A Play Area for June’s Room
*This post was sponsored by Lorena Canals. As always, all opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that support our blog!
I remember feeling very nervous and almost motionless when it came time to decorate June’s nursery four years ago. I think I was feeling a lot of different things when first processing what it might be like to become a parent, and so my natural creative juices and quick-to-make-decision-vibes were just lacking! But here's what I've learned, and to be honest love, about kid's rooms: they can change just as quickly as your little one does, and it's awesome that way.
June’s room has been arranged so many different ways in the last four years. When she was a baby, her crib was up against the cat wall, because that seemed to feel right as the accented piece. And then we moved her crib against the biggest wall in her room and added a shelf for her toys when she was a little older and walking around. Eventually, we took the side off her crib and moved the bed into the far corner of the room, making space for more of her playtime toys like her train set and kitchen. And now, having just turned four last week (holy smokes!), we’ve rearranged again. I used to feel kinda weird about June’s room... like it was never really “done” or “had a theme.” But I have since let that go and have enjoyed her space so much more since that decision.
I’ve had my eye on a Lorena Canals rug for June’s room, with this exact set up in mind, ever since I purchased one of their rugs for Sunny’s nursery. I just adore their simple designs, color options, and of course, the best part, that they’re machine washable!
The first step to making June’s room have more of a designated play section was to move her out of her little “day bed” crib (which we adored, it was amazing for 3.5+ years!) and into a twin sized bed. I am forever grateful that my Mom suggested we hold onto the platform bed I had in my bedroom in high school/college because it’s perfect for June’s room! We moved her “new” twin bed against the cat wall and added her little step stool as her nightstand. This works great to hold her snacks, water bottle, flowers, diffuser, books, or whatever toys she’s needing next to her at night.
Moving the bed to extend out from the cat wall created a nice little rectangle of space down at the far end of her room. The 5x7 Happy Day rug from Lorena Canals fits into this spot perfectly. It provides soft padding for June to play on and since switching her room to this layout she has spent hours in there playing by herself with her horses and cars. We also added in the Pouffe Air Natural, which you guessed it, is also washable! It’s been great for sitting next to June’s bed to read her bedtime stories or to sit on when we join in her tea parties with Miss Roo and friends.
Rearranging the room this way also made space for a vintage kid’s table I purchased at a local auction, well before I even had kids, to fit in her room! I’m still torn on whether or not I want to paint the table and chairs, but for now, the charm of the vintage paint job is nice. (If I did paint it, I was thinking something like this or this. Yeah?!)
I am so glad I’ve continued to rearrange June’s room as she’s grown. It’s fun to find the best layout for her current needs — swapping toys and playsets between her room and downstairs. Even just a few months ago it looked different than it does now, back when we added the storage cubes and artwork from Minted.
What about your kid's rooms? Have you considered rearranging them lately to encourage more playtime, or more reading, or whatever their interests are? It’s brought me such joy to have June asking to go up and play in her room, and then playing by herself with her toys. The other day when my Mom stopped in briefly to drop off a few things, she asked, “Who’s upstairs with June?” And I was like, “Oh that’s just her. And all of her different voices and friends.” I remember my brother being like that as a kid! We’d be like “Who’s in the basement with Taylor?” And then we’d realize it was just him and his action figures.
I’ll link to a few of my recent favorite toys in case you’re interested in getting any for your kiddos! Recently June’s really been into this play food set and her tea set. And adding the pink canopy was such an easy way to add a little whimsy and fun to her room. Plus, it’s super affordable on Amazon!
I did my best to link to the items in June’s room below, or at least similar ones. A lot of things in her room are thrifted and/or vintage, so I linked to comparable items below that you could use to get the same look! Also if you’re in the market for a really cool dollhouse that isn’t just plastic and ugly (ha!), the one that June has is on mega sale right now!
If you end up switching up your kid's rooms, I’d love to know! Tag me in your stories or send me a message on Instagram. :)
