Basement Playroom

Looks like super fun, right? We think so! 
However, it didn't start this way!

When we purchased our house, this basement room was finished in drywall, a drop ceiling, tile floor, and one coat of white paint. For years, it sufficed as a "second family room", used mainly when we had to be downstairs to do laundry and during bad weather. We supplied it with a secondhand couch and our old tv stand, bookshelf, and table. See below...

When our toddler's toys outgrew the first floor of our home we decided it was time to do something about the basement room - turn it into a perfect playroom! I started by doing tons of "research" on Pinterest to get ideas. I made lists, drew sketches, measured, and spent a lot of time envisioning. After I had decided on exactly what I wanted, my first task was to do something about that hideous drop ceiling. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against a good drop ceiling, I think they can look quite nice, actually. But our drop ceiling was a do-it-yourself job done by the previous owners and you could tell that he really COULDN'T do it himself! It was horrible. The tiles were stained and uneven and the frames were cut so poorly that they didn't match up. So, I got an estimate on getting a new, professional drop ceiling installed. The price was almost $700. Not in the budget! I asked the same contractor how much it would be to just drywall it. Much better - only $300. That I could do. Probably not the absolute best idea to drywall your basement ceiling, but it was only a small section of the basement. The rest of the basement had plenty of access to upstairs wiring. So, after conferring with my father, who assured me it would be fine, I decided to have the ceiling drywalled.

Once that was done, it was time to paint! Years ago, I had torn out a page from Better Homes and Gardens that featured a paint color scheme. I loved the colors and knew that I wanted to use them someday. That someday was now! I took my torn page up to Sherwin Williams and bought my paint. I was good to go!

 Almost there...

 Cleaning up...

Ready to go!

All done!

 My son wasn't playing with his train table much anymore, so I put all of the track and trains in a bin under the train table, turned the boards over, and put Legos in a basket on top of the table.

 

One of my favorite parts: Animal alphabet flashcards designed by Jenn Ski, bought on Amazon,
applied to the walls with masking tape

 I bought two framed cork boards at TJ Maxx to display my son's artwork.

 This is the opposite-end of the playroom that serves as a "create" area. The bookshelf was painted a darker blue than the walls and houses art supplies. The basket next to the easel holds large pieces of drawing paper. Toward the corner on the walls are canvases featuring my son's paintings. On the wall is a $9.99 oil-drip pan bought at Wal-Mart to be used for magnets or holding paper for drawing. Above the oil-drop pan you can see drawings hung on wire, attached by clothespins. Small table and stackable stools (bought on Amazon) are perfect for the space. The door that you see goes into an unused room. The doorknob actually used to be brass. I took it off, spray painted it with oil-rubbed bronze colored spray paint, and then reinstalled. Looks great and hasn't chipped yet!

 The basket below the mirror holds costumes and dress-up supplies.

I bought both the 100 Acre Wood map and the world map on Amazon. They are peel and sticks. Very simple to do! The large L I got at a local craft store and painted it the same color as the ceiling. 

 

Thanks for looking!