Castle Playroom: How to Create A Magical Hideaway for Kids
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Children love to use their imaginations. What better place to act out scenes from their favorite fairy tales than a castle playroom under the stairs?
Last summer, I got lost for weeks in an enchanted world under our stairs. It started as blank white walls with a gray cement floor, but in my mind it was a magical forest full of friendly woodland animals leading the way to a medieval castle. I spent every spare moment I could down there painting, sewing and laying carpet to create a castle playroom for kids.
While I worked, I envisioned my boys playing in there for hours on end dressed as handsome princes and brave knights. I could see them defending the castle from masked marauders, fearsome dragons and plundering pirates. I imagined a day when I could send them downstairs to play after breakfast and not hear back from them until lunchtime when they would share tales of the adventures they had in their castle playroom. But this isn’t only about having fun. According to this article on Scholastic.com, imaginative play is key in developing social, language and thinking skills in children.
Anyone can create a castle playroom, like this, if you have a little imagination and a spare closet. Join me over the next several weeks, as I share how we turned an empty space under our basement stairs into a magical hideaway for kids, including:
- Where We Got the Idea for a Castle Playroom
- How to Paint Faux Stone Walls for the Castle
- How to Paint Woodland Animals and Trees
- How to Create Space Using Carpet Squares
- How to Sew a Fabric Curtain for the Front of the Castle
- How to Set a Medieval Scene with Shields and Decor
- Find a Place for Everything with Seating and Storage
- The Adventure Begins, A Final Wrap-Up
Here’s a Sneak Peek of the Castle Playroom
Creating a Castle Playroom from a Blank Canvas
Our home is a large ranch-style house with a split level staircase to the basement.
From the main floor, you go down 7-8 steps, then there’s a flat platform followed by another 7-8 steps to the basement of our house.
The split level staircase created a small closet type space about four feet high, which many families would use for home storage.
When we finished our basement a few years ago, we knew we wanted to make the space under the stairs into a clubhouse or playroom of some sort. At the time, I was pregnant with our second child so we just had the space drywalled and sealed with primer. We left the gray cement floor unfinished and installed a door to match the rest of the interior doors in our basement. This allowed us to close off the space until I was finally ready to create the castle playroom. That, my friends, is where we start this adventure with a blank canvas:
Next in this series, I’ll take a look at where we got the idea and share another example of a magical hideaway for kids. If you’d like, you can subscribe to Kenarry to follow along with our castle playroom series over the next few weeks. You’ll get an e-mail in your in-box every time we publish a new castle playroom post, so you don’t miss a thing.
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See the entire Castle Playroom Series on Ideas for the Home by Kenarry®
What’s Next?
While you’re here, be sure to check out other kid ideas –
I LOVE this idea! It’s the perfect way to create an atmosphere where kids can come and let their imaginations go wild.
Thanks, Carrie! We had so much fun playing down there during the long never-ending winter we had this year. It was great to have an “escape.”
What a great playroom for the kids… I love that curtain idea you came up with… And the window is a great touch…. I hope they spend many hours playing there… 🙂
hugs x, Crystelle
Crystelle Boutique
Thanks, Crystelle! I hope so too! 🙂
I am loving the clever curtain door!
Aww, thanks PJ! I’m not much of a seamstress so that curtain was one of the most challenging parts of the whole project for me.
This is so incredibly cute!! Love it!
Thanks, Cassie!
Thank you! I love creative ideas for using wasted (or unused) space. My little ones would love something like this. I also have seen some great ideas for book nooks that would be fabulous!! Fun and darling ideas and post!
Such a cute idea! just pinned it!
Stopping by from Skip the housework Saturday
Ashley @ LeavingTheRut.com
Thanks for pinning, Ashley! We’re so glad you liked the playroom.
Oh cute is this! Thanks for sharing and linking up again with us at the #WWDParty. Have a wonderful week ahead.
Carrie, this is so cool and any child would absolutely love this! Thank you so much for sharing at Best of the Weekend – pinned! Hope you’re having a happy weekend and have a great week!
Thanks Cindy! Hope you have a great week too!
I want this playroom for myself! My boys imaginations would run wild in your playroom.
I know what you mean, Carmody. I think I made it for myself as much as I made it for them.
I just love it! It’s amazing! 🙂
Great ideas. How wonderful to have a home castle for the kids.