Published: Dec 16, 2020 | Updated: Dec 14, 2020

The Best Playroom Ideas for 2021

We share some of our favorite playroom ideas to help you create the children's playroom of your dreams—and theirs!

Tired of having the kids’ play area take over your beautiful living room? Or maybe your kid’s bedroom is overflowing with toys. Perhaps toys are even overwhelming your home office and impacting your virtual meetings? Need a little more breathing room?

Maybe a dedicated playroom is just what your family needs to bring some order from the chaos.

Benefits of a Playroom As a Separate Room

Having a separate playroom is a parent’s dream! There are many practical benefits for children and parents.

The rest of the house doesn't look like a playroom.
The kids can leave big creations out for a few days.
The bedroom floor is clear and free from Legos and other barefoot dangers at night.
Kids aren’t tempted to play with all their toys at night.
They have two spaces to enjoy, which makes each room feel fresher.
You can make the play space all easy-to-clean surfaces.

When children have their toys in one place, it’s easier for siblings to share jointly owned toys. It’s also a perfect place for hosting friends for playdates.

Playroom Design Considerations

If you are thinking about designing a custom playroom for your new dream house, here are a few questions to ask yourself when considering kids playroom ideas:

Playroom Placement in the Home

Where Should the Playroom Be?

The basement?
An outbuilding?
Beside your home office?
The finished room over the garage (FROG)?
An extra bedroom?
A keeping room beside the kitchen?
Under the stairs?

The answer to this question depends greatly on the age of your children, the square footage you want to dedicate, and how much supervision they’ll require. Generally, the younger your children are, the closer you want them to be to the kitchen and/or home office. The older they are, the more you would appreciate their play space being farther away from your workspace or the kitchen—a basement playroom, an extra bedroom upstairs, an outbuilding in the back yard, or the FROG may be great options.

One of our favorite basement playroom ideas is to have the playroom in a finished basement in a room with an internal window or glass wall. Create a home office across the hallway (or adjacent) with a glass wall or window, as well. Then you can supervise your younger children while still having some sound barriers so you can be productive as you work from home.

How to Decorate a Playroom

Do you want to have a theme? Pirates? Kids’ cafe? A favorite character or movie? A mural?
How many years do you hope the decor will last?
Will it work if you add more children to the mix?
Does it need to work for boys and girls?
Will you have bright, vibrant colors or muted neutrals?
Is this space just for fun? Or do you want it to be educational—like a Montessori playroom?
What style do you want? Trendy? Modern? Farmhouse? Classic? Something unique?

You can involve an interior designer to help you design your custom playroom to fit your family’s needs perfectly if you prefer. Or you can choose your children’s playroom decor, yourself. As long as you and your kids love it, that is the main thing.

Be sure to consider how difficult it will be to transition to a different style of decor when your children outgrow the first iteration. And, it may be wise to think ahead of time about how you will want to use the space once the children are teenagers or when they are grown.

Collov Home Design Liemt5schxy Unsplash 1

How to Arrange a Playroom

Do you want storage along one, two, three, or four walls?
Will you have a dreamy built-in window seat between bookcases?
Will you have a custom-built playhouse? Or space for a tent or pre-made playhouse?
Do you have enough space for a large play table with kid-friendly, pint-sized chairs?
Will you want any full-sized furniture for adults?
What playroom seating options will you provide for the kids? Floor cushions? A rug? Bean bag chairs?
Will you have a reading nook or space?
Do you need a closet near the play space?
How much storage will you want per child for books? For toys? For games? For crafts?
Will you have a chalkboard wall (made with chalkboard paint)?

Consider placing the crafts table near storage units or a closet for art supplies and games. Have a wide open floor space large enough for several kids to sit down to play with trains, cars, a big dollhouse, building blocks, or Legos. Place the toy storage near a playhouse, kids’ kitchen, or tent. Storage units can go along the walls or could even be used as room dividers.

Be sure to include plenty of windows for natural light to boost your kids’ moods and allow for easy reading in a cozy reading nook.

How to Organize a Playroom

Smart playroom organization involves strategically planning enough indoor play space and the right playroom storage ideas.

Built-In Playroom Cabinets/Playroom Shelving/Playroom Cubbies

When designing a dedicated play space, consider some built-in custom cabinets from floor-to-ceiling or with counter space for displaying certain toys or artwork. And maybe even a clean-up sink? Also, think about solid, custom-built shelving that won’t tip over and can hold a lot of weight.

Use matching wicker, plastic, or cloth baskets for toy storage in cubbies, shelves, or cabinets. Or give each child a color for his/her toy bins for easy playtime access and cleanup.

Consider a window seat as a place for a convenient built-in toy box. Just design the seat with a hinge so it acts as a toy box lid.

These cabinets and shelves can be useful later if the room becomes a home learning space, a homework room, a craft room, or a home office.

Playroom Closets

Even if the room is never going to be used as a bedroom, adding a closet to the playroom is a great idea. When you sell the house, the room can count as a bedroom, which can increase your resale value substantially.

Choose from a traditional reach-in closet, a custom walk-in closet, broom closet, or a linen closet style. If you don’t plan to have many shelving units or custom cabinets in the playroom, a larger closet could provide most of the storage you need.

Playroom Flooring Options

When choosing flooring for a play space, there are several important factors to consider. It’s helpful to have an area of the playroom with a carpet that is soft and comfortable to sit on or even lie down on. Perhaps a washable area rug or a section with carpet tiles (that can be easily replaced if stained).

But it is also wise to have hard surfaces and easy-to-clean flooring in the areas where children will be painting, playing with Play-Doh, eating snacks, or playing with rolling toys. Make life easier for yourself! We recommend using luxury vinyl plank flooring, hardwoods, engineered hardwood flooring, ceramic tile, or porcelain tile.

Playroom Paint/Playroom Wallpaper Options

When planning your children’s playroom design, remember to choose easy-to-clean wall finishes.

Choose washable satin-finish paint. Go with cabinet paint you can wipe off with a damp cloth, like high-gloss paint finishes. Or choose smooth cabinet doors with a baked-on finish that are simple to clean.

For wallpaper, consider something that will last at least several years and that is washable with a wet cloth. Choose from murals, geometric patterns, animals, or beloved characters.

Ready to Design the Children’s Playroom of Their Dreams in Lexington, SC?

Whether you want to design a custom home with a baby play space, a toddler playroom, a girls’ playroom, or a boys’ playroom, we’ve got you covered. You can choose to have the most unique, beautiful kids’ play space in your new luxury dream home with us.