Molly’s Playroom

This week on my home tour series is Molly’s playroom! Or I guess I can’t really call it a room because it’s really just a nook at the bottom of our staircase. It doesn’t have doors or anything. I’m so excited about the space because when we moved into this house, I didn’t think Molly was going to get a designated play area. We have five bedrooms in our house – our master bedroom, Molly’s room, Riley’s room, a guest room and the fifth one I use as my office. So because each bedroom serves a very important purpose, I was bummed that there wouldn’t be a space just for Molly’s toys. Which basically meant that her toys were just gonna be all over the house. And for those of you that know my husband, that would drive him absolutely nuts! He is the biggest neat freak I know. He’s the type of person that as Molly is eating in her highchair, he will be wiping her tray as she’s eating throughout the meal. That’s just how he is and I love him for it.

Anyway, as you can see we have this random nook at the bottom of our staircase. When we moved into the house, I had absolutely no idea what we were going to do with the space. I thought maybe we could put a chair and side table in there and it would be a little reading nook. But let’s face it, as a mom to two young children, I’m not getting much reading done these days. The space basically would’ve been completely wasted if we had done that.

This is where Veronica came in to save the day! For those of you who haven’t read my past home tour blogs, you may not know my designer Veronica Valencia. So let me just quickly say that she designed almost every room in our house and she is an absolute rockstar! She’s the one that suggested that this space at the bottom of the stairs be a play area for Molly and I am so grateful that she thought of that!

It’s perfect because it’s right off the kitchen and family room so Molly can go play in there while I’m making dinner or doing whatever around the house. If we had put her play room/area in my office (which is the only first floor bedroom) she would be completely cut off from the rest the house when she wanted to play. Which also would’ve meant that I would have to sit in the downstairs bedroom with her all day while she’s playing instead of getting things done around the house. What parent has time for that all day everyday? And as any parent knows, the absolute best time to get things done around your house (besides naps) is when your child is quietly playing by themselves. So if any of you have a random space like this in your house that you’re having a hard time figuring out what to do with, I highly suggest using it as a play area if you have kids!

Let me also say right off the bat that Molly’s play area does not look this clean EVER! Ha! You should know that we cleaned it up and staged it to take these pictures. There are way more toys all over the place 99% of the time. We do try to pick it up, especially when we’re having guests come over. And having a good toybox for that is essential. Plus we now have some canvas baskets in there that we use to put her toys in as well as a storage ottoman to keep some of the toys hidden away.

Also just an FYI, we plan on taking this lamp out of her play area and putting it somewhere else in the house. We didn’t realize how much it was when we got it. It’s a gorgeous lamp and it’s going to be beautiful somewhere else in our house. But at it’s higher price point, it’s not the best piece to put in a kid’s play area. Ha! You live and your learn 😉

My absolute favorite piece of furniture in her play area has to be her little white table and chairs. She loves sitting at this table and having a tea party with her stuffed animals or reading all of her books. You guys know that Molly is a huge reader and this table is almost always covered with all the different books she’s reading. We also plan to have her start eating her dinner at this table. She’s still in her highchair and we’re going to keep her in there for a little while longer, but we think it’s important that she transition to a big girl table soon. She’s really good and well behaved (for the most part) when eating at a table when we go out to restaurants, but at home we have kept her in a highchair because it just keeps the messes in one place. But this table will be perfect for her to start eating at very soon. Plus the rug we put underneath it is washable. It’s from Lorena Canals and you can literally throw it in the washing machine which is going to be essential when she starts eating here. Food will get all over the floor and all over this rug.

She loves playing in her little white kitchen as well. We got it from Wayfair and I was actually pretty surprised to see all the kids stuff they have on their website. I just didn’t know they had a huge children section. But I highly recommend you check them out if you’re looking to furnish spaces for your kiddos. Daddy does all the dishes in our house so when she’s at the sink she always says “daddy do it” – which I find super cute. This kitchenette also has a vintage feel to it which I really love. However, I will say that it’s more of an off-white color then a pure white. Which is fine. I just want to let you guys know in case you want to get one.

We put a faux fiddle leaf tree in the space in a small basket. Molly has the same tree in her bedroom so Veronica and I added it to this area too because she not only loves it, but it helps make the space feel a little bit nicer which is important to us since it’s open to the rest of our house. We obviously wanted the space to be a play room where Molly can be creative and make a mess, but we also wanted it to have some sophisticated touches since you can see it no matter where you are on the main floor of the house. Adding greenery helps. Like the faux fiddle leaf tree and a copper pitcher on top of the kitchenette with greenery in it.

And that’s really it. We added some pillows to the floor for her to sit on when she’s reading and filled the space with her favorite stuffed animals. As you can see she really likes pink bunnies. And the art above her kitchenette is by my dad. He painted it and I love that it’s displayed in an area that Molly can see every day. He sells his beautiful artwork HERE. And since this is Molly’s space, her picture is proudly displayed above her toy box. Once Riley is a little older we’ll have to add his photo here too since it will be his space as well. By the way, she’s wearing her elephant Halloween costume in that picture and I saved it so Riley can wear it this year. I can’t wait to see him in it and get this exact same picture of him! Maybe I’ll hang the picture of him wearing it right next to her picture.

Oh and the clock in our stairwell above her play area is by West Warren clocks. It’s a replica of the one that’s in Chip and Joanna Gaines house. We love it, so I’m linking it here since it’s in these photos.

I’ve linked my top in a bunch of my blogs and I love it, so I link it here again. And her dress is older, but it’s by Alice and Ames and I found the exact one in a different color here.

Ok that’s all I have for the play area. What do you guys think? Do you have a play area in your house? Where is it? What would you use this space for?

52 Thoughts

52 thoughts on “Molly’s Playroom

    1. I hope I’m leaving my comment I the right area! This area is seriously the cutest. What a great idea 😍 Do you keep toys in the kiddos rooms too or everything in the playroom? I feel like my kids have so many toys I wouldn’t be able to keep them in a small nook like that. I wish that I could and I wish they didn’t have so many toys 🤣 Going through old clothes is like going through clothes that don’t fit them anymore. It gives me anxiety lol! Should I keep this… Should I not. I’m always so indecisive! Do you have a foyer? That is the next room we will work on 🙈 What does yours look like? Thanks for sharing your house with us. I look forward to reading your blogs 💛

  1. What a great space Ali and I absolutely love that kitchenette! I will have to get one next year when my daughter is a little older. And Molly’s jacket! Adorable!

  2. This is such an awesome and practical idea for a playroom. So great for you to have it in an open area so you can get things done while having Molly close by instead of in a room. Love this idea!

    1. I been life changing since Veronica first suggested it. People always ask how we keep our house so clean. THIS is how! Everything gets tucked away in this space.

  3. WOW this is the cutest thing ever!! I have to say I’m a bit envious…that is such a perfect space! What a creative idea. Still trying to figure out (when our first baby comes this fall) where we are going to store all this tiny, cute stuff! 🙂

    1. I totally get the cold food thing! My coffee is ALWAYS getting cold. I warm it up at least 3 times every morning. Sometimes more.

  4. This is so, so cute! What does that little door go to on the left side of the wall? I’m guessing storage – but how cool would a little playhouse be, if it’s open back there? I’m picturing a little cutout window and Molly having a little food truck or lemonade stand from inside. Love your home!!

    1. Yes it’s storage. But that would be SUCH a cute idea. Unfortunately, we need the storage. But I like where your head is at!

  5. Hahaha I am just like your husband and yes, we are the awesome! I think my husband loves me for it, but also drives him crazy!

    And I actually think this nook is even MORE perfect than a room! I always thought that playrooms aren’t that practical but I love that her play nook is tucked away enough to put all her toys there, yet central enough that you can walk around and do other stuff while supervising her playing!

    1. Yes, thank goodness for spouses like you and my husband!!! Ha!

      And I agree. I love how it’s open to the rest of the house. So practical.

  6. When we remodeled our home 8yrs ago, a playroom was a MUST for our girls & OUR sanity🙃( bc we were so tired of stepping over toys in the livingroom) so we added a new livingroom & turned the old living room into a playroom.

    I had our cabinet guy measure the longest wall & I showed him a cabinet unit I like out of potterybarnkids & he built it for a fraction of the cost😉FYI for those building anything.😊 Then I was able to buy PBK baskets and labels. I knew once they were older & no longer ” played”, the baskets can transition to closets or other rooms. But that cabinet really pulled the room together & looks great!
    Fast forward, our girls dont really play now, its more like a game/ tv room & i have taken most of the perimeter to use for my machine embroidery/ sewing, but they dont seem to mind. One day, I have dreams of making it a big craft room/ sewing room. Its really nice to have it as flex space.

    1. I think it is just the standard flat white at Dunn Edwards. I know there are a 10000 shares of white. But this is what the builder of our house told us.

  7. Adorable! Also, what a great idea to have that built in door / gate at the bottom of the steps – genius!

  8. Molly’s room is absolutely adorable. Obsessed with her little ehite table and chairs. Veronica Valencia really is the best!

  9. What an adorable play area! I have to say I am jealous as I am working on a playroom which is the spare bedroom in our house and trying to have it somewhat completed by the fall but it is upstairs and also have a small area in our living room for her to play plus “stuff” in our family room. In other words toys all over LOL WE make it work but it can be overwhelming.

  10. Adorable space! Where did you find her tea set? I’m on the hunt for a pretty, toddler friendly one! Love and thanks!

  11. Hi Ali!

    I’ve been following you since your Bachelorette days and have really enjoyed you allowing us into your life- especially through your journey into motherhood. I actually have twins (boy/girl) that we’re born on 7/7/16 (which I think is a day off from Molly’s birthday) so I have found your blogs to be incredibly relatable. I’m sure Molly is keeping you quite busy…especially with the arrival of Riley! Congratulations by the way! I love this little play space so much but fell even more in love with Molly’s little BABE jean jacket. Can you tell me where it’s from? 🤞🏼

    Thanks so much!
    Jen

  12. SO CUTE!! I would love to go on a virtual tour so we can see the flow of your first/main floor. It all looks so beautiful! Congrats on your gorgeous house!

  13. I love the playroom for Molly! It is such a good idea for the space & your two kids will have so much fun for years to come!

  14. I love this little play area for Molly! Similar to Kevin, I love a clean space and am not too fond of having toys spread throughout the house. I love how you were able to take a little nook and beautifully incorporate it into a useful space. Your house is #goals btw! It is stunning 😍

  15. Gorgeous space! The kiddos are lucky to have such a great playroom! What’s behind the door where the plant is?

  16. Such a cute little playroom! In theory though I’m sure she is going to want to be in the kitchen with you😉speaking with experience! My kids have a gorgeous playroom and always want to be on the main level with me so the playroom is wherever I’m working🤣

  17. PFYI: Our 2 year old is very well behaved in restaurants as well. We had her sitting at her little table and chair next to our dining table. We ended up moving her back to high chair so we could all talk! With her being so low from us, it was hard to make eye contact with her. We plan on moving her to sit at the table with us. We just need to find the right chair.

  18. I would love to see a floor plan of your home. Trying to set it up in my head.. love this playroom idea!

  19. You have two chairs with your children’s name on them where did you get those I looking for one for my little boy
    Thanks

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