We moved into our house when Georgia was just six months old, so even though there was a clear space for a future playroom, I didn’t think twice about it. But I blinked and suddenly she was a toddler with her toys piling up daily, so it was time to utilize the space in the right way!

I follow a lot of Instagram accounts that share gorgeously decorated homes and playrooms. Not a piece is out of place, and every nook and cranny is organized. It’s lovely to look at and draw inspiration from but one of my favorite pastimes is wondering how their homes (and specifically playrooms) look on a non-photoshoot day. Clearly playrooms need to be a little more fun and functional, right!? Any picture I’ve shared of Georgia’s playroom is exactly how it looks on any given day if you were to pop by for a playdate. There are always a few toys on the floor, puzzles on the table, and Georgia will most likely immediately offer you one of her baking specialities: a cupcake.

I thought it’d be fun to give you a virtual tour of Georgia’s playroom today and highlight some of the pieces that live there!

One of the first things I bought was this playmat. I loved how it looks like a rug but is much more supportive for your butt and back. I truly didn’t realize how much I would be sitting on the floor as a parent, and this playmat has saved my back.

We also bought this table early on before Georgia turned one, and it’s held up well! I especially like it for its storage drawers. We keep some of her favorite puzzles in those drawers. Even better, this table doubles as a lego top! You just flip it over if you’re entering Lego world (we haven’t gotten there yet, but I’m sure it’s coming). We’ve also added two more chairs, replaced the outdated light fixture with this flush mount fixture, and added bookshelf bins for our shelving units from IKEA (eket system). If you’re not a fan of IKEA, here are a few similar options: cube shelves with base, white shelves, wood grain shelves, colorful shelving unit. Originally, I had the crazy idea to have all toys out on display at all times, but seeing them like that every day drove me insane, and I had to use bins to sort items. We also store puzzles and small toys in these bags inside the baskets. But! No fear. Georgia is able to pull those bins out easily to get her tiny hands on the toy she’s looking for. Getting her to clean up is whole other issue.

The most important part of the playroom, if you were to ask Georgia, is the playhouse. This was a Christmas gift from her Grandparents, and she has truly worked to make this house a home. We put some lights inside, and some flowers and a little bell on the front, and she basically thinks it’s her own personal residence. All it needs is a custom playhouse sign, and it’s complete. I sort of wish we would have painted the house prior to assembling it, but I’m okay with the blue and gray. Plus, my husband informed me with how much manhandling it took to get the playhouse into the playroom in the first place, there’s no way we could take it out to paint it properly. But that’s no mind—every time Georgia invites one of us into her house for cupcakes or to chat, we forget all about how stressful the house was to move in!

Lastly, I love this little couch and art display space in her playroom. Georgia likes to “read“ books (AKA look at the pages upside down) while lounging on her couch, and we always display her masterpieces on these fun display boards. It’s the cutest area and gets utilized almost every single day!