From Playroom to Art Space to Homeschool Workspace
I’ve been meaning to share this project for months! This was a local design project that I took on as I was recovering from my illness last year and never got around to sharing it here.
Now that it’s Back to School season around here, I wanted to share this project to give you ideas for setting up a home workspace for distance learning.
This project was initially intended to revamp a playroom for young kids into a playroom and art space for kids ages 3, 5, and 8. My client mainly wanted to add an art space, remove some of the toys, and update the reading area with new cushions.
An Unintentional Homeschool Workspace
As it turned out, this room was finished a few months before the Pandemic and soon became a hub for learning at home.
The original playroom had an outgrown table, a storage unit for toys, a dollhouse, and a reading area on the floor. Art supplies were hidden away in hard-to-access storage containers in the built-in cabinets.
My client wanted to remove the dollhouse but keep the toy storage unit. It was using the only available wall space so we moved the low storage unit under the window and added a tall shelf unit in it’s place for art supplies. We also swapped out the child-sized table for an adult-sized table with a bench and adjustable stools. The bench and stools keep it flexible and allow for a variety of ages to sit comfortably (we have this same table and seating set up in our art studio and love it!).
As you probably know, I’m obsessed with finding good storage and organization that allows for easy access to supplies. This shelving unit is stocked with some of my favorites!
For the reading area, I found some floor cushions and pillows that go well with the decor of the room and feel more “big kid” than what was there before.
Once quarantine began and schools moved to distance learning, my client sent me a message saying,
“Just wanting to thank you again for helping me set up the space in the fall. I’m especially grateful to have it now as a homeschooling hub!”
Schooling from home was unexpected for so many of us when the Pandemic began and I started to hear from more families about their art spaces. They were so glad to have an art space that perfectly transitioned into a dedicated workspace for remote learning. One mom who took my online course, Design Camp, posted in our group forum, “Who knew how incredibly valuable a ready-to-go art space would be all of a sudden. Beyond grateful!”
Do you have kids who are schooling at home? Where do they work? What’s working for you and what’s not? I’d love to put together some tips on setting up a homeschool workspace from the Art Pantry community. If you want to share please comment below or send me an email.
Happy Back to School!
