The Client Background

Our client came to us asking for help upgrading their basement playroom. The family had been using the basement to watch movies as a family (they had a great sectional couch and a huge, cozy bean bag), they also had shelves and bins of toys as well as dress up clothes. Half of the basement playroom was used for a bounce house which was fun, but they were ready for a more challenging active play space.

The Basement Playroom Before

The family has three kids ranging in age three to nine years old. The kids love to jump, swing and be active in general. The family lives in the northeast where winters can be very cold and the sun sets early. They needed a good place for their kids to be active inside and wanted to make the most of their basement playroom.

The Design Process

The parents’ design aesthetic tends toward modern, calming neutral colors and we wanted to make sure that the playroom felt cohesive with the rest of their home. We also wanted to incorporate their existing sectional couch and giant bean bag. We are big believers in using what our clients have whenever possible.

The kids’ mandatories included monkey bars, a climbing wall and a foam pit - such fun! We got to work designing a playroom that met the needs of both the parents and the kids. We also made sure that the space would work for the range in the kiddos’ ages and developmental stages.

Design Directions

We explored a few different design directions with the clients. In keeping with the rest of their home, they ended up choosing a neutral palette with pops of blue.

Floor Plans & Elevations

The Wild Child Magic

We ended up moving the couch and TV to the other end of the room as their former location was the best area for a climbing wall. We created an active play zone where the sectional had previously been. It included:

A white climbing wall with climbing holds in a custom color palette of blues and grays. We love climbing walls as they’re not only challenging but they also help strengthen kids’ gross motor muscle groups, core strength and grip strength (super important for handwriting!)
A huge 5’ x 8’ white foam pit with charcoal gray foam cubes. Every climbing wall needs a good landing area! Foam pits are the perfect landing zone, and they’re great for building core strength. Plus, they’re just fun! Kids love building with the foam, burrowing down into it and tossing it around (added bonus: foam cubes are way easier to clean up than ball pit balls!)
Blue monkey bars, mounted on the ceiling which offer a great way to strengthen the upper body and core. Monkey bars can be challenging, having them at home helps kids master them and in doing so, builds their confidence and self-esteem.
A padded floor that invites movement and play - kids can’t resist this flooring!
A climbing rope and coordinating white triangle ladder both of which are awesome for improving grip strength and gross motor strength. We also added padded walls in the corner of the room closest to the triangle ladder. These ladders can be fun to swing on and no one needs marked up walls!
We included a gray and beige (reversible) yoga swing which includes spring making it super bouncy and fun! We love the calming input yoga swings provide. Kids can swing, spin in circles or just relax in a yoga swing. The spinning and swinging of the yoga swing gives kids proprioceptive input that many of us (adults too!) so often seek out.