Creating A Play Room

Newcastle Herald

Monday March 6, 2006

AMY DE LORE

AMY DELORE

can't get the play

room theory right,

so she asks for help

from an expert.

AS an interior designer, Justine Kaye hates toys:

they detract from the effect she is trying to achieve

and she tries as hard as she can to hide or disguise

them.

As a mother of three, Kaye realises toys are an

inescapable part of the domestic landscape of any

family home.

What to do then? How to accommodate all those

design-unfriendly boxes of Lego, lengths of train

track, stuffed animals, Matchbox cars, tea sets, dolls?

paraphernalia and so forth without completing surrendering

your sense of style?

Where space allows a designated play room may

be the answer, an inviting room where the

home?s entire toy collection

can be conveniently

laid out

for use by its

smaller occupants

? and

expediently

hidden away

behind a closed

door for the aesthetic

satisfaction

of the grown-up

inhabitants.

Creating such

a space and

making it work is

not, however, as

easy at it sounds,

as this writer has

discovered.

My attempts

to create a play

room have failed

dismally. My three

children tend

to regard the play

room as little more than an oversized cupboard,

continuing their habit of dragging their toys from

said ?cupboard? and methodically spreading them

across the floors of every other room in the house.

So Abode thought it would throw the challenge of

creating a functional play room over to Kaye, who

has drawn on her experiences as both a mother

and designer to come up with the following ideas.

ground work

When it comes to flooring, comfort and practicality

can be achieved in the one room, according

to Kaye. A play room is likely to get a little messy

sometimes so a smooth, easy-clean surface, such as

floorboards or modern-look lino, is a good base.

But kids like to get down on the floor when they

play so if you don?t have carpet down, spread a

comfy rug or mat in at least one part of the room.

If you want to create a painting area, put a bright

plastic tablecloth underneath to catch any spillage.

let there be music

Kids love singing and listening to music so a small,

user-friendly CD player is a good addition to a play

room, along with a bench or box where the kids

can keep their favourite CDs.

quiet time

Not all play is loud and active. A reading corner, with

a small bookcase or shelf and somewhere comfortable

to sit, such as a bean bag or a small flip-out lounge, will

encourage your children back to their books.

be seated

A small table and chairs is a basic element of a play

room because it has so many uses. Children can

eat at it or draw on it, play board games, construct

architectural masterpieces from Lego or roll out

their Play-Doh.

under cover

Some children like a small tent in their play room.

It can be incorporated into play or be used as a

hideaway for quiet activities such as reading and

drawing.

electronic babysitters

Not all parents approve of televisions and the like

in a play room but if you have no philosophical

objection, you can create an electronic area where

the children can watch their favourite shows or play

their video games. A computer can also be incorporated

into the room.

in the frame

Kids like to see photographs of the people they

love ? parents, friends, sports idols or television

favourites ? so have some framed pictures around

the room. You can let them choose the pictures.

Buy some cheap frames and hang some of the kids?

artwork as well or create a changing art display by

hanging their pictures from pegs on a wire attached

to the wall.

colour their world

Colour is really important in making the play room

attractive and vibrant for the children. Let them

help choose the wall colours. Don?t get too hung

up about colours in the play room clashing with

those in other parts of the house. It?s meant to be

a children?s haven ? and you can always close the

door on it.

SPILLS TO FACING PAGE

HERALD

add some fun

Decoration will make the play room more appealing

but remember that children?s tastes change quickly

as they grow up. So rather than painting your

child?s favourite characters on the wall, create plywood

cut-outs and stick them up instead. That way

you don?t have to repaint the whole room when

your little princess suddenly decides she?s ready

to move on from Barbie to Bratz. A string of fairy

lights creates a magical environment, or you can

add a lava lamp for interest.

storage

This is perhaps the most essential

element of a successful play room.

If the room is going to function as

it should, toys need to be stored in

a manner that makes them readily

accessible to children and easy to

pack up. Boxes and baskets on open

shelves work best, but remember that

smaller children can?t read, so if you have

toddlers, try using picture labels rather

than words.

toy overload

If the toy collection is getting too

large for the room to accommodate,

get rid of the lesser-used toys. Throw

away broken ones and pass the others

on to friends or to a charity. Make a

habit of doing a toy stocktake once or

twice a year, and involve the children

in decisions about which

ones should go or stay. It?s no use

having a room that?s clogged with

toys that are rarely or never used.

© 2006 Newcastle Herald

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