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Color Their World
Paint can be a very evocative substance for kids, who are often passionate about the colors they love and those they can’t stand. Kelly J. Thyen, owner of the Blaine, Minn. -based kids’ design boutique Wiggles N’ Giggles, says parents should consider not only their child’s interests, however, but also the “psychology of color” in choosing the base shade for their child’s creative area.
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Kelly J. Thyen, owner of the kids’ design boutique Wiggles N’ Giggles, says parents should consider the “psychology of color” in choosing the base shade for their child’s creative area. Wiggles N Giggles safari playroom. Photo credit and copyright Kelly J. Thyen.
| “Blue is a fabulous color for a kids’ space,” she says. “It is a peaceful color that actually causes the human body to create calming chemicals and also make you more productive. Green is another great color because of its calming effect.” Thyen adds that although kids often love colors like red and yellow, using them only as accent colors may make for a more pleasant space. “Red stimulates chemicals in your body that create excitement and hunger, and yellow can have a very unsettling effect; even though it’s cheerful and sunny, it tends to make people loose their tempers and children cry, which is definitely not what you want in your child’s play space,” she says.
Beyond just color, however, paint can be used to delineate a space. “It’s important to remember that for younger kids, their eye level is right around three feet or so,” says Ann McGuire, Valspar Color Consultant and founder of Beehive Studios of Buckhill Falls, Pa. “Think about doing borders along the bottom of the wall like handpainted flowers for a little girl’s garden or a cityscape for little boys who want to play with their trucks or LEGOs.”
And it doesn’t have to stop with the walls. McGuire says when parents are willing, painting the floor adds a whole new dimension to kids’ play. “Painting hopscotch boards, roads for cars or even four-square sets, especially in a basements, where you don’t mind the bouncing ball, can be great for kids."
Focus on Kid-Friendly Materials
When designer Sharon McCormick, principal of the Durham, Conn.-based Sharon McCormick Design, LLC, created a playroom for her clients with a rambunctious 2-year-old, she knew she had to choose materials that were both attractive and durable.
She recommends checking out Flor carpets for soft, modular flooring that can be easily replaced. “We made a checkerboard design, but the number of designs and colors are seemingly limitless,” she says. “By buying a few extra tiles, if one gets dirty, you can take it out and replace it in a jiffy.”
| | | | | |  | | | | | Different Places for Different Ages Wondering what types of spaces will work best for your child? While each individual is different, experts say you can expect certain phases in different age groups.
Kids 5 years old and younger need creative, play-building spaces, Jennifer Hartstein, supervising psychologist at St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital Center in New York City, says. “Think blocks, puppets, stuffed animals, balls,” she says. “They need things that can be manipulated and moved around.” She says this is ideal for play for the youngest set, and it helps with motor coordination development, as well. As children get to the 6 to 10 year-old group, they have a tendency to become fixated on one obsession and love to have spaces that coordinate with that interest. “Think High School Musical or other Disney shows,” Hartstein says, adding that kids this age can really get into make-believe, and themes built around activities that interest them will be a hit.
Thyen agrees, adding that giving aspiring teachers a “school room” setup with a chalk or white board or setting up a stage with a karaoke machine for an American Idol-wannabe can be great opportunities for creative play. “Children this age love to dress up and pretend their big, imagining what’s to come.” she says.
For teens, it really is just about what each individual wants. “It’s harder to create a specific space since the opinions are much stronger at this age. Just ask for input and go with it,” says Hartstein.
And if your teen is mainly interested in themselves and hanging out with friends, don’t fret, says Thyen. “A relaxing getaway to study and hang out and just talk, play computers, listen to music, read books and play board games with a group of friends is perfect for them.”
| | | | | | | | | | | McCormick also chose beadboard wainscoting for the room. “It's tough and much more washable than sheetrock,” she says, adding it’s important to choose high-grade paint that can withstand multiple cleanings before having to be repainted. But even then, having the wainscoting will reduce your work. “Since with little kids, the lower half of a wall takes the brunt of the dings, when it's time to re-paint, you can just re-paint the wainscoting instead of the whole room,” she says.
For fabrics, she chose stain-guarded, relatively inexpensive cottons and rugged denim. And instead of choosing fragile tassels for window treatments, she went with a more practical trim. “We used a braid trim on the bottom of the roman shade and saved the tempting tassel fringe for the top of the valance,” she says.
Don’t Neglect Safety
Creating a room that’s just for kids means they will sometimes end up there without much adult supervision, which is why safety is a key concern in any room you design with kids in mind.
One safety issue parents need to address early is making sure the space is completely finished. “Don’t leave any bare studs or loosely tacked carpeting that the child could get caught, cut or slip on,” says Thyen. “The space should be fully finished.”
Also, Thyen says to make sure any furniture that can be climbed on or that might wobble is screwed securely to the wall. Any large, heavy items like televisions should also be secured. And don’t forget the cords: “Make sure cords are hidden, wound up and secured,” Thyen says. “And cover every outlet.”
Finally, don’t forget lighting safety. “Watch that light fixtures are fully enclosed and that they don’t get hot enough to burn, especially when creating a playroom under stairs or in another small space.”
Worry Less, Play More
Still worried about the resale value of your house if you install that fireman’s pole your son craves or turn your fourth bedroom into a jungle room? So was Janie Glover, who created a deluxe playroom for her daughter Katherine in their former home in High Point, N.C. When the family put the house up for sale, their realtor suggested they remove the room, which had been featured in several local papers and had been a labor of love for the entire family. So Glover decided to wait.
“We decided we would try to feature it as a selling point first,” she says. “We knew that it was a unique feature and felt it would set our house apart. We told our realtor that if a couple was interested and did not have children or grandchildren, we would take it down and repaint the room.”
Glover’s decision was the right one—the house was put on the market on Thursday, and it was under contract on Friday to the first couple who looked at it. “They had been looking for a home for more than a year,” she says. “They had a two-year-old little girl who spent hours in the playhouse while her parents toured the rest of our home. It was perfect for them and they said the playhouse is what sold them on the house.”
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Text by Alyson McNutt English
© 2008 BobVila.com
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