Living Room To Playroom Makeover

"If you can't beat the, join them!" Better yet, come up with a creative solution. Here's one story.

I posted this snapshot of our living hall a few weeks back as I bid farewell to this look. As parents with a very active toddler (that's you Lia!), we are relinquishing our rights to have a formal sitting area with mercury glass accessories and well-loved vintage finds. Instead we have decided to transform this space to a more colorful, relaxed, toddler-friendly playroom where Lia,  her elder sister Ashrie, (and us) could play together and enjoy as a family.

So we changed the sofa's slipcover to a brighter shade while Jane made some new pillowcases. The geometric cotton fabric is from Spotlight including the smaller green and orange pillowcases to pickup some of the colors from the geometric print. The colors of the wheel pillow which we had earlier for Ashrie's bedroom perfectly complements our color scheme. It is also from the same store.

The wooden coffee table was a hazard for Lia as she always bump to its sharp and hard edge. And for the coffee table's end, it is starting to get rugged as more dents and scratches are added to it's top everyday. To solve this, we came up with the idea of cushioning the coffee table and upholstering it like an ottoman. Now, it's a win-win situation! It's very safe for Lia and we also protected the tabletop surface. She loves its soft padding and I love putting her on top of it and tickling her tummy.

By the way, both the pillowcases and ottoman upholstery were lovingly and painstakingly hand-sewn by Jane. Well done, my love!

Remember our DIY sunburst mirrors and Ashrie's abstract artworks (check here and here)? Well, when we changed the slipcover and added the pillows, all of a sudden, the Patrizio painting seemed amiss. It's dark and too intense. We needed something fun and light. So we made an impromptu gallery wall using the mirrors in the dining room wall and some of Ashrie's art in the storage. The result is an interesting mix of colorful frames and gilded mirrors which is not only very eclectic but very personal as well.

Although I can never say that it's all done (because we always shake things up) I'm so happy on how this turned out. And I'm pretty sure the kids love it too!