6 Design Mistakes You're Making With Your Kids' Playroom
Studies show that playtime is good for kids: They learn balance and coordination, develop skills, and exercise their imaginations as well as their bodies. That's why many homeowners and renters with young ones like to have a designated place in their home for playtime activities. Plus, it's nice to have a place to store all those toys so they don't end up taking over the rest of the house.
A well-planned playroom can provide hours of stimulation and entertainment for your kids. But ill-informed design choices could spell wasted time, money, and square footage on a room that the little ones won't be all that excited to use.
For maximum results, avoid the following blunders when outfitting the playroom in your home.
1. Forgetting to make it a kid-friendly space
This may seem obvious, but when designing a space for children, it’s important to consider their wants and needs, not necessarily what you want.
“Parents think the room will look like a photo from a design store, and it won’t—ever,” says Leigh Spicher, national director of design studios for Ashton Woods. It's a playroom, not a parlor.
"Understand that anything you put in that room is going to be a canvas for any type of marker or paint, so while that luxurious linen may look tempting, go with fabrics that are durable and washable," says Mark Cutler, designer and president of Mark Cutler Design, in Los Angeles. He recommends outdoor fabric that can be washed in bleach.