6 Ideas For Personalizing A Playhouse

The outdoor playhouse is a place for a child’s imagination to really roam free. As such, every playhouse becomes as wild and personal as the child’s imagination. Therefore, it only makes sense to tailor each playhouse to the child. Below are some general ideas on where to begin when personalizing a playhouse, though they are by no means your only options.

1. The Right Floor Plan

For the playhouse designs, consider what this playhouse is likely to be used for. Do you have several boys that like to run around and jump around all the time? Consider having add-ons such as a swing set, monkey bars or a slide. Adding a second story to climb up to, or simply placing the first story on up on stilts to simulate a tree house, can also be quite fun. Be sure that there is enough floor space, especially if you have girls that want a small-scale “kitchen” for tea parties, or boys that invite friends to stay the night.

2. Painting, Staining

Probably the most basic way to personalize a playhouse is through painting or staining it. Mixed colors go a long way to establish mood and spark imagination. For a nice “log cabin” style playhouse, simply putting a good stain both inside and out will maintain its rustic feel. A Victorian playhouse might benefit most from white sides and bright colored trim. Various patterns can change things drastically, such as brown, green, and black camouflage for a fort. Sometimes, where painting or staining fail, putting actual siding on will do the trick.

3. Decoration

Nothing is more personalized than your child’s favorite décor. Try putting up wallpaper inside, or let your child hang their own artwork on the walls. For a truly open-ended environment, there are various products out now such as magnetic chalkboard paint (available in all colors), which allow you to draw and erase on the walls as much as you want, as well as put up magnets!

4. Furnishings

No playhouse is complete without some sort of furnishings, and the options to furnish a playhouse have never been wider! There are entire stores dedicated to small-scale furnishings, such as chairs, tables, kitchen ware and utensils, even a kid-sized kitchen sink. Put up some small drapes in that Victorian style playhouse, or a hammock in a tropical fort and a toy box in the corner.

5. Landscaping

As a fun bonus to any playhouse, do a little landscaping to complete the picture. This can especially go a long way when considering pre-designed playhouse kits. Small trees or tropical plants do wonders for a “log cabin” or a “tropical fort” style playhouse. Small shrubs and a little white picket fence will help to simulate a quaint little house in suburbia. To top it off, let your kids put in a flowerbed in the playhouse’s “backyard.”

6. Ask The Child

Let your children tell you what stirs their imaginations. Show them playhouse kits and pre-fabricated playhouses to get their reaction. Let them choose add ons like slides and forts. They will feel a greater sense of ownership if they made the choices themselves.