In recent years, as the economy has boomed, one sector of the interior design industry has enjoyed a remarkable explosion: products for babies and kids to use when decorating children's rooms. We're here to help you figure out how to wade through all that's out there when you're decorating kid's rooms to create a place that's just right for your child or for the child's room of your client.
Play Houses
We all love the start of summer in part because it means spending more time with our kids. But soon even our most beloved little ones issue the cries of "I'm bored" and "there's nothing to do!" You may be at a point when you're thinking it's high time to get them out of here, and into their own places. And while you can't yet get them their own apartments in another city, you can provide them with a home away from home, right in your own back yard.
The beauty of the playhouse is that your kid can have his or her own playspace to mess up and to be noisy in, where he can spill strawberry milkshakes or draw on the walls in crayon. It's important for kids to be able to have this kind of free reign outside of their parents' perfect homes, especially in the summertime.
The playhouse also allows kids a chance to practice being grownups. They can play at being adults without worrying about the consequences of losing a job or running up the credit card bills, and this allows them the opportunity to try out older personalities.
The first step is finding the best spot for the kids' playhouse. You want it to be secluded enough so that the kids feel they have privacy, and yet within shouting distance should you need to corral them in for supper. Take into consideration such elements as shade, sun, heat, and rain, especially for playhouses that will be outside for the entire summer.
The playhouses of your own childhood may have been pretty simple structures; in fact, they could have even just been a tent that Mom pitched in the backyard when you said "There's nothing to dooooo," one too many times.
But today, there are a lot more options to consider when thinking of a playhouse.
Playhouses come in all kinds of styles —just like real, grown-up houses do. You can find a fantasy castle-like house for your little princess, a simple Cape Codder, or an elegant Southern mansion. You can find a style that will match or complement the style of your own home, and through some companies, you can even get a miniature version of your home built to child-size.
Lilliput offers this playhouse made for rough-housing little boys and their dogs, which gives the guys a place to hang out together, discuss rules of play, and consider the importance of cookies in the daily diet.
Alternatively, Lilliput's "Cotton Candy Manor" gives kids a chance to really play grown-up in style, in a real, miniature manor house built just to their size.
And while the kids are playing at house, they don't have to stop there. You can also find just about every kind of building imaginable, including this store which has details down to the food items (made of wood) and the "owner's" name emblazoned over the door.
Some companies that offer complete playhouses also over playhouse kits, for the clever do-it-yourselfer who wants to get the kids a playhouse without having to take out a second mortgage.
Resources
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