Back to school blues? After having so much time for free play this summer, the first week back at school was maybe just a tad bit dreaded. I mean, who would want to leave this cute playroom? I get so many questions about this room on my Instagram that today I figured I would share some of the details on our favorite pieces, as well as a few tips for how I keep it organized! Creating a super cute space like this will have your kids looking forward to lots of playtime in here on the weekends – you will thank me when you have some time to relax!! In the meantime, keep the questions coming!!

The perfect coloring table.

We have the Pottery Barn Kids Carolina Large Play Table in white with 4 Carolina Play Chairs in 4 different colors. We upgraded from the Mini Table when Reese turned 3 because 1. she had gotten taller and 2. she really needed more space for paper and crayons and scissors etc. The large table comfortably seats 4 children for lunch or art. And at 5 and a half, Reese is still perfectly sized for it! In the center of our table we have a Marker Caddy {similar} for easy storage of the essentials like pencils, markers, etc. I love to leave the caddy out on the table with a pile of colored paper so the kids can sit at any time and start working… no “Mommy I need this, this and this!” necessary!

Our bookshelves.

The biggest question I get is do they actually look this neat all the time, and my answer is not exactly but pretty close! My best tip to keeping your playroom organized is invest in bins for your bottom two shelves for the messiest stuff. Why the bottom 2 shelves? 1. It’s easiest for the kids to reach on their own. And 2. When a persons enters the room, they immediately see the eye-level “well merchandised” shelves, kids however immediately go for the bottom ones. It’s a win win!!

My tips for keeping your playroom organized: 1. Use bins to hide away the ugliest toys 2. Use bins to keep from losing game pieces or lego parts or puzzle pieces. 3. Choose a color palette. If you want your room to be bright, go with primary colors. If you want a softer look, choose pastels. Either way, stick throughout! Sometimes it’s easier to decide by assessing what you own. When I had Reese I bought everything pink so it all looked perfectly girly, but when I had Brooks I realized I needed to transition. Now I focus on brights. 4. Books are the easiest way to merchandise. Fill your shelves with books and stack some books in different directions to add dimension. Pro tip: Invest in cute book-ends so books are not falling over! 5. Scour your kid’s rooms for things to display. Mix in piggy banks, jewelry boxes and keepsakes throughout. 6. I would say less is more. Any time my book shelves are over-flowing I know it’s time todo a goodwill haul.

For bins, I have these Crate & Barrel soft striped bins in several of the kid’s rooms because they are so cute and help keep shelves looking tidy {mine are the grey stripe}.

Want to see more kid’s bookshelf inspiration? See Reese’s girly shelves from our NYC apartment here and Brooks’s adorable baby blue shelves here.

We all scream for Ice Cream!

When it comes to large toys, choose the good ones. I am not kidding when I say I get asked about this Ice Cream cart once a week because parents think it’s so cute, but the funny part is that any kid that comes to our house is equally obsessed. I mean, who doesn’t want to play ice cream shop! And best of all this sweet Melissa & Doug Cart is sold on Amazon and is only $180!

Music Time.

My kids loved playing with musical instruments from a young age – their interest started with shaking eggs in their first music classes and evolved to “putting on performances” this past summer with choreography, a microphone, and instruments. The brand Janod makes the CUTEST instruments. If you want to buy a set, ours is the Juratoys Confetti Music Live Musical Set which is sold on Amazon. Janod also has a polkadot version – um, dying!! And don’t forget the Drums and Piano. {PS- These make for adorable baby shower gifts!!}

And there you have it! A peek inside another FH room! Hope everyone’s kids are loving being back at school, even if it means a little less play at home! And if you want to see more Baby and Child content, head to this FH section!

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Photography by Simply Lively