I feel like it’s been forever since my last Renovation Reveal! 

Today I’m talking all things Play Room.
This is actually the only space in the entire house where we added walls. Thanks to our house having a truss system, we were able to remove any and all of the internal walls to accommodate our design dreams and we took that to heart. I’m sure our contractor regretted telling us that every wall could go because every single interior wall in the main space was demolished.
We wanted an open floor plan and no amount of wood paneled walls were getting in our way.
 I laid in bed at night wondering what I was going to do with the extra long space in what was supposed to be a formal living room. The lay out was so odd and we were re-working every angle in that space but I just couldn’t figure out how to make that a usable chunk of square footage.
And then it hit me:
Add in a wall at the natural break in the space created by the front door/entry and make a play room!
 If we used double glass french doors, we could still take advantage of the natural light coming in from the two sets of floor to ceiling windows, alleviating the concern that we might darken a space that we were so desperately trying to brighten. Things got even crazier when I requested that the coat closet door be dry walled off and the entrance to the closet be moved onto the opposite wall, making it accessible from the play room (and, in some states, making the space qualify as a bedroom!). 
I honestly think this was my hardest fought idea. I’m not sure that our contractor and my husband were really on board but as a stay at home mom, I know the importance of a play space. And not just any play space, but a play space that can be seen from the kitchen and living spaces. 
We were thoughtful in our design as far as outlets, doors and layout so that when we do sell this house it can serve as a super functional office space for the next owners.
Ok, ready to see?
Keep in mind that all of the Before photos are raw so you can see what we saw before we signed the papers. And now the usual pre-reveal jargon: all sources (including my play room flooring!) are sourced at the end, we didn’t use a designer or decorator and we designed the renovation ourselves. 
Before

 (the closet door is hiding behind the open front door, meaning the two door knobs smacked together every time you opened a door)
A little glimpse at the During

Yep, those are the old appliances.
If you look closely, you can see the old closet door is framed and the dry wall has been chipped away where the new closet door will eventually end up.

 And now, the After

 
Originally, my plan was to squeeze a day bed into this space but after we saw how much of the living room was eaten by the pool table, we knew we didn’t have room for our incredibly comfortable and loved grey sofa. Thankfully, she perfectly into the space with literally an inch on each end to spare.

I cannot recommend this storage system enough. It’s less than $100, Prime eligible and makes cleaning up at night so easy. All of the random puzzle pieces, Tonka trucks and blocks get tossed in with zero effort at the end of the night and I get to say that I cleaned. Win. 

I adore our rocket ship play tent – Gray hides in it and pops out when we pretend like we can’t find him (it’s super exciting around here!).

The rocket ship is clearly visible from the street (yes, we will eventually get blinds) and I’ve had more than one neighbor drop by to ask what on earth was hanging from the ceiling in our front room. I love the pops of red in the room and I was sweet enough to include a nod to Daddy’s first love in the decor. Anyone see it?

And P.S. I’m aware that our TV is insanely large for a child’s play room but, in my design defense, it wasn’t purchased for this space. Justin and G like to chill in here and read books, play cars and watch a little football so the big screen has proven to work out nicely for all of the men in my life.

Brace Yourselves. You’re about to see the completely trashed and unorganized closet but I didn’t post our master bedroom closet for the same reason and some of you asked to see it…

Eventually, that will be an organized space that stores toys, wrapping paper, play gates and all of the random extras (like that drink pitcher!) that don’t seem to fit anywhere else in the house. Eventually being the key word here. 

The view from my kitchen sink:

It’s a small little slice of our home but it’s where we spend the most
time. The baby rocks out here, we hang out with him in here and I am so,
so pleased that we added the space.
Paint color is Benjamin Moore Sweet Innocence, one shade darker on the swatch than the open floor plan color, Marilyn’s Dress
Play Mat/Flooring -Amazon
Sofa -West Elm
Pillows – West Elm and Target, both very old
Pouf -Target
Shelving Unit -Amazon
Rocket – The Land Of Nod
Marquee Light – Hobby Lobby, last Spring, similar but much more expensive option linked
Light Fixture -Lowe’s
Gate System -Amazon
*affiliate links are used in this post*