The Playroom

When Tim and I were house hunting, one of our many desires was an area or room that we could turn into a playroom for our kids. Growing up, my parents always had a room in our house that was designated as a kid area; a place where our toys lived and we could let our imaginations run wild. To this day, my Mom (aka Tutu) has a room in their house which she has turned into a magical play area for all of the grandchildren. Apartment Therapy, one of my favorite websites, featured the room on their sister site ohdeedoh!

We created this playroom on a small budget, and it took nearly two years to get it to this point. The previous owners used it as a home office and server room, so we had our work cut out for us!  We kept it light & bright, in a gender neutral color scheme, and used similar pieces that can be found around the rest of our house (shell chairs, hide rug, framed photos, etc.). My favorite elements of this room are the wall mounted bookshelves; they are within reach of the kids and fill in an empty wall without taking up too much space. We keep all of their board books on these wall shelves, and leave the standard paper back and hardcover books up high where they can’t be torn. Adella and Nolan love their playroom, as do their friends… who excitedly head for it as soon as they walk in!

Here is how the play room looks to-date… it’s never really this clean, but the kids were napping and I had an opportunity to snap some photos before they destroyed it.

Source List:

  • Kitchen – Ikea
  • Table – Ikea
  • Shell Chairs – Room Service Store
  • Pendant Lamp – Ikea
  • Art Easel – Ikea
  • Alphabet Print on Canvas – HomeGoods
  • Artist in Training – HomeGoods
  • Crayon Holder – Crate & Barrel Condiment Set
  • Book Shelves – Pottery Barn Kids
  • Chair – Land Of Nod
  • Pouf – Pier One
  • Cabinets – Ikea
  • Baskets – Ikea & Target
  • Large Canvas Print – DIY Ikea Fabric Stretched on Canvas
  • Hide Rug – Costco

Bachelor Studio

My brother, Matt, recently moved into a new apartment in San Francisco, and asked me to help with furnishing. We pretty much started from scratch and based the design around a collection of prints by Shepard Fairey. Matt has an extensive collection of art, but we chose to highlight these particular ones, which happen to be his current favorite. I flew up for just over 24 hours and we managed to rent a van, shop in Emeryville, lug everything up 5 flights of stairs, and sneak in a few good meals. I mocked up the design and chose paint colors ahead of time, so we were quite efficient when shopping. I think it turned out really nice, and it was exactly what he wanted.

Photos C/O Emily Wade Adams

Shoe Wall Progress

There has been some progress on my shoe and closet organization, Ikea finally got in a shipment of shelves, but I didn’t buy enough. I’d also like to get some sort of ottoman or bench for underneath the shelves, and hopefully finish the room altogether. It’s been pretty empty for the past 2 years, and a place where we end up throwing all of the stuff that we accumulate. But now I wake up every morning to energetic children and my favorite shoes on display…