Our Garden Lodges are not just a relaxing place for adult members of the family, increasingly we are seeing garden lodges being built for the younger generation as well. A lodge in the garden can make a perfect playroom, they are well sound insulated, secure, and allow for all the mess to be in one, nicely controlled area.
For peace of mind, we can build a garden playroom, close to the main house so that your children can always be in plain view, or for older kids having a degree of separation can be a great thing. Noisy pursuits like drum practice, playing music and video games loudly or watching films on high volume need not disturb your peace and quiet any longer!
Below are some great tips for making a playroom that will function perfectly for your children.
1. Choose appropriate flooring
When choosing the flooring for your garden lodge it is important to consider how the building will be used over the years. A great option for a playroom would be laminate flooring, Laminate is great for a playroom because it is very hard wearing. Also if there is an accidental spillage then it can simply be wiped clean. All of the garden lodges we build for our customers come complete with laminate floors as standard, with a range of colours available.
2. Create a colourful and fun environment
Children love bright spaces and there are plenty of ways to add elements of colour to a room. One good way is to add a feature wall. This will lift the space and create a real focal point, try some colourful wallpaper, or if you are feeling creative why not get the kids involved and design something themselves. Painting a wall with your children’s favourite colours and adding some patterns, such as stripes or zig-zags is another way to add some sparkle.
Decorating with wallpaper or paint can be easily changed to adapt to your children’s tastes as they get older. Or if you decide to change the playroom into a garden office for yourself then this would be easy as the decorating involved is not structural and all the decorating could be changed quickly.
3. Low maintenance furniture
it might seem obvious, but choosing the furniture for a playroom is something to think about carefully. Consider choosing a sofa that has detachable covers that can be thrown into the washing machine quickly, or perhaps a wipe clean option such as leather, or leather effect. A sofa in a playroom is going to get a lot of hard use, so don’t get too hung up on buying something that looks great and is expensive.
4. Cushions!
Cushions are a great way of creating a soft area for your children to play in, they can add colour and vibrancy to a room and come in all different shapes and sizes. Oversized cushions are great for this, as they can also be used for sleeping on and sitting on, but can be piled up in the corner if extra room is needed. They are also a great way of injecting extra colour into the playroom, with a myriad of cushion covers to choose from.
5. Hideaway storage
Storage is always going to be a top priority in a playroom as it is essential for things to be tidied away from time to time. The best way to create storage in a playroom is to have fun de-clutter boxes that make it easy for kids to tidy up. Something like these boxes below works perfectly, as they are large enough for kids to just throw everything in.
It’s also a good idea to have big clear labels on boxes, this way your kids will know what goes where and hopefully improve their tidying up skills!
Another great idea for storage is a simple shoe organiser. Cheap to buy in many stores, this versatile storage can be attached to the back of a door and used to tidy away lots of little things. It’s also a good idea to have big clear labels on boxes, this way your kids will know what goes where and hopefully improve their tidying up skills!
6. Children’s furniture
Children’s furniture is essential for any playroom, and will really make a children’s room seem like their own. Also, it won’t be comfortable for young children to have to struggle with big chairs, possibly adding something that can cause an accident. A great tip is to get some old wooden furniture and cut down the legs to make them much lower, the same can be achieved with a small table. It’s also possible to buy children’s furniture from many stores, try some of the big names like Ikea that will have some good options.
7. Create fun zones
Creating areas in the playroom that are designated fun zones will help to create an atmosphere. One idea could be to erect a small climbing wall, with a cushion below – all kids love climbing, so this could add a real element of fun. Or how about having a themed zone, try to create a corner that has a jungle feel, or a castle motif, something that will engage your child’s imagination and make the spaces great for play time.
8. Create an interactive wall
Let’s face it, kids are going to draw on the wall at some point. Why not encourage their creative flair by creating a chalkboard wall. Chalkboard paint can be bought at almost any DIY store and will create a matt black wall that is perfect for drawing on. We can’t guarantee this will stop the other walls being drawn on, but hey, it’s a start!
9. Create a chill-out nap time area
A chill-out area is a must-have for any playroom, all that fun can be exhausting, so it’s a good idea to have an area that is a little darker with some soft cushions. A great idea for this can be a tepee or tent where kids can go and sleep it off if they get over excited or overtired.
10. Rugs and floor mats
Rugs can be a brilliant way to divide space and to create different ‘zones’. Even better if some of those rugs can be floor mats with a theme. ‘Roadmap’ floor mats can be great fun for children to play on with their toy cars and can keep them occupied for hours.
11. Create a reading corner
Everybody appreciates that reading is essential for a child’s development and that starting children from an early stage is a no-brainer. Creating a reading corner will help to encourage children reading and give them easy access to a lot of reading material. Even if children start with just picture books it will create the foundations for an enjoyment of books that can last for the rest of their lives.
12. Art corner
As Picasso once said, ‘every child is an artist’. It’s a great idea to encourage your child’s artistic endeavours by creating a place in the playroom for displaying a selection of arts and crafts. There are a few different ways that pictures and paintings can be displayed. How about a clothesline, hanging on the wall, that will allow you to peg new works of art up as they are produced, to give a real sense of pride to the playroom.
At Garden Lodges we are committed to building the perfect garden building for our customers. After talking to one of our site survey experts, we will be able to advise you on the best building to meet your exact requirements.
While its fresh in your mind why not book a free site survey today. CLICK HERE
