It’s our last volume of our Free Designer for a Day (from April) advice. Squeezed it in just before June. Whew. If for some reason we missed your submission, feel free to email us! Hello@grayoakstudio.com

Question - I would love to see a few mood boards for a toddler playroom that is both pretty and functional, especially after all this time inside :)

We pulled together a gender neutral, high-low mix of playroom fun. A “high-low” room is one that includes both expensive and budget-friendly furnishings. We believe that when it comes to interior design there’s time to go high and a time to go low. Unlike when it comes to responding to bad behavior where, as Michelle Obama says, you should always go high.

How do we decide when to go high and when to go low? Anything that will make a big statement in a room (example: an amazing chandelier) warrants a higher budget. Anything that will be useful and beautiful for the long haul and, thus, needs to be great quality in order to last (example: sofa) warrants a higher budget. But trendy decor and “temporary” furniture shouldn’t break the bank. Somethings are just at good at Target as they are at Pottery Barn (and beyond). There are always exceptions to the rule, but these are good guidelines.

Gray Oak Studio - Kids Playroom Mood Board

Full prices are listed below, so be sure to click through and see ongoing sale prices (there are a bunch!).

House-shaped Wardrobe - $119

Cube Storage Organizer - $70

Animal Storage Cubes - $17 each

Large Woven Basket - $27

Floor Pillow - $200

Triangle Rug - Cost varies by size

White Table - $220

Blue chair - $95 (for set of 2 - they come in many different colors!)

Rainbow Art - $10 (lots of coordinating art available)

Light Wood Frame (for art) - Cost varies by size

Schoolhouse Clock - $189

Wall Color Idea - Kensington Blue by Benjamin Moore

We think one of the pillars of a functional playroom is ample storage. Places to hide all the stuff, quickly and easily. So, we layered it on.

There’s that beautiful, minimal house-shaped wardrobe for all the costumes. The cube storage unit with the adorable cubes is key. The cubes can be filled with categories of toys (blocks, dolls, cars, etc.) and the empty spaces can be filled with books. The big basket is a catch-all when you’re doing a “quick clean up, guests are arriving in 5 minutes”. And the table has storage inside! Each side lifts to store all the crayons and coloring books. We used this exact table in our Prospect Project.

We also found these gorgeous wood hooks. They could be another place to hang costumes or crowns, capes, the classic Melissa & Doug toy dust pan and broom.

And that is that! While we’re no longer accepting submissions for Free Designer for a Day advice, we are always seeking inspiration for new blog posts. We love hearing from followers and readers who have real and general design questions.

- Leah

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