I love our house. I really do, but it is not spacious. Now that we have our little guy, it is a daily battle to not let the toys overtake our space. Since we don’t have an extra room to designate as a play room, I decided to make the most of our space by using this “dead space” under our stairs to make into Isaac’s baby play space:
This is such a fun little space, and we spend a lot of time here every day!
I was really careful to stick to our small budget for this space. I bought an Expedit shelving unit from IKEA, and bought two of the bins to fill with books and other toys.
The mirrors were such a fun addition to the space. I was planning on just using one or two rectangular mirrors hung horizontally, but these hexagonal mirrors screamed out to me!! They were $14.99 for all 10 of them. I hung them with Command Strips
The rug is also from IKEA – it’s actually two overlapped because one was just too small for the space. They were only $4.99 a piece-
The pillows were inserts my mom no longer wanted, and I sewed them up with some leftover fabric from this project, and then turned an old sweater into a pillow!
We love our new little play area – and I just love that it’s a smart use of the space that would’ve served no purpose beforehand.
OK- just one more picture of my little baldie baby. I mean – those eyes. They slay me every time!
Do you have dead space under your stairs too? Are you fortunate enough to have a play room? Any other ideas to control the toy clutter?
Share this for friends who may not have room for a playroom either – maybe they can use the space under their stairs too!
This is so smart, Christina! We have the same problem – no dedicated play room so Lincoln’s toys are just strewn all over the living room. Think I’m going to make a similar space for him. Can’t wait!
awww look how happy Isaac is!!! 🙂 i LOVE those mirrors!
This makes me wish I had dead space 🙂 LOVE those mirrors – love that they serve a design purpose as well as being fun for baby. And that sweater pillow! Great job!
This is such a clever use of the space, Christina! As for the toy clutter — might as well get use to it. Really the only way to keep it under control is to limit the amount. Children really don’t need every toy under the sun, and it’s always good to rotate toys — put some away for a month or two and then swap them out. They think they have new toys!
What a sweet little space! Love those hexagon mirrors! It’s a constant struggle not to let the baby stuff just expand and expand until it takes over, isn’t it?