I know it doesn’t look finished but the blank spaces are where the built ins will be installed.
Also, I didn’t bother to make progress photos nice and clean for you. I’ve been tripping on the stuff in the middle all week so why not keep it real?
I painted the ceiling Queen’s Violet by Behr. It’s a beautiful mauve color with a little bit of reflective sheen to bounce light. I used my HomeRight paint roller that I talked about here and knocked it out pretty quickly.
I even paid extra attention to detail and painted the inside of the air vent black as to not draw focus. This is the kind of stuff I never take the time to do. It takes 5 extra minutes and makes a huge difference so I don’t know why I skip it but I do.
The paint was still drying on the ceiling in these pics but the vent was metal with flecks of the popcorn ceiling that used to be in here, a good flat black coat made it all disappear.
I quickly mentioned the built-ins from Bright Green Door last week. Jess made this awesome reading nook as her One Room Challenge last year. Those are Ikea billy bookshelves built in and trimmed out.
I was so inspired by this space that I began drawing plans based on the look but to fit in our room. This is ultimately the layout for the wallpapered front wall in our playroom.
This is just a sketch. It’s not to scale. You get the idea though. Since we had a wider wall to work with, I played with lots of different arrangements and ultimately we bought a set of narrow billy bookcases to go on the outside of the set of the wider ones that face in, just like Jess’s. Does that make sense? It will.
We began the built ins by building the bases frames for the bed and the bookcases on either side. We started this project a little early because while I might be on a deadline, I refuse to put my sweet, hardworking man on one. I mean, you know, tighter than it needs to be… I’ll go in to way more detail about this project later but here are the frames.
In the picture above you can see that I lined the bottom of the frame with felt so that they wouldn’t scratch the floor with every jump or scoot. My plan is for the builtins to be permanent but you never know and the mister doesn’t want the stained concrete underneath to get messed up (if you missed my review of that project, go here). It was his good idea to line them.
We borrowed a table saw to cut the plywood sides and mostly finished that process over the weekend.
It’s been exceptionally beautiful lately so I got outside and stained the crates that I got courtesy of Crates and Pallet.
You saw them on the floor in the first picture. I’ll tell you more about them later but they’ll be great for toy, game and book storage.
As for the checklist I made last week. Here’s how that stands:
build platforms for bookcases and bed
prime and paint built ins
build IKEA bookcases
trim built ins
paint art table
diy lazy susan for art supplies
create desk and desk wall
diy large wall art
diy pendant light
install ceiling fan
organize toy storage/
hang artwork
stage the shelves with toys, books and plants
make the room look amazing with thrifted finds, etsy goodness and DIY’s galore
I leave you with the picture I posted on my Instagram this week:
Make sure you come back next week when I’ll share more progress and photos and talk about set backs. I already have things to report on that front…..
Thanks for reading, friends
i am DYING over this plan and paper, jessica! amazing!!!! my kids' playroom needs a total overhaul but i don't even know what i want to do in there.
Thank you Cassie! I love it! Cant wait to see it finished.
Love that you are embracing color and pattern in the playroom! It was refreshing to see that honest, pulled-back photo from your IG post. -Carol @ CAD Interiors
I love your colors. Looks like lots of hard work, but the work is really progressing! Ha-ha-ha about the pretty photo and the "reality."
that's hilarious! i love the real look, and man, those builtins too!
b
Thanks Carol! I love the colors in here! It'll be a departure from my normal picks for sure.
Thanks you so much! Glad the 'real life' made you smile. Can't wait to not trip over everything. : )
Thank you! I love the real life reminders : )