I don’t know that this is a great location for this. This room is prime real estate. I know you probably don’t want to hear this. 😬. But , imagine this space converted into a play area. Toys always out. And even if you do built ins it will look very heavy being right near the kitchen. If this is absolutely the only space I’d build a closet for toys and add some cute seating. A mini couch for the kids. Maybe a tv above the FP with some adult seats too. Is there any other workable space? Even a closet. Under the steps area... anything?

You DON'T. You take the long wall in the great room, configure it for both tv and toy storage. You limp through the "toy years" and move on. It only lasts a few years. After that? all they want is a phone or Ipad. and I am talking from age THREE.

There is no reason your home has to contain a rumpus room of 24/7 plastic amusement always in view.. Books, , small toys can go in baskets. Large plastic structures, kitchen sets......? Sorry, the garage is great or save for their bedrooms - it is out of control, really: ) None of the kids I see are more amused, either. They are too distracted by the too much of it all, and alll over the place. Sorry.......jmho.

And even a two year old can put toys in an open basket. Yes............you teach them to select, and then clean up... That's what happens at school. Eventually .

I have to agree the kids do not need to take over such a lovely large space . I think I need to know how old the kids are for sure . I have found when they are really little it is nice to have them near a space you spend lots of time in so near the kitchen is a good spot but the toys do not need to take over IMO. We had a big bench my Dad built it gave us seating in a small LR the bench had 2 bins underneath on wheels and at the end of the day the kids pulled out the bins put all the toys in them and slid them back underneath .That is what I would do in that hearth room it then becomes a nice spot in the evening for friends or even just for you.It also teaches the kids to put their stuff away. You could do that where you have the bench now .

Hello! Thank you all for your suggestions. We have a living room in front of the kitchen that we are planning to use as relaxing spce for adults. My children are ages 1 and 3. I thought it would be a great spot for them to play without ruining our living room while I do chores😂 I still want it to be a relaxing space with maybe clever storage for toys? Just need some ideas on layout and furniture to pull this off. Dont want to invest too much of course. Something I can easily convert to a relaxing space when they've outgrown the need to be monitored all the time 😅 Here's a pic I founs for inspiration. Any other ideas??

Inspirational pic

While I completely agree with the others that a play room will end up with toys scattered, it's really up to you if that is a problem or not. Here are some ideas.

• big cozy rug for playing on the floor
• storage with bins to tuck away the toys when company is coming (or teach the kids to put toys away) - run this under the window if it's high enough
• kids-height table or desk with chairs for drawing and playing legos either in the middle or against the back wall
• some kind of cloth play house or tent - kids like to have their own hideaway spaces, but they'd still be right there while you're in the kitchen

I am not a parent, but my nephew and nieces are usually on the floor playing with toys. Or sitting at a table if they're drawing. I wouldn't worry about too much furniture, but have enough storage for tucking away toys. From what I've seen kids seem to use adult-sized furniture as a trampoline so I wouldn't invest too much in furniture.

In our old house we had a room off the kitchen eating area that we used as a playroom and it was amazing. We could see the kids and kept their mess out of the living room. We lived in the house till our oldest was 9 and it was a dream. Now that they are older that space would be very different but it was perfect when we needed it. We had a little love seat, small tv for kid shows, ikea storage units and lots of fun :)

i disagree with teh first few comments. its your kids house too! You can do what you want. Our biggest room/fireplace room was made into a playrrom with ultra soft carpet and built in storage. its all of our favorite room and all our friends comment on how cool it is too! We live in a ranch and this room is a few steps down from the rest of the house and level with the garage. Id definitely have used tour hearth room if I had your layout. Font have kids if you cant stand toys chaos and mess!!!

unlike all the anti-kid people here, I say go for it. We gave our kids our biggest room. Installed the softest carpet I could. No sofas... we have yogibos that can be moved for maximum floor space. Built ins. Tv is currently on the hearth for safety- will be mounted above it when they wont crack their heads on the stone as easily. Its my favorite room of the house and I enjoy being there with them. If you have kids toys and chaos will be everywhere but if you give them a defined space your more likely to get some of that contained!!! Easily converted into something else when the toy phase ends. My layout if different than yours but Id say go for it!!!

This is our old playroom, directly off kitchen. So great.

THE ROOM is shallow, 9 x 17. .......you don't want to choke the breakfast area, you don't have unlimited options, no matter who shall post jpegs of their own contained play areas.

Not loving the options below, frankly

Better? Use the featureless long wall in the great room to configure tv and adequate storage for toys. Put toys AWAY when done with play......Treat the hearth room as art above mantel, couch on the wal, and a couple chairs. A nice visting spot, reading spot in front of fire, with kids.

I'm sure you don't need two tv's close together! I'm sure you want a larger tv than will go above the mantel. Use the GREAT ROOM for tv/consoles low storage. ........You've got at least 14 feet of dead , boring drywall.facing the kitchen island

And teach clean up. : )

I'm assuming that your "living room" is the "Great Room" in your floor plan. To avoid having the toys and such in view, maybe use some sort of room divider or screen or double-sided bookcase to block the view of the playroom from the living room. Then you could see the children playing in the hearth room while you're in the kitchen. Lots of good ideas for storage from other posters above. Keep in mind that this phase will pass quickly (too quickly!) and you can convert the room to another purpose in the future.

Diane is right. Set it up for how you want to use the space now. It’s about what works for your family not what people say here. I hope you post pictures and share the results of your plans.

I love the idea of a playroom next to the kitchen and being able to see from the Great Room. Having company at this stage of your life, also come with other children.

You can either do minimal stuff, shelves anchored to the wall with clear bins (easy for clean up) and a colorful rug and table and chair set for snacks or.......

Start the school years early in steps.

Homework room.

Game Room. Game Board Night.

Craft Room.

What I am saying is think a head....having two living rooms is not always best in a house. With that said.... this room will get used during the toddler, tween and teen years. Children need their space too!

We did not have that option, so the children were sent downstairs. I would have been happier if they were near me when playing, studying, etc.

Feet and inches don't lie. You have an open space, and much will depend how much junk you want to stare at all day and every day. Children migrate. Toys migrate. You have walls in both spaces that will beg for decor AND storage. Best is not to buy junk that will not endure past the toy phase. Low consoles butted together will hide a ton. It really does not all need to be out, all day and ALL of it out. Kids get overwhelmed, and you soon find you can buy all the toys on earth, and they still remain UN amused : )

I'll even assume you want the big slouch couch pit in the great room with a nice big flat screen. You don't need two, and over that hearth in play room, is the LEAST ideal spot for a tv.

The point? You do not have enclosed spaces, and you can successfully design and live with chikld and toy migration/storage. Design is working with what you have.

Thank you all so much for all the recommendations!! Love the sketches as well! Definitely no TV in the hearthroom. Living room is the Great Room so tv, entertainment console, etc will all be there. I will carefully consider each one and will post a picture once I have everything set up!

Be sure to keep the boxes that your kitchen appliances come in. They will have more play value than any toy you can purchase.

True story. My son recently got a new dishwasher, and the box was the best toy ever for his daughters, age 5 and 2. They played with it as it was, then their parents cut a window into it with an exacto-knife - wow! Then a box of washable markers was pretty well emptied on the box, inside and out. And stickers. Unfortunately for their parents the dishwasher had a defective pump and was replaced 2 weeks later. The girls were so happy because...another box!

One third of their long living room is the play area. Big toys like the play tent and mini-kitchen are sometimes in a bedroom, sometimes in the play area, sometimes outside, even in winter. Same with the mini-trampoline and the crawl tunnel. And magic happens when the dishwasher box, crawl tunnel, big blanket and some kitchen chairs all get together.

It's pretty messy sometimes, especially since it's pretty cold outside some days and Ontario is under strict quarantine with Covid. It doesn't look like a magazine spread. But we all think it's a better solution than the girls sitting in a 100% adult space staring at a screen.

Thank you for sharing! Yes I can definitely relate! Our previous home was always chaotic with all the imaginary play but they are having fun and using their imagination. I am also an advocate of limiting screen time so I'll take the chaos 🤣

Pic of the actual space. Thinking of putting a sideboard by the wall facing the fireplace, and a seating area by the window. Any recommendations? Going for budget friendly with a costal theme (light and bright, natural wood, wicker baskets that can hide toys, etc.) Would love to see how you would decorate this space 😍

If you are going budget ikea is your friend. The kallax units are cheap and durable.

Get a large area rug-kids love to play on the floor. And a small table and chairs for tea parties and crafts. No drapes-use shades on the windows if necessary (no cords-get the ones that lift and lower without cords). Storage in baskets or colorful bins. maybe a child-sized cozy sofa or chair for reading. Shelves can be repurposed and the room turned into an office after they outgrow the playroom.

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Thank you!!

What accent chairs would you suggest Jan? Would love to see pictures! 😍

Diana- we are definitely considering roller shades of some type. Any color recommendations?

I would FIRST get a rug. : ) I wouldn't do roller shade. I'd look at Horizons, Cordless Woven shades. Find a dealer near you. A nice natural "Beachy fiber.....that looks good with a forgiving rug.

Then...you pull a tone from the rug for chairs. And you want harmony with the great room. Rather than a three thousand POSTS HERE? Your best bet may be a local interior designer. The route can save you money in mistakes, time, stress..

By the time you buy a long enough console for that wall? A local guy could build it in, low to eight of about 34 inches. Divide it up to accommodate baskets for the small stuff, books.....you name it.

Or close to perfect as it is 90 inches long .......... {Pottery Barn teen, in white or Fog

What you need to do is don't wait for us to tell you how it should feel. Look at GREAT rooms and visuals you may love for that room

with the great room in mind? You ttake a color/style cue for THIS room. The play room.

It doesn't need to look lthe play room 24/7.

The unit Jan posted just now is so beautiful and those structured but still soft baskets are perfect in a kid space.

All of this depends on budget and what you can make happen. Pottery Barn is pricey. Some people wait for sales or wait and fill space slowly over time as they can afford it. No one way to do it.

Don’t feel bad if your budget doesn’t allow for expensive things though. There are many inexpensive ways to make it work too.

How much do you want to spend, ballpark, on this space entirely?

Are you also decorating the great room or do you already have furniture for that?

We had amazing luck with my girls bedrooms buying second hand and refinishing wood pieces as another option.

I agree with Jan--no roller shades. Natural woven shades (cordless) look great and go with any style or color.

Think of the WHOLE.............and how you want the WHOLE to feel.

Then what do you already own? I doubt you are sitting on a floor. Don't get so hung up on the kids, that you forget about you Honestly, the LEAST important purchase is a couple chairs in the play area. The storage is vital, a rug is as well, If the chairs swivel? You can afford to do them ? Great

Two couches...its a better and much more versatile purchase than a sectional, even allowing the occasional reverse to which takes the most/least beating as far as USE. You can't do that, with any sectional. You have to light the space, .....and over time, you want this entire living space to feel good , however you define that. ( I have a tufted pouf, at that playroom hearth, ........as the open un ruggable area will drive you mad. ) A 54 inch diameter breakfast table....

That's how you plan. You don't just guess . Right? Right!!!!! At 1/4 inch to a foot, this is your house.........

Often the slightly more expensive thing, is the same thing that saves you a lot of heartache and landfill results. The pottery barn unit in the play area? a good example. It's right sized for your space!

Nice swivel on Wayfai, with a lot of fabrics to choose from It's 659.00 in the blue pattern Could you find a junk chair for three hundred? Probably. Add it to the landfill in a year. : ( Baskets at the wall....

Watch the Home Goods. Are the PB great? yes. But you can cheat on those.

https://www.wayfair.com/furniture/pdp/bayou-breeze-kraft-355-w-swivel-armchair-w001193699.html?categoryid=416225&placement=1&slot=1&sponsoredid=8eee841dfc31f44ad93813a86fe81c686c5119d7bd66073927ceb9625266cdba&_txid=I%2FWEwmAf0v5mMxCczkBMAg%3D%3D&isB2b=0&auctionId=7dc73ca0-58dc-416a-8127-2857d59f02c5&piid=550563547

IIf you MUST cheat the chairs? Go to the outdoor category and half the price

https://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/aerin-east-hampton-outdoor-club-chair/?catalogId=79&sku=8909981&cm_ven=PLA&cm_cat=Google&cm_pla=Outdoor%20%3E%20Lounge%20Furniture&region_id=669950&cm_ite=8909981&gclid=Cj0KCQiAvP6ABhCjARIsAH37rbSGggqFWD_wIwOVfTzTByknKxGwQ514_P7cHqna6gbx2G1PX1sIZuUaAu82EALw_wcB

https://casaza.com/product/aura-rattan-outdoor-patio-armchair-3/?utm_campaign=9829698938&utm_source=google&utm_medium=shopping&gclid=Cj0KCQiAvP6ABhCjARIsAH37rbR4op8ekV3C1R1_HeYPbjjmAjYtgSu0bIt04o5TjX1ZP1Xt6eBZF5UaAul5EALw_wcB

At 159.00 in 8 x 10? buy a second. It WILL get trashed......Wayfair

https://www.wayfair.com/rugs/pdp/17-stories-mindi-abstract-graycream-area-rug-w000807284.html?piid=879470340

These are half the price of above, and yes, pottery barn x large Ibiza tote. 129.00

Add art........

PUT A COUPLE LAMPS ON THE CONSOLE..........

it's a room : ) Just as it is on the scaled plan / 2 chairs and all. Realistically and allowing NO crap except the rug? and allowing you want shades? Give yourself 5 K. Or you will have a room FULL of junk that will get beat to hell, and fall apart before you get out of the toy phase, The "crap trap" can be tempting, Try not to fall into it.

THE GREAT ROOM IS empty so far.........: ) Yeah.....

But Diana will tell you there are not five pros on this site, who would do what I just did......

With that, you adjust and make your spaces............YOU. Sunday am laundry awaits ME. Along with a pile of the real work $$$

Thank you so much I appreciate everything!! Love every recommendation @Jan!!

We already have a sectional sofa with a chaise. How would I make it work in the great room? Thank you again for all your help! Here's a pic of our sofa in our previous home.

A less cluttered pic

Similar set up as your less cluttered pix but in great room