Kids room feature - Top tips for creating a play room the kids will love!

by Alyce Pham April 26, 2020

This month, we're so excited to welcome Taylor to our kids room feature blog to share with us the beautiful play room she created in her home. Each month we showcase some of the best nurseries, kids rooms and play rooms on the gram. Join us each month as we are joined by some wonderful interior stylists who share their top tips and tricks for creating magic in kids spaces!

Welcome Taylor @taylormareee

We are so excited to introduce you to Taylor, the mum of two from Mandurah WA who shares her motherhood journey and passion for photography.

Taylor's adorable children Ayla and forrest

Welcome Taylor, Please tell us a bit about yourself and your family.

My name is Taylor, I'm mother of two, Ayla who is almost 4 and Forrest who is 15 months. My partners name is Tyler and we live in Mandurah WA. Firstly I'm a mum and then a photographer. It's a relatively new journey, but one I'm really enjoying and excited to grow with. Before i was a mum i worked as a vet nurse with horses and I hope to one day be living on a property and be working with horses again in some way. I'm a bit of an introvert and a homebody so I love being in my own little spaces, especially when they look so warm and inviting. Usually you'll find me spending time with the kids, editing or catching up on one of the many series i'm watching at the time.

When did you first get interested in kids interiors?

To be honest, I think it was when I discovered Instagram! When I say discovered I mean all of the beautiful shops and mums out there. When I was pregnant with Ayla and even after I'd had her I was not into styling at all. I had no idea of the current trends or anything. I'm pretty sure what we used as her nursery was a white and pink theme at the time. When we moved into our house before our current one, there was a really nice space for a central playroom. So that was my first mission to tackle along with Forrest's nursery. They were both going to be neutral spaces and I was excited to be doing up my first proper rooms. We then moved into our current home, which we're renting off my brother. This has meant I'm allowed the full creative control over the styling and decor of the home.

A beautiful snapshot of Taylor's creative styling

What styles or themes inspire you?

Anything neutral! I am a big lover of warm tones, all the browns, creams, pale pinks, clay and mustard. Dried flowers, rattan/cane and nice coloured wood. I love a bit of boho, some hints of scandi and also really loving some retro vibes around the place too.

What has been your favourite room to style to date?

I have really loved doing up out main bedroom and the living room actually! Partly because this is the first house I've been able to and I wanted to put a lot of effort into making our own. The playroom does definitely take the cake though. When we moved in we has the task of turning the outdoor patio into our kids play sanctuary. It's overlooked by the kitchen and the living and i would often find myself staring out into it, in awe of all the windows leaking natural light. I loved knowing the space would be filled with little feet and curious minds.

Taylor's beautiful playroom filled with lots of natural light.

What challenges have you faced when styling kids interiors?

I think price has been the biggest factor for me! I don't use Afterpay or anything, so it it's out of my budget, I don't get it. That's been super frustrating at times for me because I could be so close to finishing a room with just 1 or 2 items to go and I'd need to wait a bit longer. It's just needing to fill my creative cup, but also being patient. It's a balancing act that's for sure. I've been so fortunate to work with lots of beautiful brands on items that fill our shelves, but we've definitely cut down where we could. We made a few of our own items of furniture and shopped around until we knew we had found the best price. Tax time is always helpful too :P

What is your go-to place for inspiration and ideas?

Instagram or Pinterest! I think there are so many amazing accounts out there and there's always something that someone is doing amazingly well at. There will be times I'll see something and love it so I'll use that idea but put my own spin onto it. I think inspiration is fantastic and its everywhere you look!

Taylor finds inspiration from Instagram and Pinterest then puts her own unique spin on it!

What is your favourite feature in your play room at the moment?

Probably the rainbow wall hanging I made! I wanted something special and different for our reading corner, something to do with earthy rainbow. I loved the look of the fabric wall hangings that are for sale, but they are so out of my budget. I thought of a way to make one and it gets so many compliments anytime someone comes over!

How have you successfully blended your design ideas with your child's interests in their room?

I think knowing what they're going to play with! There's no point buying a nice kitchen, hacking it all up and your kids won't even look at it. I would ask Ayla before I bought things or made them and discussed some of my ideas with her. Of course she was excited so that made me even more keen to get going! When i first got posters for the play room wall, Ayla was with me and I let her pick out which ones we should get. Including them in the process will help them stay excited about their room and make you feel good about them getting good use out of it. In terms of the ideas of all wooden shelving/neutral colours etc, Ayla has never asked me "Oh mum why can't we have pink shelves instead?" I don't think all that stuff matters to them, deep down i think it's all about what's filling the shelves and their accessibility to them. In saying all of that though, I think as they get older and they can communicate their interest to you it gets easier to understand what you can do for them and their space. If you have a 1 year old and you're doing up a room or playroom, of course your tastes and style is going to be the major factor in building the space because they're not going to tell you what they like.

How does your child's room represent their personality?

Does chaotic count? Hahaha chaotic at time, but beautiful, definitely my kids!

How did you decide on a theme for your kids room?

It was pretty easy for me to decide on a neutral/earthy theme. The warmth, colours and overall vibe are what make me feel at home. I feel like they go with everything. No matter what toys, decor or quirky things your kids want to add, the neutral pallet to the room will always suit. It gives you a blank canvas to build on and you're able to work with different elements, colours and textures. The toys we like are all very natural and open ended, with a focus on an educational element too. Beautiful posters and different learning tools. It all depends on the age of your kids, but Ayla is definitely at the age where she is keen to learn, so I'm adding elements into her play where I can. There is still a couple of things I'd like to change to finish it off, like rip out the carpet and polish the concrete, then put a nice big rug in the middle but its still a functional room so all in good time!

What are your top three tips for someone planning a playroom?

1. Shelving and storage space! I think this is key when starting a room, especially a playroom. You want functional, practical but stylish furniture and storage options. We got a TROFAST unit from IKEA and we built two of our own shelving units too, There are able to be moved around so the layout of the room can be changed for a freshen up too. The shelves act as storage, but also as surfaces for play. The toys nee to be easily accessed by the kids, allowing them control over what they choose to play with and you don't need to continuously get things down for them/run the risk of them trying to climb.

2. A reading corner/quiet corner. If you've got the space, I think having a separate corner for this allows the kids a special place to go and relax. Have a quiet time when they need to or just sit and read their favourite books. My kids both love book, so they reading corner is something I'm so glad i did.

3. Less is more. Buy open ended toys where possible and try to have the shelving limited to how many toys are on there at a time. It's so easy for kids to get overwhelmed and it makes it easier for toy rotation too. The same goes for decor. Simple shelving and furniture also makes the room look a lot less crowded and more tidy.

THANK YOU Taylor

A big thank you to Taylor for sharing all your tips and ideas with us. To connect with Taylor or to hear more about her styling or photography services be sure to contact her on Instagram or via email.

Taylor - https://www.instagram.com/taylormareee

Photography - http://www.instagram.com/taylormareeephotography

taylor.ferster2502@gmail.com

Please be sure to join us again next month for the next kids room feature! We can't wait to share it with you.

To have your kids room featured on our blog, contact us via the "Work with us" page.