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Playroom in 1930’s house layout

Lindsay Finnerty

3 years ago

Hi,

i really cannot decide on how best to use our downstairs for play/storage but also adult living area.

We have an open through downstairs with French doors separating the front room and middle room. The kitchen then opens out at the back.

At the moment we have a sofa sofa in the middle room but don’t know if we should keep it or use that wall area for storage of toys/books.

Can

anyone enlighten me?!

Featured Answer

Juliet Docherty

3 years ago

I think a big issue is that most people gravitate towards natural light, and rooms like this that are in the middle end up not being used so much. We had a similar room in a previous house, the owners had spent a lot on an extension then left the middle room unusable. we put a piano in it and a squashy armchair and it became a nice evening reading room/library. I would think about it in terms of light.

Comments (14)

Ellie
3 years ago
Which are do you sit in?

I would style them different to each other, to zone them, both sofas, floor, rugs, walls look the same.

If you are in the living room, do you need to walk through the middle room to get to kitchen or is there a hallway route instead? It's just that I couldn't walk through a room full of toys every time I wanted to go to kitchen, that would annoy me!

If you did do the middle as playroom you could use other sofa as barrier/between the 2 rooms to make them look separate (and hide some mess!)
Linds F
3 years ago
We tend to sit in the front room-don’t really sit on the middle room sofa. This is where I don’t know whether to renovate that sofa...or will I regret it?!

There is a hallway to walk through...its pretty cold out there though!

We tried blocking the doors up....it does look a bit odd as the sofa is then facing the kitchen! Then if we try to do it the other side, the sofa blocks the door.

any Ideas on how to style the middle room?
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I don’t think your plan for a playroom is an economical plan. Firstly it’s an additional small room- this house has enough rooms for any family- what you need is larger rooms. You have stated you want a kitchen with an island- the space you currently have won’t accommodate an island but if you did extend the kitchen this will likely add far more to the resale value. The rooms at the back of this house have two doors to the patio- you intend putting the playroom just here meaning you loose the best route to your garden most likely resolved by replacing the Dining room window with French doors….. and moving the radiator, replacing the floor and building a new patio! The living room at the back of the house could be a playroom for the next few years- perhaps you should make an aperture to the dining room to keep an eye on the kids.
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Carolina
3 years ago
Hi,

just a different idea: how about using the middle room as a dining room? And then move the sofa and play area to the kitchen?

A pet hate of mine (sorry) is a dining table shoved against the wall if there is enough space to not have to do that. I wonder if you use the dining table much? Maybe it's just nice to have a sofa near the sliding doors with a view on the garden and enough light to cuddle up in a corner and read something?

And then the darker middle room could be a cosy evening dining area. But don't shove the table against the wall. Not with the longest side anyway.
Linds F
3 years ago
last modified: 3 years ago
We did have a dining table in the middle but we found it was notvreallg getting used as it was huge and was also just taking up so much room and then we werent using space around it. When this was the situation we had a play area in the kitchen which wasn’t big enough. Plus he was playing right next to a hot radiator. Im not too keen with a toddler playing in the kitchen while im cooking-he’s running round and round the island as it is! The table we have now is extendable-it’s equal length to width-makes no difference which way it sits. If we extend and put it the other way it is sticking right out into the kitchen!
Linds F
3 years ago
Oh and the armchair that is now in the living room was in the corner by the kitchen sliding doors!
Linds F
3 years ago
Ellie
3 years ago
That looks much better! It looks like an actual room. Before it just looked like a passageway through to the kitchen.
Linds F
3 years ago
This was before we had a baby! We sold that dining table. Although it does look lovely it’s not a practical space for having a toddler.
Nicola M
3 years ago
Hi Linds,

You’ve got to make your space work for you and your family. I think your idea of book shelves is good but with a bit more storage for toys.

It could also be a multi-functional space with a work desk for the adults but also free floor space for the little one to play. I’ve got an image in my head, tried to look for some inspiration images but didn’t get far! Here’s a few... adult books/decor on the shelves then larger units at the bottom for toys etc. A lovely soft rug would be nice too.

You could also look as putting in sliding doors to hide any mess if you do have guests round!
Carolina
3 years ago
Ah, in that case I'd go down the 'library/playroom' route. I like the idea of incorporating a desk. I think I'd do the bookcases on the sofa wall. Would the sofa fit where the chair is in the living room? So you could swap sofa and chair?

I think that the (or a) chair in the corner next to the radiator, with a floor lamp and perhaps a small table will look really cosy.
PRO
Harrisons Interiors
3 years ago
Hi linds,

Lovely house by the way! My mother in law has a similar space that they used to struggle with. Similar to some of the other comments, the beauty of the space is that you have defined spaces that can be opened out or closed off. Decorating them differently will help give them identity.

I may have missed the point but which room do you enter from the hallway? An option would be to convert the front room to a playroom. A lovely radiator cover would allay your fears of them burning themselves on the radiator. You could have a colouring table, the library shelves are perfect for displays. You could even turn the table into a DIY Lego table?

Using the middle room as your living space. Tv, sofas and grown up area. Great for entertaining as it is connected to the dining space and kitchen.

I really think you could make your space great!
Linds F
3 years ago
Hi thanks for the comments!

I think we are keen to keep the front room for adults-it’s just a bit cosier and I love to look out of the window. Because the window sill is directly above the radiator we can’t get a rad cover for it.

Oh abd we enter the front room from the hallway. The rest of the hallway is long and leads to the kitchen.
PRO
Harrisons Interiors
3 years ago
That makes sense. That front room does look cosy. I have a few images for you to have a look at. I think it would still be advisable to differentiate between the rooms through your decor to create definition. On the main wall without the radiator, a few neat and eye catching ideas for the kids area. Use the wall to the full but break it up with seating options or a table in between storage. On the opposite side, in the corner, maybe a family gallery wall and a reading corner for you to unwind. We have created a reading corner next to the chimney breast and it is great watching the kids play whilst still feeling like you have your own space. There will be a perfect solution! Don’t worry :-)

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