Decorating & Design
How To Design A Play Space You & Your Kids Will Love
Updated on November 28, 2023
Senior market editor Kai Ethier shares fun and functional ideas for your little ones.
Whether you live in a large or small space, finding a special spot for children to be well… children… has become even more important as we spend more time at home. Here are a few must-try ideas for kids’ play spaces both indoors and out — from a a DIY pirate ship in the backyard to a cozy reading nook!
Bedroom Nooks
A child’s bedroom is an obvious choice for a play space, but it’s also wise to consider a chill-out zone. A small nook can provide such a cozy spot. In my own kids’ room, we built a bookcase into a sloping nook and tucked in a small easel, making it a quiet hangout for reading and arts & crafts.
Designer and H&H alum Sally Armstrong made the most of an awkward space in her daughter Holly’s room with an oversized pouf and pillow, creating the perfect reading nook for down time.
Architecture doesn’t need to dictate where your nook is. Another H&H alum, Virginie Martocq, made a special spot for her daughter, Penelope, by hanging a canopy from the ceiling of Penny’s bedroom.
Shared Spaces
Finding a spot where kids can play while you and your partner work, cook meals or do laundry keeps everyone feeling connected. In this Scandi kitchen, a mini table and chair is a great place to have a tea party or craft session, while the adults take care of dinner.
For their open-concept living/dining room, 1925Workbench founders Rock & My Le Huynh built cubbies along the wall that provide storage, seating and a spot for the family aquarium. A kids’ table close to the grown-ups’ serves as a breakfast spot as well a place to play for the couple’s two sons.
Basements can make great play areas, especially when there is a place to put everything away. When designer Sarah Hartill renovated her basement, she made sure to include a generous space with ample storage for her two boys.
The living room is the preferred spot to play for many kids. An extra large, low coffee table gives them a tabletop at their height for Lego projects, board games, puzzles and more!
If you forgo a coffee table altogether, kids have even more space to spread out for games or toys, or to work on their Tik Tok dance routines. Plus, saturated pops of color inject a youthful feel.
Outdoor Playgrounds
Let’s not forget about the great outdoors. In the warmer months, backyards and patios give additional space for kids to play. Not only does this spectacular courtyard by designer John Tong have a generous dining area, but also a cedar platform, which acts as a stage for children to perform plays, and a wood wall for projecting movies.
For DIY-savvy parents, a cut-out pirate ship is sure to encourage imaginative play in little ones.
This storage shed was was transformed by senior interiors director Stacy Begg and former design editor Lauren Briggs-Lawrence to be an entertaining space for former editor-in-chief Beth Hitchcock. It could easily be a darling playhouse for kiddos, though!
A simple pop-up tent can provide hours of fun (and shade). My in-laws put up an old camping tent in their backyard and filled it with pillows and activity books on days when the kids came for a visit — they never wanted to leave!