I have a few fun pictures to share today of a little makeover we did to create a playroom nook for Jane off of our kitchen! There is a small room off of our kitchen that we originally used as a breakfast nook when we first moved in and over the few years that we’ve lived here it’s evolved into a sitting room, a space for me to shoot recipes (most of my cookbook was shot on the floor of this room!), and now recently into a play space for Jane. The play area came about after we finished redoing our living room — I loved how the space looked and wanted to reduce the toy clutter in the room. Jane also needed a spot to play that was scaled for her, and we set out to create a little spot off the kitchen that could be her own. 
I hunted the internet for weeks to find the perfect table and chairs set for the space, and nothing seemed quite right for my vision. So my handy husband made a table to match the idea I had out of a scrap piece of butcher block and some hairpin legs we found on Amazon! By some luck, I found a set of mint footstools that match the legs perfectly. Jane loves sitting here to work on her coloring, or play with her magnetic chalkboard easel, or spread out her favorite toy toolkit pieces. A little bonus for me is that I’ve been able to use the butcher block top as a background for some recipe shoots — it was the perfect piece for all of us!
To organize all of Jane’s toys, I bought a small shelf from Target that tucked under the window. It’s the perfect height for her to be able to reach everything (and it was a bargain — only $35!!). I have tried to really narrow down her toys to just a few things she really plays with, and organize them in a way that is easy for her to see. I read this awesome book called The Montessori Toddler that talked about giving kids just a few options and presenting them in an uncluttered way to help them make decisions. I can already tell from this first attempt at organizing them that she has a better time playing in this space when it’s simplified and neat.
To sort all of the toys I used a few different types of containers — some pretty pink dipped baskets for small toys, copper wire baskets for her little animals, and tall clear containers from Target to store crayons and blocks. The clear containers are actually meant for food, like cereal and pasta, but they worked great for this purpose because they’re a sturdy plastic with tops that are easy for Jane to open. I’ve been rotating some of the bigger toys, like her favorite Little People Treehouse, up on the top shelf and bringing new books down from her room to keep in the cubbies. It’s an awesome spot for her to play and explore, and I love that I can watch her while I’m getting meals ready in the kitchen — it’s one of my favorite places in the house now! (PS: If you’re looking for anything in the images, I’ve linked all of the resources at the bottom of the post.)
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