FacebookTwitterPinterestGoogle+InstagramRSS Simply in Control

Friday, August 8, 2014

Apartment Living Room and Play Area Combo



The living room is the life of the home. Adults and children alike spend majority of their time in this one room throughout the day. The question is, how do we find a balance between their two spaces? Living in an apartment, there is no option of a separate play area in a different room. I've laid out some ideas in this blog post. 

Here's a look at the entire living room. Not too much of an open space but it's very functional!


This is the sitting area:


The sofa is from Rooms to Go and the chairs and rug are from Home Goods.





I just use a small ottoman with a tray on for guests. Both from Target.


Since my toddler loves to climb on the side of the sofa and play with the light switch, I kept a large sitting cushion on the bottom in case he falls off the edge. 

On the other side of the sofa, kept in a corner, are all of his toys. 



Although there are quite a few items here, they are not too much of an eyesore because they are all stored in one small corner of the room. I have stored my son's smaller toys in his infant co-sleeper, and a few larger toys around it. A large basket would have the same function.

Most people opt for using an ottoman to store their kids toys in. Sure, it looks less cluttered if you pack everything away, but here are my thoughts on why it's better not to:

1) Less convenient for the child. The child also lives in that space all day long and needs his or her own little area to play in!

2) There's always the fear of the child hurting his or her finger while taking the lid off or putting it on when they are young. 

3) Less toys fit in ottomans.

4) When cleaning up, all I have to do is pick up toys from around the living room and throw them in the bin from anywhere close! No need to go and open the lid or anything. Just pick up and aim!

5) When guests come over they understand that I have a toddler and he needs his own area. Sometimes when I'm busy in the kitchen, he's busy playing with his toys, which lets me work. If all of his toys were packed away he would probably be giving me a tough time!

6) Other children who come over love this little area.

The key is not to overdo it. More toys than this amount would make the area look too cluttered. If I get more larger toys, I will store some older ones away. 4 large toys at a time seem to be working to keep him busy.

Now for the other side of the room:



We have my son's jumperoo here. Notice how the color chosen is kind of muted compared to most baby toys. This allows it to blend into the decor a little better. He has loved it dearly for 1 and a half years now, but has grown out of it. I need to store it and replace it with something more age appropriate for him (2 years), but I'm not sure what. Do you have any ideas? A chalk board easel or teepee perhaps?

We also have the computer area in this room. We don't own a TV, so no need to worry about space for that. Finally, we have my son's old changing table at the end of the room.



I repurpose this changing table into a beverage cart if I'm hosting a party, but regularly it looks like this. On the top shelf are the hot beverage station supplies. On the bottom two are diaper changing supplies that I just pull out and use on the floor as needed. And the cute little chair on the side? His time-out area to sit in for one minute if he's throwing too many tantrums. :( Such are the ways of parenting.

Overall this is a very child friendly room and working out for our toddler! Do you have any other ideas I haven't thought of?



If you'd like links for any specific items shown in this post please leave a comment below and I'd be glad to assist. 

Hope this post helped! Don't forget to Like this Page on 
Facebook and Follow me on Pinterest for more updates! 

Thanks for dropping by!

Linked to:



15 comments :

  1. I totally think you should get your son a teepee!!! Love the calming colors of your room!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Omg where did you get that adorable time-out chair? I just dedicated a random corner of the living room to time-out (which I rarely give) because it makes me more sad than my son lol

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hey Zainab thanks for dropping by! The time out chair is from Ross. It's really good quality and was just around $15 I think! I don't give him time outs that much either, only when he throws a fit too many times within an hour. It does work!

      Delete
  3. This is wonderful post. I do hope you intend to post more of these types of information. Thank you for this interesting information!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Wow! Such an amazing and helpful post this is. I really really love it. It's so good and so awesome. I am just amazed. I hope that you continue to do your work like this in the future also Maintenance Company in Abu Dhabi

    ReplyDelete
  5. I like your amazing ideas!
    It's very interesting blog. Thanks for sharing with us. It's very helpful for us.
    We also providing home decoration services in UAE. We offer huge variety of curtains and blinds Dubai.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Your post is really a beautiful post, as well as a knowledge sharing post, your post will get a lot of inspiration in life.
    Gurugram escorts service

    ReplyDelete
  7. Wow! Such an amazing and helpful post this is. I really really love it. It's so good and so awesome. I am just amazed. I hope that you continue to do your work like this in the future alsoPS5Home.com

    ReplyDelete
  8. Custom design packaging boxes are of top quality. Whether you wrap up solid or delicate products in them, they will remain new and secure in these boxes. There are many products, especially fast food items, for which brands require Custom Double Wall Tray Boxes Wholesale. PackagingNinjas is proficient in creating these customized design packaging boxes.
    Custom Boxes

    ReplyDelete
  9. Custom beard oil boxes incorporate different plans added to the containers through the cycle of customization. This cycle incorporates different methods that are utilized to enhance the Custom Boxes. The initial step is to pick a plan, pick a method, and afterward customize the box. The plans are generally picked based on the necessities of the clients and the reason the containers are to be utilized. The shape, size, and shade of the beard oil boxes are picked based on client requests and the container is then additionally exposed to different allotments inside that are utilized to keep numerous items independently. Custom Beard Oil Boxes Wholesale when printed are prepared to deal as they incorporate all that makes them complete and thorough. The significant thing is the logo and the item subtleties. The logo is picked by different methods and cautiously as the significant segment of offer of facial hair items relies on the logo of a brand. To decide the quality logo is significant. After the logo comes item and brand subtleties which are controlling and accommodating to the clients.

    ReplyDelete
  10. ThePackagingBase solves your all problems of packaging by all means in the best way. We provide the best quality at affordable prices. Get your Best Eyeliner Display Box at wholesale prices. We have multiple options in designs, styles, and printing. Rebrand your Custom Boxes USA products with customized packaging boxes. Do not think too much, just place your order at us and grab the best Pencil Boxes in the town.
    Beard Oil Boxes
    After Shave Boxes
    Hair Spray Boxes

    ReplyDelete
  11. RushPackaging helping our customers for ages and have a prominent name in marvelous lipstick boxes. The Custom Boxes we design to realize your true value to customers because they are perfect in texture, shape, size, design, and color. The customers will like your products’ distinction and buy it. In this way, your retailing ratio will increase. If you want excellent printed The Lipstick Box packaging get assistance from RushPackaging.

    ReplyDelete
  12. To run your business in food line while using noodle boxes you need to avail Cheap Noodle Boxes. Cheap noodle boxes reduce your expenses of noodle boxes. GoToBoxes offering every kind of noodle boxes either for the use of cooked noodles or raw noodles. You can contact us for any kind of Noodle Boxes that you need according to the requirements of your product.
    Cake Boxes
    Burger Boxes
    Bath Bomb Boxes
    Soap Boxes
    Custom Boxes UK

    ReplyDelete

Pin It

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...