks like this. There was a lot of fun and colorful art leftover from her nursery and her playroom in the last house that I couldn’t wait to hang up on that blank white wall. So I just started laying things down on the bed (Clara helped me pick her favorites) and we ended up with this gorgeous progress shot.

Art On Bed

She also really wanted a mirror at her height, which was a request that John and I couldn’t wait to fulfill. It was a lot like her “I want a clock” request (the blue cuckoo clock that I made her is still her favorite thing in the entire room) and we knew she’d really appreciate if we hooked her up with a place to study her funny faces and show her dolls the latest hairstyles that she was giving them instead of having to trek into our room and use our big leaning mirror in there.

This mirror is actually the one that we removed from our half bathroom back in July, although the brassy finish wasn’t exactly complementing the silver hardware on her play kitchen and refrigerator, so I thought I could spruce it up for Clara with some fresh paint and a fun little pattern. First I laid it down on a big piece of cardboard at the kitchen table and wiped it down with liquid deglosser, just to get it paint-ready.

Mirror Unpainted2

Then I used leftover white paint (BM Simply White in semi-gloss) that we use on all of our trim and doors, just to give it a clean base coat. You’ll notice that I got a little paint on the mirror pane itself, but that’s easy enough to remove (more on that in a second). So the most important thing is just to get a nice even coat. That includes that crack where the mirror meets the frame. Then just let that dry and give it at least one more coat if it needs it for the coverage. Mine just needed two coats and it was good to go.

Painting Mirror

As for how to remove any paint that gets on the surface of the mirror, I’m a big fan of just scraping it off with a straight razor. And for curved shapes like this, an exacto knife can actually be really easy to slide along the mirror’s surface to peel off any paint that’s on there, just like this:

Razoring Mirror

Now for the fun part. I had some metallic silver paint among my little tubes of acrylic colors, and I thought it could be fun to add some pattern to the mirror with it. So I just squeezed out a blob of it on the cardboard…

Metallic Paint

… and used a small flat craft brush to make little arrow-like shapes all the way around the mirror. I just spaced them by eye, and I liked the almost heart-like effect of them. I also didn’t mind the imperfect “painted by hand” look, so I resisted the urge to go back over anything and smooth it out or futz with it.

Painting Vs

Once it dried, I hung it back up, and voila! Clara was ENAMORED that we fulfilled her mirror request, and we both love that it adds some pattern and interest to the wall while bouncing around more light (and allowing me to watch Clara even if she’s behind me, which further convinces her that I have eyes in the back of my head).

Mirror Detail2

Bonus points for being able to spy on Burger too…

Mirror Detail1

Here’s a panned out shot of the wall. I also hung the shelves that John built for her very first nursery along with her favorite art picks and her new mirror. All of the frames were light enough to be held up with a regular old picture nail into the drywall (no anchors) and the shelves got some extra long screws and anchors, just to be sure they could hold some weight. The mirror also got an anchor and a screw since it’s on the heavier side, along with two 3M heavy duty velcro strips at the bottom (so it’s even more secure and can’t hop off the wall on anyone).

Wall Of Fun

We love that the shelves can come in handy for kitchen items, books, toys, etc. And now between using those to store and display things, playing with her kitchen/fridge/food cart, looking at her favorite art, and enjoying her reflection in the mirror, well – there’s a lot to do on that little wall of hers.

Fun Wall Detail

And it looks pretty darn cute with her pink door and wall full of raindrops too. Here’s a shot of her getting in on the fun, just to show you the scale of things. She can easily reach that top shelf and see herself in the mirror (with a little headroom for when she grows a bit more).

Fun Wall Corner Clara

Now that there are no longer bare walls everywhere, the room is suddenly feeling a lot more finished, although I’m sure it’ll continue to evolve as she grows. Just kidding Clara, no more growing is allowed! Plus I still have some pretty lofty goals for her big walk-in closet (that thing is destined to be a hidden playhouse within her room – she actually picked this room for that closet).

Clara In Doorway

Oh and with seven days to spare, we’re officially working on Clara’s Christmas present (it’s a tradition of ours to hand-make something for her, like this, this, and this). Looks like it’s going to be down to the wire again… which seems to be an annual tradition for us as well. Are you guys doing any last-minute holiday shopping/building/decorating? How about adding little pockets of fun to a kids room? Or finally hanging art that you’ve been meaning to get to for, oh, half a year now?

Psst- A few folks have told us about an unsavory ad for League of Angels on our sidebar and an annoying pop up for Aveeno, both of which aren’t authorized, so we’re working on blocking ’em. Please let us know if you ever see anything inappropriate (or any pop-up whatsoever) since they’re never cool with us, and we’d love a screen grab and the url/site that it links to so we can get them blocked. Sorry for the trouble!

Comments

  2. Vanessa says

    I am 31 years old and I want to play in this room :) Cannot wait to see Clara’s 2013 Christmas gift. Hope you all have a happy holiday!!!

    Reply

  3. Crystal says

    This room looks lovely! It makes me wonder why we have so much junk in our kids’ rooms? How do you avoid overload? Is it the toy closet in the entryway? I think I let too much collect and we aren’t even home full-time like you guys.

    We made a big dress up box for our 4-year-old for her birthday earlier this month. That we did with time to spare but now the Christmas presents are going to be down to the wire. We’re turning on old antique footboard into a toddler daybed for our son (just need to paint now) and we’re adding to their kitchen (like yours) by attaching a couple of shelves to it. Good luck with Clara’s!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Yes, I think it’s a combo of the toy closet in the foyer and the spreading out of things (ex: her dollhouse is in her closet since she ducks in there and plays, and she has an art desk in our office to use and a basket of toys in the family room and office as well. By parceling things out like that so it’s not one giant room full of stuff it seems to help. And also by paring down and donating things (or storing them for the next baby) once she no longer uses them seems to help. Oh my gosh, and your toddler daybed sounds so awesome! Would love to see photos!

      xo
      s

  4. Stephanie says

    It looks totally wonderful! It’s amazing to me how cohesive you manage to make everything, Clara’s input included.

    What is the print to the right of You Are Loved? It looks like a dog and a little girl with hearts trailing upward?

    Reply

  5. Megan @ The Brick Bungalow says

    Looks great! I’m done with shopping but not wrapping. My dad is building my daughter a Barbie doll house (from Ana White’s plans) and that’s his tradition. He built her an easel, a three piece PB knock off kitchen, and a swing set with giant, curved slide over the years. Now I’m going to have to figure out ideas for my little guy!

    Reply

  6. Jenny says

    Half a year is nothing…I am finally getting around to painting and organizing our pantry after 3 1/2 years. Removing 50 years’ worth of contact paper made me realize why I waited so long.

    Reply

  7. Connie says

    Cute additions to Clara’s room. If she doesn’t slow down on growing, you guys are gonna have to put telescoping legs on her kitchen, to keep up with her :)

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Oh no, right now? Do you have a screen shot? Knowing which ad spot it’s coming from really helps us pin it down (ex: if there’s also a shutterfly ad on the top box, or the box under the search bar, that helps us block it more quickly since we don’t always see things ourselves).

      xo
      s

    • Tonianne says

      No screen shot, but I’ll try to get one if it happens again. But there WAS a Shutterfly ad along the bottom of the page at the same time I saw the pop-up (if that helps?)…

  9. Tanya says

    Oh, SUCH a fun wall! Love how everything’s arranged to Clara’s scale, but not too tiny/low to the ground.

    I just rearranged my toddler’s room to fit a small toy kitchen in there. He loves “Cooking” and arranging the plates on the table for his toy animals. It still needs work, but it’s getting there.
    I also hope to finish a “bed nest” for him. He’s been sleeping on his toddler-sized mattress that I just had put on the floor with some pillows around it as borders. I’ve been meaning to make a proper structure to have a soft cushion all around, but figuring out the pattern for the “slip cover” part has me overwhelmed. I already ruined some fabric, but I think now I know what to do.

    Reply

  12. eilene says

    A little sad that your “welcome to the first ten minutes of any project” is what my house looks like now, but I’m mucho inspired lately to do some DIY art project. I also love the white walls. I’ve been thinking of white a lot lately, but wasn’t sure because we have less than perfect walls that no amount of spackeling and sanding will ever fix. I have to look into the best wall colors for yucky walls…

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Ooh, I think white flat paint on bad walls is one of the best ways to hide imperfections. Then load them up with art and curtains and furniture and you’ll hardly notice them (the white recedes and the flat paint hides the most issues). Good luck Eilene!

      xo
      s

  13. Tracy Carson says

    Looks great! I am not sure if it was intentional or not but it sure was a fabulous random moment to have the print, “You are SO Loved” hanging right above the mirror! I am a Professional Counselor who specializes in adolescent and women’s issues, specifically Eating Disorders, and it is more and more clear that the younger girls are when they start to learn and hear about healthy body image (especially from their Fathers) the more successful they will be in fighting the inevitable battles that will come as they grow and mature. This simple yet profound message above a mirror in her room will only serve to support the healthy messages we all want our children to learn as they grow. As Clara learns to read and understand that message she will no doubt be reminded of the true meaning as she looks at her reflection in the mirror. Bravo Mom and Dad!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      That’s so sweet it had me tearing up! It was a complete accident, but I love that print and always want her to know we love her just the way she is. Such a sweet comment Tracy. Thanks so much for sharing!

      xo
      s

  15. Jane says

    Love the wall of fun! I’m still trying to finish a couple gallery walls of art in our house inspired by your projects in the old house – just about ready to pull the trigger and start hanging! Love this extra layer of “fun”, the ledge shelves are super cute and practical for rotating objects. Any chance you are going to bring your old gallery wall of frames and move them over the staircase?! Holding out for instructions on that one! To the reader who asked where Clara’s kitchen cart came from, we have one from container store (it’s silver) but was more then $4- you got a deal! It does serve as my daughter’s shopping cart too. :) Happy Holidays to you all!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Love that cart tip! Thanks for sharing! And as for hanging frames up the stairway, I think we’re interesting in some there, although we might go with a smaller amount of larger ones (we worry a bunch of small ones like the frame wall had might be too busy with the striped runner and the right angles of all those stairs). Will definitely keep you posted!

      xo
      s

  16. Annelies says

    I love her room! I like how you worked with white to keep it bright and then added lots of colour. You guys are such an inspiration and I have already used a lot of your ideas for my place. Thanks for sharing your talents and being such awesome people!

    Reply

  17. Rachel says

    This is so fantastic. Clara is one lucky duck! I love that, while it is still adorable and photoworthy, you made her room kid-friendly and awesome as well. It’s actually themed around her, not having a “perfect” house (though it seriously is absolutely beautiful and I love it!!). Way to go. I love that you hung the pictures on her level and let her be part of picking them out. Adore.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      That one’s navy (a bunch of navy frames hung in her playroom) and I think for now it doesn’t bother us since it’s sort of a mix of sizes and shapes on that wall. Maybe down the line if it bugs us we will though?

      xo
      s

  20. Nicole Kathryn says

    Oh. my. goodness. I bet you guys can’t help but smile from ear to ear every time you walk in her room. I just adore how bright and cheerful it is! :) Keep up the great work!

    Reply

  21. Elaine R says

    This room is so much fun! I have to admit… when you first painted the room white I had my doubts. Plain white walls for a 3 year old? But now it’s all come together! So fun and colorful. It makes all the small personal touches stand out more. Clara is very lucky!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Aw thanks Elaine! I was hoping the white walls would let us play around with more fun stuff in other places (colorful ceiling, lighted canopy, bold patterns and colors, bright art and birdcages, etc) without the room feeling too busy. We’re such newbies at white walls, but so far it has been awesome for layering all of that fun stuff in!

      xo
      s

  22. Isabel says

    The room looks beautiful guys. Clara is a very lucky girl :) I especially love all the fun and colorful art. I’m slowly trying build my own collection. I’m lucky that my parents instilled a love for art in us from the very beginning and also lucky to have already inherited some of the pieces they purchased as a couple. On my last trip to Puerto Rico I purchased a print by a local artist of a turtle (a nod to the conservation efforts of the beaches where they nest) and as crazy as it may sound, it reminds me of you ever since I read your moving story from the 1st to the 2nd house :) I got one of those annoying pop-ups and took a screenshot. I’m going to email it to your “youngsters” email right now. I’ll put pop-up in the subject line.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Oh no! Boo pop ups! Thanks for the screen grab email Isabel! And as for the turtle print, it sounds so cute, and totally takes me back to that snowy moving day!

      xo
      s

  25. Sheila F says

    I am such a fan of a child’s room being THEIR room. You have done this for Clara. It is designed for her. Not a sleeping room but a room for her. I prefer this to a playroom and then a room to sleep in. I think this gives her a room to feel private in and play in and dream in. Fabulous job you two. I am in love! Can’t wait to see the nursery, or the dining room or the…… Hahaha

    Reply

  26. Amanda says

    It would be awesome if you had some dry erase markers near the mirror so Clara could draw funny faces on it and try to mimic them herself. My little ones love to do that!! :)

    Reply

  27. Stephanie says

    So, this is totally unrelated to your post today, but I wanted to share that I’ve been wanting to recreate the frame look you did over Karl in your last two living rooms but not wanting to shell out the $$ for the frames all at once. Today I got an email from IKEA for 50% the Ribba frames and a few clicks later, I had six frame for our bedroom wall at $9.99 a pop with reasonable shipping (since we’d have to spend quite a bit in gas to drive to IKEA from where we’re at). Just passing on the deal for those who also love the look!

    Reply

  28. Amy G says

    Love Love the wall. Can you tell me where you you got that worm art? I can’t wait to see what you guys made for Clara for Christmas the whole kichen play set is my favorite!

    Reply

  29. Jaya says

    I pretty much just jaw dropped when I saw Clara’s wall o’ fun – it’s absolutely spectacular! Great job guys! Clara is one lucky lady :)

    Reply

  30. JLL says

    Seriously Adorable! I wish I was a little girl again and had a room like Clara’s. I love love love this room! The colors and decor are FAB. She is one lucky little girl ;)
    Happy Holidays!

    Reply

  32. Megan CC says

    Love how the room has progressed! So many good ideas for me to “steal” for my little girl’s room! :)

    Question, did you paint the wall intercom white to match the wall color or was it already that way? We have a smilar 90’s fabulous whole-house system, but ours are all faux wood and BIG eye sore/wall warts! Just wondering if we should/could paint them to blend a little better with the wall? Thanks!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      That’s just the color it was, but the one in the kitchen is about three times as big and all wood and black! Haha! I am totally not above painting them or even hanging a canvas over them to hide them! I think in her room we’re hoping to eventually switch it out with a newer system that might allow us to play music throughout the house or something fun.

      xo
      s

  33. Stevie says

    What’s the square footage of that room? It seems enormous! I’d love to have all those different play areas in my kids’ room. Dream big, Stevie. Dream big.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      It does seem big, right? It’s actually 13.5 x 12.5, which is about the same size of her last playroom, but the big rug makes it feel really sprawling I think!

      xo
      s

  34. Lindsey says

    Love it:) Have you ever posted about painting doors different colors inside. I love Clara’s coral door, do you have different colored doors throughout the house? Or is that just a closet door? Love everything you guys do:)

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      We just have that accent in her room, and our front door is blue (both front and back) which is a fun pop of color in the foyer. We definitely have been having fun with colored doors, so maybe we’ll do one on the pantry or something someday!

      xo
      s

  38. Caitlin Canane says

    I love that you are giving her options and listening to her opinion. It makes the room more “her”. I’m curious, has she gotten up in the night to play with her kitchen now that it’s in there?

    I’ve been reading the blog since before I had my little man and have been so inspired by all of your DIY gifts to Clara. I’m a couple years behind, but am making my son a busy board full of latches, swivel casters, and mini-flashlight because the boy loves to watch lights turn off and on. Next year or for his birthday this summer a DIY kitchen is in the works.

    Looking forward to this year’s gift idea. Merry Christmas!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      That sounds so cute! I bet he’s going to love that! And as for her getting up, thankfully last night she stayed in bed, even with her tempting new wall. I think since it’s pitch dark in there (no nightlight, she actually prefers it super dark with the door shut) she can’t see much of anything, so she just stays in bed until morning when we come get her.

      xo
      s

  41. Laurie says

    It looks like the most awesome kids room ever! Clara is so lucky!

    It’s going to be so much fun to see her with her baby brother. I predict “games” of school at her little desk.

    Reply

  43. Danielle says

    Yeah! I’ve been refreshing all morning looking for this. Then I remembered you guys usually post around 10 and I relaxed then forgot about it and here I am now. Necessary to share? guess not, but I did want to say I was excited for this post. I love to see what you guys to for Clara because I have a daughter who is a little less than a year younger than her and I love to make stuff for her! This year for Christmas I updated the play kitchen my parents made for my sister and I when we were younger and I can’t wait for her to see it on Christmas morning! Her birthday is a week later and I “redecorated” a dollhouse for her that I found on craigslist for $25. So cute! waiting to the last minute is the only way I don’t just finish the gift and hand it over immediately thereby ruining any suspense or surprise or growing in patience! :) Can’t wait to see what you guys are working on for her Christmas present this year!

    Reply

  44. Koliti says

    It certainly is the “Wall O’ FUN FUN FUN!!!
    Love all the colorful art – I see a worm pic made the cut :)

    Do you have a growth chart for Clara? Seems like she’ll use up that ‘extra head room’ for the mirror in no time – she’s a “Bean Sprout”.

    Reply

  47. Sina says

    Where did you get the “you are so loved” piece! I adore it! I would love to get it for my niece!

    And as always, you two have impressed me with your ability to work together and make something beautiful! I just bought a house with my fiancé, and we argue about nearly everything… “Put that picture over there!” “No, the couch should be put this direction, not that one!” I am always amazed that you two are still alive after three houses and making such beautiful things happen!

    Keep it up!

    Reply

  48. Amy G. says

    Everyone should have “You are loved” art hanging over their mirror! That’s my favorite part, though the whole thing looks great.

    Reply

  49. Candice says

    You guys inspired me to make a play kitchen for my daughter… and a painted train board for my son! Neither are finished. I’ve been busy painting the board on our dining room table at night and my husband needs to spend a little more time in the garage finishing up the kitchen. I’m so excited to see their faces on Christmas morning.

    Reply

  50. Emily says

    I absolutely love this wall! As a lover of all walls painted warm colors I appreciate the crisp wall color in Clara’s room. It’s so fresh (and so clean, clean!) and has given me some inspiration for my son’s playroom.

    I’m sure you’ve noted this somewhere before, but where did you get amazing hot pink bunny print? I LOVE it!

    Reply

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