Young House Love

Home Decorating & DIY Tutorials

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Adding A Play Kitchen And Bookshelf To A Kids Room

Step right up to the wall ‘o fun! Sounds like a carnival ride, right? Don’t worry, there will be no clowns or motion sickness. It all started when we moved Clara’s crib out of her room, and shifted the dresser that used to be on this wall to the former crib wall (more on that here). Which left the wall to the right of the bed completely bare. So we decided to bring in a lot more fun to that blank space, now that there was room for it. Clara already has some baskets of toys and books along with a play-table where she loves to build castles and draw, but things like her play kitchen, refrigerator, and food cart were all relegated to other rooms for lack of space before the crib got the boot.

fun-kida-play-area-final

Yeehaw! Amiright?

At first, it wasn’t looking very exciting. Check out all of that bare white wall going on.

Dresser Gone1

And here’s where I show you my chaos and say “welcome to the first ten minutes of any project.” It almost always looks like this. There was a lot of fun and colorful art leftover from her nursery and her playroom in the last house that I couldn’t wait to hang up on that blank white wall. So I just started laying things down on the bed (Clara helped me pick her favorites) and we ended up with this gorgeous progress shot.

Art On Bed

She also really wanted a mirror at her height, which was a request that John and I couldn’t wait to fulfill. It was a lot like her “I want a clock” request (the blue cuckoo clock that I made her is still her favorite thing in the entire room) and we knew she’d really appreciate if we hooked her up with a place to study her funny faces and show her dolls the latest hairstyles that she was giving them instead of having to trek into our room and use our big leaning mirror in there.

This mirror is actually the one that we removed from our half bathroom back in July, although the brassy finish wasn’t exactly complementing the silver hardware on her play kitchen and refrigerator, so I thought I could spruce it up for Clara with some fresh paint and a fun little pattern. First I laid it down on a big piece of cardboard at the kitchen table and wiped it down with liquid deglosser, just to get it paint-ready.

Mirror Unpainted2

Then I used leftover white paint (BM Simply White in semi-gloss) that we use on all of our trim and doors, just to give it a clean base coat. You’ll notice that I got a little paint on the mirror pane itself, but that’s easy enough to remove (more on that in a second). So the most important thing is just to get a nice even coat. That includes that crack where the mirror meets the frame. Then just let that dry and give it at least one more coat if it needs it for the coverage. Mine just needed two coats and it was good to go.

Painting Mirror

As for how to remove any paint that gets on the surface of the mirror, I’m a big fan of just scraping it off with a straight razor. And for curved shapes like this, an exacto knife can actually be really easy to slide along the mirror’s surface to peel off any paint that’s on there, just like this:

Razoring Mirror

Now for the fun part. I had some metallic silver paint among my little tubes of acrylic colors, and I thought it could be fun to add some pattern to the mirror with it. So I just squeezed out a blob of it on the cardboard…

Metallic Paint

… and used a small flat craft brush to make little arrow-like shapes all the way around the mirror. I just spaced them by eye, and I liked the almost heart-like effect of them. I also didn’t mind the imperfect “painted by hand” look, so I resisted the urge to go back over anything and smooth it out or futz with it.

Painting Vs

Once it dried, I hung it back up, and voila! Clara was ENAMORED that we fulfilled her mirror request, and we both love that it adds some pattern and interest to the wall while bouncing around more light (and allowing me to watch Clara even if she’s behind me, which further convinces her that I have eyes in the back of my head).

Mirror Detail2

Bonus points for being able to spy on Burger too…

Mirror Detail1

Here’s a panned out shot of the wall. I also hung the shelves that John built for her very first nursery along with her favorite art picks and her new mirror. All of the frames were light enough to be held up with a regular old picture nail into the drywall (no anchors) and the shelves got some extra long screws and anchors, just to be sure they could hold some weight. The mirror also got an anchor and a screw since it’s on the heavier side, along with two 3M heavy duty velcro strips at the bottom (so it’s even more secure and can’t hop off the wall on anyone).

Wall Of Fun

We love that the shelves can come in handy for kitchen items, books, toys, etc. And now between using those to store and display things, playing with her kitchen/fridge/food cart, looking at her favorite art, and enjoying her reflection in the mirror, well – there’s a lot to do on that little wall of hers.

Fun Wall Detail

And it looks pretty darn cute with her pink door and wall full of raindrops too. Here’s a shot of her getting in on the fun, just to show you the scale of things. She can easily reach that top shelf and see herself in the mirror (with a little headroom for when she grows a bit more).

Fun Wall Corner Clara

Now that there are no longer bare walls everywhere, the room is suddenly feeling a lot more finished, although I’m sure it’ll continue to evolve as she grows. Just kidding Clara, no more growing is allowed! Plus I still have some pretty lofty goals for her big walk-in closet (that thing is destined to be a hidden playhouse within her room – she actually picked this room for that closet).

Clara In Doorway

Oh and with seven days to spare, we’re officially working on Clara’s Christmas present (it’s a tradition of ours to hand-make something for her, like this, this, and this). Looks like it’s going to be down to the wire again… which seems to be an annual tradition for us as well. Are you guys doing any last-minute holiday shopping/building/decorating? How about adding little pockets of fun to a kids room? Or finally hanging art that you’ve been meaning to get to for, oh, half a year now?

Psst- A few folks have told us about an unsavory ad for League of Angels on our sidebar and an annoying pop up for Aveeno, both of which aren’t authorized, so we’re working on blocking ’em. Please let us know if you ever see anything inappropriate (or any pop-up whatsoever) since they’re never cool with us, and we’d love a screen grab and the url/site that it links to so we can get them blocked. Sorry for the trouble!

Comments

  2. Stephanie says

    I love the new wall!

    But, I have a confession. As soon as you showed the finished product, my eyes went straight to the intercom unit on the wall. We had the very same units throughout our house growing up (in Canada). What a blast from the 80’s past!!

    Haha… Sorry.. didn’t mean to detract from Clara’s lovely new room!

    Reply

    • Bethany says

      It’s funny you say that because I kind of thought all the frames made the intercom blend in a little bit. It almost looks like it’s part of the collage! Haha

  3. Carla says

    It’s the moose again!

    I tend to feel people go overboard on prepping paint projects. It only results in a bunch of throwaway tape and more expense, and even then you still have cleanup to do.

    So great job on the mirror. Everything looks really cheery and fun!

    Reply

  4. Kim says

    Her room is so organized!!! Where does Clara keep her books and extra toys? I need major help with organizing my daughters room!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      We have a basket of books to the left of her bed (handy for grabbing for bedtime stories) and another basket of books downstairs for when we’re playing down there. We also have her dollhouse in the closet and a basket of toys in her bedroom as well as another basket of toys in the living room and her drawing desk and train table downstairs, so there are sort of like “stations” for different activities spread throughout the house. Oh and we have her toy closet in the foyer (I think that post turns up if you search toy library on our search bar). Hope it helps!

      xo
      s

  5. Jennifer says

    Right there with ya in the last minute scramble to finish up homemade Christmas gifts for our little one! We transported my childhood playhouse from my parent’s house to our backyard (a 2.5 hour drive). It was in pretty rough shape, so we have completely reframed it using siding on the outside and beadboard sheets on the inside. We also made the windows larger, added shutters and built a much cooler front door. Now we are in the home stretch…painting and adding little touches such as a “hello” decal on the door, a lantern hanging from under the roofline over the front door, and a mailbox.

    And just because we are overachievers like that, we took inspiration from you guys and built her a fridge/sink/oven/stove out of cabinets we got from ReStore. We are even using an old retro 1940’s sink faucet that was in our kitchen for most of my childhood! We have had a blast trying to figure out ways to repurpose old things and make everything special for her! Can’t wait until everything is 100% done and my husband and I can breathe (and sleep!) again.

    Reply

  7. Kelly says

    Ooh, I can’t wait to see this year’s DIY gift for Clara! The others have been wonderful and are on my inspiration list of things I’d like to make for my son if I can find the time.

    Reply

  8. Cf Betcher says

    I love it! Your collection of artwork for Clara is so sweet and also impressive! What would you think of a metal mailbox painted a fun color? My 4 year old’s art projects almost always include making cards– I think it would be so fun. Also to do a mother/ daughter journal someday…
    I’m sewing 12 little mattresses for a princess and the pea stet for my girl. I think I had more fun. Picking out the fabrics than she’ll have playing with it!!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      I love that idea!!! So sweet! I have even seen little brightly colored metal mailboxes at Target! I bet they’ll have some any day now for V-day since they rush the seasons so much!

      xo
      s

  9. Carol says

    Repurpose, repurpose, repurpose……love seeing that rug take on a new life each time you move (repurpose)it! I love all of the color combos and the new life that everything takes on each time you re-use it :)

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      That’s so sweet! I have a giant cork board in the office full of her art from school and home and grammy’s! I love it even though it’s covered with glitter and pom poms! Haha!

      xo
      s

  12. Penny says

    I love the room, but I really love that Clara has “The Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog”! Mo Willems’ books totally crack me up and they are fun to read out loud, as I’m sure you know! He has a book called “Don’t let the pigeon finish this activity book” which is a really great activity book.
    I just love books and seeing that book in her bright and cheerful room makes me smile!

    Reply

  13. Donna says

    Hey S&J..ever think about adding feet/legs to the bottom of refrigerator to extend it’s life too? Clara is tall and she’s so young not to enjoy her sub-zero for a few more years. ;-)

    Reply

  16. Bethany says

    I LOVE the photo of you painting the design on the mirror. The reflection of that amazing light in your kitchen is spectacular. And then obviously the reflections of burger and Clara are precious as well. Great job on the wall o fun- makes me want to make one for myself!

    Reply

  17. Emily says

    Here is the link of a pop-up. This is the only one I have ever seen on your site, but it was today! Hope it helps.
    http://survey.suitesmart.com/survey.sp?PAG=H;GID=29907;SID=119770;CRE=null;PLA=469112420;ADI=312106693;REF=www.younghouselove.com/photo-gallery-2/lets-go-house-crashing/;DOM=view.atdmt.com;PAT=/AVE/iview/469112420/direct;wi.300;hi.250/01/508645886;SEA=click=http://at.atwola.com/adlink/5113/3004661/0/170/AdId=5005791;BnId=1;itime=508645886;nodecode=yes;impref=13875086442533453533;link=

    Woah. Longest link ever. Good luck!

    Reply

  18. Alyce {Blossom Heart Quilts} says

    Clara’s play kitchen has made me a little sad – I miss the play kitchen my husband made for our kids for Christmas a couple of years ago! We moved overseas for 4 years, so it’s in storage, and now that it’s Christmas time and we’re still struggling to think of what to give to the kids that they will treasure and not just forget about in two weeks’ time, I miss that kitchen even more! But what a beautiful, fun room you have made for Clara – such a lucky little girl :)

    Reply

  19. Christy Niebaum says

    I’m desperately trying to crank out a dress up box to give my daughter for Christmas. I’ve found some really sweet, simple ones on Pinterest, but time hasn’t been on my side. I’ve been picking up little accessories here and there to add to the box, but I’m not sure I’ll have it done for Christmas. Luckily for us, her 2nd birthday is February 2, so I may do it for her birthday instead.

    Also on my crafty gift list is a Clara play kitchen knock off for her birthday. My sister-in-law has some cabinets she’s giving us to use, which we’ll be picking up when we see the fam for Christmas. Pretty stoked to get all Petersik-y on a play kitchen for my tiny bear!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      That sounds so sweet Christy! Have fun! And I love the dress-up box idea! We have a bin of clothes in her foyer toy closet and she goes in there all the time to play with it!

      xo
      s

  20. Anne G. says

    Never mind that I’m a grown adult, but I totally want this room for myself!!! Do you think my husband would go for it? Yeah, probably not. Oh well. Thank goodness for your blog so I can live vicariously.

    Reply

  24. Erin says

    Seriously, you guys are my gallery wall/fun wall HEROES!!! I currently have a big blank wall staring at me every time I walk into my 2.5-yr-old’s room. I have some ideas of items I’d like to include in the display (I usually start out with a big pile o’ options like you did here), but just can’t commit! I think I’m starting to get gallery walled-out. If you ever want to house crash, we’re only about a 2-hour drive away ;-)

    Have a great Christmas! <3 <3 <3

    Oh! I also decided (thanks to your friend) to go ahead and pull the trigger on making the princess peg dolls for my 4-yr-old! I couldn't decide on just a few of them, so I ended up painting ALL ELEVEN official princesses! It took FOREVER, but I'm so excited about how they turned out! They are like a little army of adorable! I can't wait until my daughter sees them :-)

    Reply

  25. Cara says

    My kid is supposed to be getting a Mama-made flannel bathrobe this year. It might have to be a New Years gift, because I haven’t yet finished the two other sewn gifts that are in the works. Five days. Gah!

    Reply

  26. Kathleen says

    What a fortunate little lady. Way to go! It’s amazing and it looks like she has all that she needs to grow and be creative and have fun!

    Reply

  27. Andrea says

    I just love it! What a beautiful yet fun and playful room for a little girl. Quick question – do you recall where you purchased the “you are loved” sign. Just love that print and it would go great in my daughter’s new big girl room! Thanks!

    Reply

  30. Deborah says

    I love the way you brought all the colors together! One suggestion, what do you think about moving the small shelf under the mirror and the trash can on the other side? I would think it would give Clara room to use the mirror and not worry about anything landing in the trash. I enjoy reading your daily blog and seeing your progress. I’m still waiting after 30 years in our house to redo my kitchen! That’s what I get for marrying a contractor!!! Merry Christmas.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Thanks Deborah! Maybe it’s confusing in some of the pics, but there’s not a shelf under the mirror (here’s a straight on shot, there’s just that small basket, which is her hamper). Thankfully she can easily lift her hamper out of the way if she doesn’t like it there while she uses her mirror (the girl loves to rearrange things!) but she has been doing wacky things like standing in it or standing in front of it and ducking behind it and peeking over it to see in the mirror :)

      xo
      s

  31. Stefanie says

    Sorry I’m so late to the posting party on this one but I was wondering what the plans for the intercom system is? Planning on keeping it? Is it functional? While it seems like a nice luxury to have (especially once the kids get older!) the large boxes are kind of eyesores..in my opinion of course!

    Sorry if you’ve addressed this before.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Ah yes, these crazy boxes are in every room, but they’re half broken so we’d love to update them with a newer system like an ipod dock to play music in each room or something. We haven’t really researched our options yet, but we can’t wait to see where we end up! Will definitely keep you posted.

      xo
      s

  32. Erin says

    I absolutely love this bright, spacious, whimsical room. It lends itself to a creative and imaginative childhood. What a special place for a little girl!

    Reply

  33. Sam says

    Have you two ever thought of making Clara a tool bench? Ikea has one, but after reading your tutorials for the play kitchen set, I’m thinking the hubster and I can make our own!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      The love life one is actually a paper book jacket that I took off of a hardcover book (called Love Life) and framed. The You Are So Loved one is from an Etsy store called The Wheatfield. The artist is named Katie Daisy and she’s amazing!

      xo
      s

  35. Lauren nicole says

    Half a year? We hung some art yesterday on the wall above our couch, which has been bare since 2004!!!! I might be a tad indecisive …

    Reply

  37. Lacey says

    I love her room! Does she go upstairs to play in her room by herself? I ask because I have a three year old too, and we just bought a house with all the bedrooms upstairs. All our other homes have been one level, and I’m a little nervous about just letting her go upstairs and play without me keeping an eye on her. Although, she is three (and a half!). I should probably just let her, lol!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      We usually like one of us to be on the same level as her, so when she plays with her kitchen or blocks in her room, John or I are usually nearby doing comments or taking photos or something.

      xo
      s

    • YoungHouseLove says

      The love life one is actually a paper book jacket that I took off of a hardcover book (called Love Life) and framed. The You Are So Loved one is from an Etsy store called The Wheatfield. The artist is named Katie Daisy and she’s amazing!

      xo
      s

  43. Lisa says

    You’ve probably answered this question somewhere but I was wondering where you found Clara’s table and chairs. I love them! You’ve done a great job on her room and I really enjoy reading your blog. Also congrats on your upcoming arrival. Can’t wait to see what you have in store for his nursery!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Thanks Lisa! The chairs are from a thrift shop and I just painted the back of them red with chalk paint. And the table is a side table we got from Target and then shortened it and added a bigger top and painted the whole thing white.

      xo
      s

  44. Ashley B. says

    Did you buy the “You are so loved” wall art? It is so beautiful! I would love to get it for my daughter’s room.

    Reply

  47. Carolyn L says

    This is one of my favorite posts to date!!!

    I LOVE the worm! And I love the little square paintings. The colors are perfection. :)

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Love that! I’m pregnant so I just try to avoid fumes when I can, so no-VOC primer/paint is something I can use more easily (while sitting at the kitchen table, haha).

      xo
      s

  50. Heather says

    You do such an outstanding job making children’s things classy elegant and designer-esque. So often kid’s rooms just look like a fisher price ad but Clara’s room is stunning and very elegant; while still being for a child who can relax and play normally. Bravo!

    Reply

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