OH Design Co.

I thought I would pop in before the year was out with another update.  I haven't said much about the playroom makeover since March.  I finished the book ledges and moved on to other things.  But tweaks have been made over the past few months and I wanted to share them.

First is the large chair in the bay window.  It's been in the Bub's room for years as our story time chair.  But in the process of making over his room, most of the toys were moved in there for storage.  So now there was no room for the chair.  I just wanted it out of the room and didn't have anywhere for it to go.  Except, in the dance of musical furniture,  I had moved the desk that had previougly been in the playroom to the sun room,  because the desk in there had been moved to my bedroom.  Bottom line, now there was space in the bay window to sit the chair until I could sell it on Craigslist.  It was my husband's idea, and I reluctantly agreed just until I could sell it.

From the beginning, he thought it looked good there.  He was right!  Now it's kind of one of my favorite places to sit!  It was actually the perfect size because the room is narrow.

Chalk it up to getting motivated.  The chalkboard is finally up and this chunk of empty wall space has finally been put to good use!


Prior to this chalkboard, we had a folding one from Ikea.  I like it because it folds up, doesn't take up a lot of space, and it holds paper.  (Actually we still have it, and use it for 'plein-air' painting, aka splatter painting, which is too messy for indoors.)  But I thought it would be neat to have a full-length chalkboard that was versatile enough to also be used in a dining room to list out a menu, or in an office to list out the week's tasks or schedules.

I did build it for the playroom, but it's been hanging out against this wall for months, out of the way of foot traffic.  (This is the wall I've planned to put up the book ledges on.)  I wanted to finally seal the wood to protect it from chalk dust and water, and hang it on the wall, so there would be no chance of the little people knocking it over.  They move pretty fast!



 I opted for a satin wipe-on polyurethane, taped off the edges, and applied three coats with a soft cloth.  This gave it a nice sheen and should protect the wood trim over time.

I have been planning to makeover The Playroom since relocating it to this space.  Originally it was a living room, but we never used it.  Later, it became the dining room, but now it serves as the playroom.  I like that it's here because it makes use of a room that previously went unused.  Two, it gets great natural light after school, the time when it's most likely to be used on a daily basis.  And three,  it's near the Bub's room, so toys and books can easily be moved between the two.

The plan for the makeover is to make the room a space that inspires free play.  Kids(and adults too) so easily watch TV and pick up tablets and video games.  I would much rather inspire play and creativity with books, toys, and art supplies.   I've had several ideas floating in my head for months and pinned on Pinterest.  I thought it would be neat to mock up the design plan and show you my thought process.