https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Thu, 23 Apr 2026 09:01:51 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/play-area-in-family-room#post-2910624 Sun, 23 Feb 2020 08:10:01 +0000 yellowbeach 2910624@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@LadyDi: it’s not the cheapest, but I love it because it’s designed for no tip so I worry so much less. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/play-area-in-family-room#post-2910623 Sun, 23 Feb 2020 07:57:50 +0000 LadyDi 2910623@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@yellowbeach: oh I’ve not seen this before! I’ll have to look into it. Thank you! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/play-area-in-family-room#post-2910606 Sat, 22 Feb 2020 15:51:30 +0000 yellowbeach 2910606@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Can you do a build your own Cameron wall system and run drawers below the window in the back with shelves on each side?<br /> <a href="https://www.potterybarnkids.com/products/build-your-own-cameron-wall-system/" rel="nofollow">https://www.potterybarnkids.com/products/build-your-own-cameron-wall-system/</a> </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/play-area-in-family-room#post-2910579 Fri, 21 Feb 2020 08:23:46 +0000 LadyDi 2910579@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@hellobeeboston: do you use a bookshelf or cube storage? Do you like having the back of the couch to the toys? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/play-area-in-family-room#post-2910577 Fri, 21 Feb 2020 07:53:07 +0000 hellobeeboston 2910577@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Hey we have a super long living room too.... I have a couch splitting the room. On the other side of the couch is a pretty large space with a lot of the toys. There used to be a play table there, and a shelf with all of the bins of their toys... no play table now, but all of their stuff is back there. We are transitioning the toys to the finished basement as they get older! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/play-area-in-family-room#post-2910549 Thu, 20 Feb 2020 15:40:13 +0000 peaches1038 2910549@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@agold: hey! He uses it when he plays but I don’t think it’s a crucial toy. He mostly uses it for tunnels when playing trains. This picture is before he switched our setup </p> [attach=1712/20/q60pf2.450x600.06EA1368-B45A-43C2-BF57-86A368FAEE56.jpeg] https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/play-area-in-family-room#post-2910521 Thu, 20 Feb 2020 13:27:26 +0000 agold 2910521@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@peaches1038: That is an awesome set up! Can you please tell me if the grimm rainbow is worth the expense? </p> <p>@periwinklebee: That's exciting to be making some changes! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/play-area-in-family-room#post-2910486 Wed, 19 Feb 2020 15:55:55 +0000 periwinklebee 2910486@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@agold: We are refinishing the floors and doing some renovations to our bedrooms, so right now my living room is full of random bedroom furniture - ugh. Will take a picture once the bedroom furniture is back where it belongs! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/play-area-in-family-room#post-2910483 Wed, 19 Feb 2020 15:49:49 +0000 LadyDi 2910483@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@peaches1038: Love it! Your space seems so warm and inviting. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/play-area-in-family-room#post-2910470 Wed, 19 Feb 2020 13:02:11 +0000 kiddosc 2910470@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I would do tall bookshelves on either side of the large window. I think they're more versatile than a cube storage orgnanizer and you can still get bins to put on the shelves. </p> <p>Then I'd put a kids desk or table against the right wall with some chairs, a rug in the middle and add some bean bag chairs or floor pillows. I think it could be a really fun space. I love all the windows. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/play-area-in-family-room#post-2910455 Wed, 19 Feb 2020 06:47:19 +0000 MrsSRS 2910455@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@peaches1038: love your set up and that block shelf is goals </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/play-area-in-family-room#post-2910447 Tue, 18 Feb 2020 22:07:53 +0000 peaches1038 2910447@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We have a small house so my son’s toys are in the living room. He has some trucks in his room as well as a basket of stuffies, but that’s it. He wants to play where we are, so the living room it is! Here is our set up. The bottom pick is before we added the block shelf.</p> <p>[attach=1712/20/q5xi15.600x450.B809D2BB-B7FC-4BBB-830E-1E436F2DFCB0.jpeg]</p> <p>[attach=1712/20/q5xi16.600x450.01B5DAE3-CB3D-495D-A19B-D6B5748FFDB7.jpeg] </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/play-area-in-family-room#post-2910441 Tue, 18 Feb 2020 19:37:19 +0000 MrsSRS 2910441@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@LadyDi: mine flop on them to read </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/play-area-in-family-room#post-2910440 Tue, 18 Feb 2020 18:14:44 +0000 agold 2910440@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@periwinklebee: please post a picture if you can! I have a long front room that i currently have set up as a play room and dining room. But I want it more adult lounge room and then plan room (dining room later when the kids are bigger). </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/play-area-in-family-room#post-2910439 Tue, 18 Feb 2020 17:59:06 +0000 periwinklebee 2910439@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Congrats on the new house.- gorgeous! We also have a long living room and half of it is a play area. On the seating area side are two sofas facing each other, anchored with a rug and the fireplace as a focal point. We went with sofas that are a fairly small foot print - not too tall or deep - to keep the space feeling open. I absolutely love having the two sofas to lounge on in front of the fireplace or as a conversation zone when we have people over. On the other side of the room in the play area, there's a rug (not a kid one, chosen to look good), two arm chairs with a small footprint to leave open space to play (but enough to balance the room so it doesn't look lopsided and to give seating in the play area), and built-ins that have toys and book stored primarily in wicker baskets. I love the way it looks and love the functionality. The rugs really help to define the two spaces.</p> <p>I used to say I wanted a separate play room and didn't want my living room to look like a daycare. But the living room is the nicest space in my house so that's where I want to spend time playing! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/play-area-in-family-room#post-2910435 Tue, 18 Feb 2020 16:58:10 +0000 LadyDi 2910435@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@crazydoglady: I love that bookshelf, thank you! Very nice toy storage that doesn't look childish. @JCCovi: good call on a rug! @wrkbrk: Coffee table storage is key! @agold: Thank you! It is a lovely room with very tasteful "grown up" furniture. It's a shame I am going to clutter it up with kid junk and worn furniture. Love the idea of adding a table to the space. @MrsSRS: Do your kids use floor pillows? I love the idea of them but we have a cat and I am afraid they would end up being cat beds haha. @JennyPenny: Um I LOVE this idea! I started researching swivel armchairs after I read your comment. Now to just convince DH that I need two more pieces of furniture. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/play-area-in-family-room#post-2910425 Tue, 18 Feb 2020 14:32:10 +0000 JennyPenny 2910425@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>This isn't about toys, but I wonder if you could put the loveseat on the entry edge and get two armchairs that swivel to put on the other side. I'm not sure if that would make the area annoying to get to but I think having chairs that could face either direction near the play area would be really nice. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/play-area-in-family-room#post-2910424 Tue, 18 Feb 2020 14:22:01 +0000 MrsSRS 2910424@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>What do your kids like to play with? I'd do a low, montessori style shelf under the window. Some floor pillows and a basket of books in left corner, and something that's a big hit in the right corner. So like the toy kitchen if that's a fave, or a little table if they're big into art, or race track and cars if that's the current hot item... </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/play-area-in-family-room#post-2910415 Tue, 18 Feb 2020 13:04:38 +0000 agold 2910415@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Beautiful room!! I would probably put a kids table on one side of the space and then maybe a couple of kids floor cushions on the other side with some other nice looking toy, like a nice wood dollhouse (i have an awesome one from kidkraft that's on wheels and is totally gender neutral), or some storage like what is mention above and just have books, board games, puzzles and such. </p> <p>Crate and kids has an adorable table with storage that I plan to get myself that I think would be cute in the area where the high top is now. You could keep crayons and activity books inside the seats. </p> <p><a href="https://www.crateandbarrel.com/nesting-white-play-table-and-chairs/s341281?localedetail=US&#038;a=1552&#038;campaignid=1712429712&#038;adgroupid=67277874456&#038;targetid=aud-295225014860:pla-324556984008&#038;pla_sku=341281&#038;pcat=HSW&#038;ag=kids&#038;scid=scplp341281&#038;sc_intid=341281&#038;gclid=Cj0KCQiAs67yBRC7ARIsAF49CdWgpeVJipwW56KW742X47sdeFPKEOEeeUmybBTSy6ddzhncAqpmop4aAvXwEALw_wcB" rel="nofollow">https://www.crateandbarrel.com/nesting-white-play-table-and-chairs/s341281?localedetail=US&#038;a=1552&#038;campaignid=1712429712&#038;adgroupid=67277874456&#038;targetid=aud-295225014860:pla-324556984008&#038;pla_sku=341281&#038;pcat=HSW&#038;ag=kids&#038;scid=scplp341281&#038;sc_intid=341281&#038;gclid=Cj0KCQiAs67yBRC7ARIsAF49CdWgpeVJipwW56KW742X47sdeFPKEOEeeUmybBTSy6ddzhncAqpmop4aAvXwEALw_wcB</a> </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/play-area-in-family-room#post-2910411 Tue, 18 Feb 2020 12:14:22 +0000 wrkbrk 2910411@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We actually got a coffee table (I think from Wayfair?) that has a large straw basket underneath. He can keep whatever toys fit in the basket in our living room. The rest go upstairs! We also rotate toys in and out regularly but they are fairly hidden in that basket. This isn't ours, but similar: </p> [attach=5342/20/q5wqjy.600x600.Table-40-x-22-x-18h-949671b2-3d73-4066-99bb-6b50a9f1bb55_600.jpg] https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/play-area-in-family-room#post-2910408 Tue, 18 Feb 2020 12:05:53 +0000 JCCovi 2910408@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We've also used cube type shelves same as @crazydoglady with nice-looking bins. Our play kitchen has also been prominently displayed with our setups. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/play-area-in-family-room#post-2910406 Tue, 18 Feb 2020 12:04:20 +0000 JCCovi 2910406@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We've had play areas in a couple living rooms now and I would highly recommend a kid rug/mat to mark the area. That kind of helps define to the children the boundary. It doesn't have to be a "kid" pattern, although we have always had it be. Depending on the age of your kids we've either down a low pile rug or one of the foam mats. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/play-area-in-family-room#post-2910405 Tue, 18 Feb 2020 11:55:30 +0000 crazydoglady 2910405@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>As much as having the loveseat face away from the toys would look better (i.e. block the view of the toys) I think having it face the play area is more practical. For toy storage, we have this in our living room and love it. The cube size is bigger than your typical 11 inch cube. </p> [attach=8671/20/q5wpoi.337x600.Screenshot_20200218-085401_Target.jpg] [attach=8671/20/q5wpoj.337x600.Screenshot_20200218-085422_Target.jpg] https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/play-area-in-family-room#post-2910403 Tue, 18 Feb 2020 11:45:14 +0000 LadyDi 2910403@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We’re moving into a new home and have a very long living room. I attached a picture from the listing. I would like the back area of the room where there is a chaise and high top table to be a play area but I’m not sure how to set it up and what kind of furniture or storage there should be? Any suggestions? If it helps, we’ll have our couch in the same place as the current couch and also have a love seat. I’m not sure if the loveseat face towards or away from the play area. The loveseat will make an “L” with the couch. </p> <p>Also, our large and more obnoxious toys, like a train table, will be in the basement/game room. </p> [attach=8262/20/q5wp7e.600x337.98994654-1C8E-4B83-9D01-2282EACA740A.jpeg]