Alma Project: Playroom Transformed
May 1, 2012
Hi all, it’s time to share what we accomplished during our weekend at the Alma Project, and I’m so excited about this space! We started with this room which is dedicated to the kids but was acting more like a storage space than a playroom, and in need of practical kid friendly solutions. Over the course of three days, the team took this room from totally drab to completely fab! We had to work with the existing navy carpet and ceiling, but every thing else was fair game so we started with a fresh coat of paint on the walls on Friday (painted baseboards too) and then installed all the elements from the design plan on Saturday and Sunday.
A month ago, Cristin and I got on the phone together to brainstorm ideas to reinvent this space. It had to be a gender neutral playroom to serve kids ages 2 to 10, and we wanted to make it as inspiring as we could within our budget of $1,000. We started with the giant wall map in shades of blue and green, then found a modern wavy stripe for the curtains, and I sourced everything else after that, with various online purchases and trips to IKEA, Target, etc.
All of the families who reside share a bedroom (mom plus kids in one room, up to four families in this home) so there was a real need for a community space for kids to be inspired to create and play. The kids playroom sits right off the kitchen and is also a place for parents to relax and interact with their little ones.
Here’s a look at the room before we began:
And how it now looks after our three day makeover:
Wow, right? So fresh, so fun, so filled with color! Here’s the grand tour of the new kids playroom at our Alma Project.
It measures approximately 16’ x 12’ and is packed with plenty of practical storage, a bench for sitting or playing, a leather sofa, and a feature wall with an inspiring map of the world!
On the left side of the room we installed a giant map to encourage the children that the world is full of possibilities! The blues and greens established the color palette for the entire space. We donated our gently used leather sofa to the space.
On the other side of the sofa are extra floor cushions in a medallion print for lounging, dreaming, or playing.
A giant (as big as the world) thank you to FLOR for donating the carpet tiles under the sofa, they’re the perfect match! I also have one more row that we can use to widen or replace the existing mini area rug.
One of my sponsors, Shades of Light, donated the new Moravian Star fixture which is reminiscent of a compass star.
On the bare wall next to the door to the laundry room and garage, I saw the need for a library and toy storage so we added three built-in Billy bookcases (similar to this project) to maximize the use of vertical space and painted the backs to provide a fun grassy green color to brighten the room. The bookcases are anchored to the wall studs to prevent any instability or tipping.
The color along the back is Glidden’s ‘Green Lane’ which is more like “Kermit the Frog” green to me! Our local church group donated dozens of books which doubled the size of the kids library. Thank you Nina and Chris for the collection! The play table was a Craigslist find that I repainted.
The hook rails were another generous donation by Liberty Hardware, who not only donated these hook rails for storage (for dress up and purses and backpacks!) but also many more hooks for the entry too.
On the window wall, we added an IKEA Expedit shelf to act as both a bench and a great place for toy storage. I imagine its flat surface will accommodate a train or car race too.
I sewed the rod pocket panels with 12 yards of this outdoor fabric and they bring whimsy, plus sun protection when necessary. The window opens to a fenced side yard, so privacy is not an issue.
The ‘You Are My Sunshine’ art is from The Ink Society, and is framed in a grid to inspire – the Melissa & Doug easel was another donation. It can be moved to make space for a future TV stand and television for the kids to watch movies.
That’s the grand tour of the new playroom space, hope you like it as much as the kids! I’ll do a follow up post answering any questions you might have, and showing you the ‘behind the scenes’ projects that went into the transformation from the wall map to the Billys to sewing the window treatments!
Here’s the Source List and total cost of the makeover:
World Wall Map: $99
Trim for map: donated by COTS
3 Billy bookcases, IKEA: $151 with tax
Teal lamp base and shade, Target, $43
Wall and trim paint: donated by Glidden (thank you Sarah!)
Anchors, framing, and crown for bookcases; $45
Storage Drawers & Baskets for bookshelves, Target: $45
Carpet tiles: donated by FLOR (thank you Patrick!)
Stripe pillows, Target, $29
End table: our donation
Monrovian Star fixture, donation by Shades of Light (thank you Walter!)
Storage Ottomans, Target $50
Leather Sofa, Jennifer Convertibles: our donation
Medallion floor cushions, Costco: $40
Framed wall art, The Ink Society, $42
Wall Frames, Target, $43
Expedit shelf under window, IKEA, $64 with tax
Fiber storage baskets, IKEA, $49 with tax
repainted Pottery Barn Play table, Craigslist: $45
Richloom Indoor/Outdoor Poolside fabric (window treatments), 12 yards, $108
Ikat pillow, Target, $22 with tax
Lime green pillows, IKEA, $10 with tax
Hook rails, donated by Liberty Hardware (thank you Amy!)
Easel: our donation
Total cost for playroom makeover = $885
Before: 
After:
Many thanks to FLOR, Liberty Hardware, Shades of Light, and Glidden Paint for their generous product donations!!
We would also like to personally thank these wonderful and generous PayPal and mail donors: Stephanie Norris, Susan Luken, Heather Lynch, Lynn Nazareth, Michelle Hayward, Patti Hubbard, Laurel Friedman, Jodi Santimauro, Brandi Adoff, Shiori Constance-Fiedler, Sarah Springer, Rachel Wimpee, Christina Webb, Jean Mieloch, Laura Bettis Christina Isetta, Jacqueline Blomberg, Kristin Schmidt, Cathleen Barstow, Caitlyn Cameron, Tracie Stoll, Claudine Kruck, Mary Robertson, Mary Ann Bassett, Dayna Dubay, Patti Zipper, Rachel Seavey, Deborah Milner, Karen Duffy, Emily Essig, Terah Shelton, Melinda Wyckoff, Cindy Braniff, Linda Hyams, Helen Tuggle, Sherry Hutchens, Gregory Bender, Cassidy Beyer, Jonathan Dunford, Keri Andrews, Laura Groff, Elizabeth Hunt, Lakeitha Duncan, and Sharon Johnson. THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!
We could not have done this without you!
But you know what? We have less than $500 left in our PayPal account, and we need to raise more! There’s a sad living room which needs some real solutions and a backyard that’s mostly weeds and in desperate need of help! The kitchen remodel is underway thanks to a generous donation by Home Depot to replace the cabinetry (wow, amazing!) but we need to buy a new oven/cooktop, a range hood, and countertops. We welcome your donations! For more details on what the Alma Project is all about, read this post.
Click on this button in the sidebar to help!
Thanks so much to all the volunteers who gave their time and helped pull this space together, we’re so proud of this playroom. Read all the details on the DIY projects in this space right here!
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Tags: alma project, playroom
