The playroom is complete! It’s hard to believe it took us over a year from start to finish, but what a year it’s been! I’m sure we can all say that. You can see the progression here. This was intended as the kids’ space when we moved in. But as my love of gardening and plants increased, and their need for toy space decreased, this has become a multi-functional room filled with lots of uses and tons of light. The lower sunroom is approximately 15×30′. Sometimes long and narrow spaces can be challenging, but I always see them as an opportunity to break things up and create zones. With furniture and rugs we have managed to create a garden area, a project area, a lounging area, and storage for everything from electronics to extra decor, linens to games and puzzles.
I like to start a room off with something that inspires, and this room kind of built itself around the large fiddle leaf fig tree. It had already started growing its way up the stairs, and I really felt bad for everyone who had to work around it. I’m so glad it lived and even thrived through the renovation. I wanted to keep the walls and woodwork light but a bit playful, so we used Farrow and Ball’s Calluna to add a hint of lavender, going flat on the walls and eggshell on the trim and built-ins. I had planned to paint the stairs an off black but quickly realized the best way to let the tree shine was to keep it the same color as everything else.
The built ins were definitely a team effort. I’ve talked about this before, but the best design is collaborative, and I had a wonderful group of people who helped me think that thing through, on top of my right hand woman, Laura. Lauren Caron helped me with the initial idea and vision, Daniel Kanter did an IKEA mockup, Meg Evans put together the IKEA boxes, and then I ended up using a local cabinet company to finish out the fronts and drawers. We had to work around return vents we moved them to the top and that’s why we did the screening a sink, the stairs, and then add in practical functions. The middle cabinet houses a TV and the three middle drawers all have outlets and USB chargers for the kids electronics. Then, I had the idea to smash up thrifted blue and white pieces and do a mosaic in the sink cabinet. That was a real labor of love, but doing it with my friends, Jeb and Tobe, made the labor pains more bearable and great memories were made!
The fireplace was calling for some stone, but it had to feel cohesive with the rest of the wall. The Missouri Marble from Rocktops has the sweetest heart-shaped fossils, and the tones are so lovely with the paint color. I love using natural, local materials when I can, and this was a great opportunity. The ottomans from The Inside provide extra seating and have built in storage, perfect for extra blankets and pillows.
To soften all of the hard lines and finishes we added floor to ceiling drapes on all three exterior walls from Wovn Home. These are the nicest window treatements I have ever seen. My living room is jealous! They are a linen/polyester blend and the color is Soft Snow. We did the Euro pleat with no lining for something that is clean and modern but a bit light and airy. The ceiling track is dramatic and makes pulling them open and closed a breeze. To continue that dramatic but light feel, how about the chandelier? It is the Arlo from Stray Dog Designs, and a piece I have admired for a very long time. The papier mache finish and shape are playful, but the scale and clean lines feel sophisticated. You may remember we started out with this rope beauty, but that one is going to live in our master bedroom, where it can really shine on it’s own!
For the lounging area, I thrifted the rug, sofa, chair (then had it reupholstered in a performance fabric), and added this indoor/outdoor coffee table from Frontgate. Indoor/outdoor is my favorite for kids. It’s durable and they eat snacks on it, color all over it, and it easily wipes clean. The daybed was a fun, later addition. It’s a piece I got from Article a few years ago that has lived on our deck. I sprayed it a soft white, and we styled it up like a sleeping porch bed. So comfortable for movies or an afternoon nap.
The project table was from an old school cafeteria and we cut it down to narrow it out a bit. We can pull it away from the wall to seat more when cousins come over for dinners, but I love it tucked against the wall for ample space to sprawl out paints or homework. The chairs came from a shed at a campground and where sprayed Sherwin Williams White Truffle. The oval rug was a bargain for something new and another great element to break up the different zones and add texture.
Under the back windows sits the gardening table, stocked with lots of plants that are ready to move outside once the fear of frost is gone. Gardening has become such a big part of my warmer seasons, and I love plotting and planning my current beds texture and color and dreaming of more landscape to plant. The upholstered screen is perfect for pinning ideas to, and can also provide some relief from the hot, setting sun for some of the potted plants. The slim console next to the door gave us a great opportunity to show off some of my bags and hats.
There were times throughout the process that I was disappointed in our pace, but I love that it allowed me to collect things slowly. And I think that’s reflected in how it all came together. Most of this room was thrifted, and I shared all of the stories, locations, and details in Thrift Club. You can join us for all of the fun here. Source links for the pieces that are new can be found at the end of this post.
*Thank you to the wonderful partners who made this space possible: Farrow & Ball, Frontgate, Wovn Home, The Inside, Stray Dog Designs, + Annie Selke.
SOURCES
CURTAINS | CEILING TRACK | SCREEN | OTTOMANS | CHANDELIER | COFFEE TABLE | DENIM PILLOW | LARGE FLORAL PILLOW | WHITE PILLOWS | OVAL JUTE RUG | PAINT BRUSHES | WATERCOLORS | MUSEUM BOX | CONSOLE TABLE | BOTANICAL ART | SMALL CONTOUR FLORAL ART | TERRA COTTA POTS | ART ON SCREEN
Photos by Jana Marie.
My love of thrifting is always fun to join. Do you @ThriftWithTheMakerista?
Join Thrift Club for $35/year and follow along on on my private Instagram account; also, join the 1000s of members in the thrifting community on The Thrift Club Facebook Group and Market!
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Because I’m part of the amazing Thrift Club I just felt like – oh I remember when ‘we’ found that piece at that store when ‘we’ were out thrifting! Absolutely amazing final product Gwen!!! What’s next?!!!
YES! I love that you all were such a part of this whole process!
I’m tired and not sure, ha!
Gwen, this is a spring DREAM. Fabulous job, as always! Such a bright & inspiring space.
Thanks so much, Liz! It’s funny, I planned these colors last spring and thought that revealing it in another season wouldn’t be as impactful. Guess I know why it took us a year. 😉
Oh my Goodness- this is stunning!! What a beautiful space with so much character! It must be such a joy to spend time in here.
Thank you so much, Melina!
It’s hard to find a favorite spot, I think all of it is my favorite!
Thank you, Brenda!
It’s so good Gwen!!! I just pinned almost every single image, haha!! It was totally worth the wait!
So kind, thanks!
I love everything but the candlesticks are somehow my favorite part? 😍
That’s so fun! They were a gift from a thrift club member and I’m so glad they made it in!
Beautiful details. Love that little cup on the wall by the sink. It’s refreshing.
Thank you very much!
EVERY SINGLE DETAIL!!!! This is stunning. I just love the rust sofa with the pale lavender walls. And the light fixture is to die for. Well done.
Thank you, Jeran! It just makes me happy to be in the space!
DUDE! So good. The pic with the cabinets and the tree and stairs and table…. I could live right in that photo!
Thank you so much! It is pretty serene…when it’s picked up anyways…;)
I love it all except the taxidermy – which is just my personal preference – and it’s your space 🙂
Some really sweet and charming elements here – the little day bed for naps is lovely!
Thank you, Carrie! And thanks for your kindness about it. I’ve been a bit nervous to share because I know it’s not everyone’s taste. The daybed is a fun element!
This is so, so gorgeous. I pinned everything. I love the lavender mixed with white, blue, yellow and apricot – it’s all so delicious. This room is one of a kind and you won’t see anything like it anywhere else which is what makes it so special. I’m not sure that I would be able to hand this over to my munchkins so easily 🙂
That’s so kind, thanks Carley! I definitely want to share it with them!
This is amazing, way better than I had imagined! I’m curious about the sink – was the tap already there so you wanted to incorporate it or did you completely add it in because you felt the room needed it (from a functional point of view) Love love love love it all!
All the best from the UK
Hi! Sorry I’m just getting back. It was already there but I loved the functionality so we kept it. Thanks!
In one picture you have paint brushes in a light blue vase. The lid is sitting next to it. I was in my late teens dreaming of my 1st home and used to host “Home Interiors” parties. This vase was a hostess gift and I could not wait to add it to my collection. This was in the late 80’s. Today I still adore my vase. It sits proudly on my vanity with cotton swabs in it.
Your room is amazing!
Oh, I love that so much, Rhonda! Thanks for sharing!
I don’t know what I admire most: your thrifting ability or the way you put everything together! So well done.
Thanks, Teri!
What a labor of love. I’m so glad I was able to contribute a bit, and I hope it won’t be the last time. Such fun memories, and the space is such a beautiful space to “create”. Sit down now, and ENJOY!!!!
Thanks, Jeb! I sure hope it won’t be the last too – we have a lot of projects on the horizon. 😉
What an amazing, fun, and creative space. Love that the fiddle leaf towers above it all.
Thanks, Martha! Me too!
In the absolute best way, this room reminds me of my grandparent’s house when I was growing up. My grandmother was a talented seamstress and artist. She loved antiquing and collecting and had an incredible eye for color. Love it!
This makes my heart happy, thanks for sharing, Rachel!
Gwen,
It all looks lovely! But love the drapes hung from the ceiling! Where did you get those ceiling tracks? I checked on the Woven site but they don’t seem to have them.
Thanks, Stephanie! Let me know if you still need the link – feel free to email me!
This is a lovely room! So many wonderful features! I love the color!
Thank you!