Our kids playroom before and after is full of easy ideas, playroom storage hacks, and a DIY kids table!
When we moved into our new house, we weren’t sure what we wanted to do with this balcony. It overlooks our living room and was just pretty dingey overall.
We shared out wet bar makeover that hides in the corner of this room a few months ago. But it’s taken us time to get the playroom designed!
We also wanted to create a modern playroom that was functional and affordable. We’ve always loved the cozy reading nook and window seat feel. So our goal was to recreate that here.
Rather than spending a lot of money on built-in furniture or cabinets, we created faux built-in storage for a combined Ikea Besta hack and Ikea Kallax hack! Since we won’t always be in this baby and toddler stage of life, this made the most sense for us. Plus, it’s much more affordable!
Playroom Renovation and Sources
Though the fun stuff is all in the details, our contractor did the heavy lifting on the original before and after! Genesis CP ripped out all of the old carpet and replaced it with Stuga Studio Elberberry wood flooring.
They also replaced the stair railing with the new mismatched balusters. We also replaced the old fan with this gold and white fan that we absolutely love!
Kids Playroom Storage Ideas
If you saw our toddler girl’s bedroom makeover, then you know that we’re all for making over affordable kids furniture pieces.
This time around, we wanted to create plenty of storage to hide dolls, Star Wars, and their favorite DIY Flamingo ring toss yard game. We also needed a cozy space to read books and lean back while we watched the kids.
Ikea Pieces Used to Create a Faux Built In Cabinets
To make this come together we used several different pieces to create an IKEA hack built-in.
1 — The IKEA Brimnes daybed was the starting point.
2 — Then, we assembled two of the 47-inch Besta cabinets on either side of the daybed.
3 — The storage that’s stacked is the Kallax with drawer inserts for the bottom row on both. This is where we store stickers, paper, and other smaller things!
Please note that we highly advise that you securely anchor all the items to the wall using the IKEA restraints provided in the packaging.
Our Custom DIY Pull Handles
We used inexpensive gold handles for the Kallax drawers and Besta cabinets to make them feel more custom. Rather than using the handles that come with the daybed, we decided to make my own.
Since we have little crawlers, we wanted to have handles that were more kid-friendly. Instead, we used thick string, large wooden beads, and scissors to make our own wooden bead drawer pulls. It’s a bonus that they double as little toys!
Ellie & Becks Co. has the absolute cutest rattan doll and playroom furniture and inclusive dolls. We actually built the height of the DIY kids table to fit perfectly with these rattan kids chairs.
Kids Craft Table
Our biggest undertaking in this room was the DIY craft table. It’s kind of shocking how expensive kids furniture can be. And we really wanted something more unique to our style.
The playroom is a pretty large, open space so we needed a play table that really fit the size of the room. Our DIY kids play table also doubles as simple toy storage for craft supplies and little things.
You can easily customize it to whatever color or size you need for your playroom as well. Plus it’s super budget-friendly.
Easy Custom Artwork Idea
We love having interactive elements in a kids room like a chalkboard wall or magnet wall. Since you can see our play area from the living room, we wanted to keep the design more neutral on the walls.
For the artwork, we simply cut out shapes from colored construction paper and put them in frames for easy and cheap wall art. You can also use temporary wall decals as another great option with a similar look!
Playroom Lighting
Rather than having lamps that could be knocked over, we chose black wall sconces to create more of a gender-neutral feel. Any time we have wall-mounted lighting, we like to add these inexpensive wall cord covers too.
We filled the vases on either side of the daybed with rolls of craft paper for another unique playroom idea. Not only does it double as pretty decor, but it’s also easy for the kids to grab and use on their own.
We thought about doing a large rug, play mat, or a custom shape with carpet tiles in the center of the room, but decided against it. While not as soft and cozy without those options, it’s a heck of a lot easier to keep clean!
We absolutely love the way this play space came together, don’t you?! It truly is a room designed for the whole family. Kids will love the easy access to their toy storage, the adults love the neutral design, and everyone can cozy up on the daybed! It’s a win, win!
More Design Ideas
For more interior design inspiration or ideas you can DIY for your kids, here are a few of our favorite posts from the archives —
- Our lakeside modern living room makeover
- A transitional living room before and after
- Colorful kids reading nook ideas
- Gifts for kids: 59 of the best toys for kids
- Pretty outdoor toys for your kids
- How to throw a kids art party
- Free printable scavenger hunt game
- Kids advent calendar: easy and colorful DIY advent calendar
- Healthy nut-free lunches for kids
- Ikea hack DIY color block kids room storage or our easy colorblock storage lockers
Don’t forget to share your home decor projects with us on Instagram using the hashtag #sugarandclothloves. We always love seeing all of your creations! Looking for more interior design inspiration? You can find them all of our home decor tutorials and ideas right here!
Hi! Where did you get the vases? Love this look. Thanks for inspiring me!
Hi Angela! We got them from At Home. Unfortunately, they are not online.
Thank you so much for the inspo. We’re getting ready to do something similar in our playroom. Wondering what type of wood and where you got it for the tops of the cabinets? I LOVE this addition to the hack. Really makes the whole thing look more custom. Also how was it attaching the handles? Pretty easy? Any tips or tricks? Thank you again!
Hi Stephanie! Totally agree. We usually add a wood top to most of our Ikea hacks since we like the contrast of the natural wood with the white. We just used plywood from the hardware store. They can cut it for you. If you have the time, we recommend sealing the wood just in case the kiddos get any liquids on it (and/or also sanding the wood). We used liquid nail glue and clamps. The pulls are also easy to hack! Tips and tricks? Definitely measure all the parts to make sure that it fits. And assemble each item individually first before you put it all together. Hope this helps! We’d love to see how your playroom turns out!
Follow up question as we’re tackling this project tomorrow…to finish off the sides of the plywood top do you or did you use iron on veneer to finish the edges? I’m excited to see this building come to life and I’ll be sure to share once it’s done!
Hi Stephanie! No, we did not finish the edges. We liked the raw look. But add a veneer will definitely give it a more modern look!
I found your playroom picture on Pinterest and found my way to your website! I am inspired by this room! Where did you find the beautiful muted construction paper colors? I am working on a playroom renovation for my little girl!
Hi Haylee! You can actually find different colored construction paper at craft stores like Michaels. Most of the time, they come in packs but sometimes you can buy the paper individually. Amazon has different colors available online. You can also use blank colored cardstock. Hope this helps!
Hello, Can you let me know the sourcing for the picture frames? Or size
Hi Dana! We always buy our frames at Ikea or Target since we’ve found those places to be most affordable!
Thanks, Kat! We found them from At Home.
Hi! Wondering what color you chose so that the kallax and besta match? Was it flat white? High gloss white? Thanks!
Hi Tanisha! We did a flat white! Ikea will state if it’s high gloss just in case you’re worried. Hope this helps!
Love this! I was already planning on buying this exact bed before I found your post but now I’m going to add these little hacks to make it more styled! Where did you get those wall sconces? I love them.
Hi Jenna! We actually wrote about the wall sconces with a link in the post! They are from World Market. You can find them here. Let us know how your hack turns out! XOXO
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I am obsessed with this! Is the daybed a twin or full? Thank you!
Hi Kelly! Yes, it’s a daybed with 2 twin Ikea mattress stacked on top. You can pull it out and lay the mattresses side by side so that it’s a king. It sleeps comfortably and is wonderful for extra guests.
This is the cutest playroom ever. Where is the colored artwork from? It’s so cute. I have boy/girl twins so I’d love to copy something like that and keep within my neutral color palette with some pops of color for their playroom. Love everything you did! 😍
Hi Krista! We actually created the artwork ourselves. We wrote about how we made them in the blog post and it was sooo easy. We simply cut out shapes from colored construction paper and put them in frames for easy and cheap wall art. You can also use temporary wall decals as another great option with a similar look! We’d love to see how your playroom turns out!
I love this so much! Did you nail the Kallax into the Besta cabinets or just set them on top? Also, could you tell me if those are Euro pillows or standard ones, for reference? Thank you so much! This is so amazing!!!!
Thank you, Amy! We used the wall anchors that come with the Besta cabinets and the Kallax shelf units to secure them. We do not recommend just laying them on top or they could topple over. You can nail them together for safe measures too. The pillows are standard ones. Hope this helps! XOXO
I love this space!! It’s so fun and playful but still chic! May I ask where you got the ceiling fan from?
Thank you, Britney! It’s the Hepburn Fan from Hunter Fan. We linked it in the blog for more details under the room sources section.
Hi! is there another option to make this a few inches smaller? like a different option for the besta cabinet that you might know?
I really want to make this work in my playroom but its 5 inches too big 🥴
Hi Brooke! We’re sorry to hear the Besta cabinets won’t fit! Have you looked into other Ikea cabinets? Wayfair, All Modern, Article and Target are other cabinet options that we like. The daybed is from the Ikea Brimnes collection which also has cabinets.
Hi! Did you place a piece of wood on top of the Besta cabinets? I could only find the white ones online a as he like the look of the white and oak combo…gorgeous playroom!
Hi Kunjan! Yes, we did Ikea hack it and added the wood top. Hope this helps! XOXO
Where are those cute pillows from on the daybed?
Hi Emily! The pillows are an old purchase from Target. They’re no longer available so we weren’t able to include a source link in the post! XOXO
I know I’m late to see8ng this but where are the chairs and kid table from? So aforable
Hi Shanel! The kids table is another one of our Ikea Hacks DIY Craft Table. There’s a paragraph in the post dedicated to the craft table but we also did a separate post here: https://sugarandcloth.com/kids-play-table-an-easy-diy-kids-activity-table/ The chairs are from Ellie & Becks. There’s a link to it in the post also. Hope this helps! XOXO
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Is the Kallax mounted to the wall? Curious how you made them stable from tipping. The room looks amazing!
yes! it comes with corner brackets to wall mount
The playroom is absolutely adorable and the storage looks so functional. I just bought a house in a new Paradise Developments community and was looking for design ideas for my daughter’s room. This looks perfect to me :)
Thank you, Kate! We are so glad you can find some design inspiration! Let us know how your daughter’s room turns out.
This is such a fantastic idea!! My kids would love it!
Thanks, Katerina! XOXO
This is awesome! I love it! Could you please share where you got the pillows and bed cover? Thanks!
Hi Aura! The pillows are old and from Target. And the bedcover is from Magnolia Home’s collaboration with Target. Hope this helps!
I love how it turned out!! It looks so neat and comfy!
Thank you, Toni! XOXO
This looks incredible! Came together beautifully! Love it!
Thanks, Beth! It was a work in progress but we are so glad the girls have their own play space now!
This storage is so adorable but the best things is how functional it is!
Thanks, Julia! We really wanted a super functional room and place to hide all the toys!
My heart skipped a beat at the second pic! 😍 This is a gorgeous blog post, and so helpful. Came together just beautifully! Seriously amazing job! 💕
Aw! Thank you so much, Amanda!
Looove how this room turned out! So pretty and kid friendly!! Full of DIY inspiration!
Thanks, Nancy! The kids are already enjoying it!
First, let me admit I am so guilty of reading your Instagram posts cause it’s easy, fast, and always creative and fun( love the videos)…BUT, blog posts can get lost and unread BUT shouldn’t and this amazing post is a fantastic example of what I miss out on. To take an empty space and design a magical playroom that any child can grow to any age and still be relevant and inviting certainly wasn’t an easy task. It’s the little things that make a huge difference in the room. I’m partial to neutral colors, it allows such soft warmth and cozy feeling. To realizing the importance of kid friendly pieces to avoiding lamps that can easily tip over by children, to hiding ugly and tangled cords, this room screams come in and take a break and play for a while. Love it! BRAVO to you!!
Hi Julian! Thank you so much for your wonderful kind words. It seriously means a lot and thank you for much for checking out the blog too! We definitely tried to design something the girls could grow into and still be safely play in! XOXO