Modern Playroom Design | NooK Play Sofa

Interior design tips for a fun and functional playroom

Forget the kitchen, for most families the playroom is the heart of the home. It’s a place where the kids can be free to unleash their imagination, to explore new ideas and to develop their skills and confidence. The right playroom design can make all the difference.

Tarina Wood is no stranger to designing a playroom. She’s worked as an interior designer for the last decade, building an incredible portfolio of work in display homes and residential properties. Since becoming a mum, she’s forged her own path at the helm of oh.eight.oh.nine, helping countless families bring their home dreams to life.

Bursting with playroom design ideas and styling inspiration, Tarina shares her tips for a playroom that’s both fun and functional.

The principles of modern playroom design

Tarina’s approach to playroom design is simple, following three core, tried-and-tested principles that deliver great results.

“When we receive a brief, we consider functionality, versatility and sustainability of the design,” she explains. “We consider what the children are interested in and how the family will use the space. Then, we can design a room that will meet their needs now and into the future.”

To meet the functionality needs of a playroom, Tarina says that it’s important to consider your storage requirements so everything can be neatly stowed away. Likewise, with versatility she suggests using decor that will complement the space.
As for the principle of sustainability, Tarina explains that this is about ensuring longevity of the space.

“We want to introduce as much of the child’s personality as possible,” she says. “But then we also consider that their interests and hobbies will likely change over time. So, we keep things fairly neutral so they can be utilised no matter the age of your children.”

Along this vein, Tarina also suggests making mindful purchases for the playroom, rather than chasing the latest trends.

“If you purchase with quality and longevity in mind, you’ll get more use out of the product,” she explains. “It’s always best to stick to your style preferences rather than what is currently trending at the moment. Then you’ll create a space that really reflects your children and their personalities.”

Small playroom design

For any number of reasons, not every home has a dedicated closed-door playroom. Or they do but the playroom has a very small footprint in the home. Tarina says that sometimes families choose to bring the playroom into the living room because the “kids want to be part of the action. They don’t want to sit in a room away from where the rest of the family is mingling and socialising.”

Tarina is quite adept at designing small playrooms and play spaces within a living room. Her top small playroom idea is to decorate with softer, neutral colours that will create a cohesive colour palette with other furnishings in a main living area.

As for playroom bedroom ideas, Tarina suggests placing the bed against a wall to create more floor space. The NooK Junior can be a fantastic bedroom play option!

“With the bed up against the wall rather than in the middle of the room, you have the flexibility to create different zones within the room,” she says. “You can then use some kind of seating, like a NooK Play Sofa or Armchair, to create a playing/reading area.”

Choosing the right playroom decor

Tarina is a big NooK fan, using the products regularly in her client’s playrooms.

“The NooK is so much more than a small playroom couch,” she explains. “It obviously has the sofa and play functionality. But the Nest Play Sofa Frame then adds to that by raising the seating height. This can be the foundation of your playroom design.”

Beyond a NooK, Tarina suggests using multifunctional decor, such as a coffee table to use as a drawing table and using wall storage that avoids using too much valuable floor space.

“Furniture fabric is something else to consider,” she adds. “I often choose neutral colours and then introduce pops of colour into the decor through artwork, cushions or wallpaper features. It’s important that fabric and surfaces are easy to clean, especially for kids!”

As NooK works exclusively with Warwick Fabrics, their high quality, machine washable options will complement the most beautiful family spaces. Pick up a set of Fabric Swatches to see and feel the options in your home before choosing what is best for your space.

Nail your playroom design with NooK

NooK combines fun and functionality with furniture that doesn’t just take up space… it complements it! And with our ever-expanding range of NooK Extensions, there’s always more fun to be had.

Explore the NooK range and discover the missing piece of your playroom design puzzle.

About the Author

I’m Tarina, 33, an avid design enthusiast.

Outside of mum duties, I live and breathe all things design- interior, exterior and photography. I am passionate about every client, every project, every detail and I thoroughly enjoy creating welcoming spaces. From display homes to residential properties, my portfolio spans over 10 years of interior experience, in which I have been blessed to work with many incredible brands, suppliers, clients, builders and made life long friendships along the way... one of which belongs to this fun playroom.