The little Plum is growing so fast, and her little nursery can no longer contain her and her wild toddler ways. She needs more space to play and let loose. It’s time for a proper playroom that is dedicated to her and her alone where she can let her little freak flag fly. The problem is that our space is limited, and the only area of our home that would work is our dining room. We barely used our dining room anyway, so as sad as I am to see it go, it’s clearly a better use of the space. The only issue is that our dining room is one of the first things you see when you walk into our home. So the challenge has become creating a playroom that is functional, fun and whimsical for our daughter, while still maintaining some semblance of style that is in keeping with the rest of the house. All that and it has to be non-toxic and healthy. It’s been a tougher challenge than I expected it to be. I am in the process of creating the room and thought I would share the things on my inspiration board. When it’s done I will post some before and after so you can see the finished room from start to finish. For now, here is some inspiration for all you mama’s that want some non toxic playroom/nursery ideas.

Flooring

For the floor I wanted to stay away from anything that might contain PVC which includes a lot of the foam tiles made for kid’s rooms. While there are some companies like Softtiles  that are made with EVA and are free of BPA and PVC, I didn’t really want loud rainbow tiles to be the first thing I saw every time I walked into my home. So instead I opted for an all natural wool rug with a thick enough pile to provide some nice cushioning for toddler tush. This rug is from Hook & Loom. They have all natural undyed wool rugs that are stylish and super functional.

Walls

Zero VOC paint is a must for any children’s room/playroom. I talked about it in the non-toxic nursery post. I wanted to keep the walls fairly neutral and clean with the exception of a chalkboard wall that LP could go to town on. I opted for ECOS Paints as they have a zero voc completely non toxic chalkboard paint that you can get in ANY color you want. You just email them the name of any color paint you like from any paint company and they will match it. I went with a lighter grey as opposed to the usual charcoal/black or green you generally see with chalkboard paint.

And of course we need a little whimsical wall decor like these from Anthropologie. They are paper mache made from layers of repurposed cement bags and then covered in vintage french book pages.

Storage

For storage I wanted a console that would have some storage capacity that would also be low enough to turn into a bench for seating. I wanted one that wouldn’t off gas from toxic finishes and paints. Like this beauty by Ethnicraft which is made from Teak. Because of the nature of teak wood, it is often left unfinished or it is finished with tung oil. Plus teak smells awesome. While this console is a bit pricey, any unfinished console or storage bench that you can paint with zero voc paint or finish with linseed or tung oil will do. African baskets made from renewable and recycled materials will round out the storage.

Table/Seating

A little table for drawing and crafts is essential. I really like this one from Oeuf because it is Greengaurd Gold certified which means it has been RIGOROUSLY tested for toxins and VOC’s, and tests far below the acceptable limits.

I really like IKEA’S new playroom line FLISAT that is made from solid wood. A lot of children’s furniture is made from MDF or pressed/engineered wood and of gasses a good deal of formaldehyde and other carcinogenic chemicals. If you can find solid hardwood it is a score. This line by IKEA is made from solid wood, with the exception of the backing in the doll house shelving unit which uses particle board. Do be aware that the little stools do have a clear finish on them that IKEA claims is non toxic. I got these stools in the mail recently, and have to say I was pleasantly surprised by how odor free they were. So I recommend these somewhat cautiously. They don’t completely comply with Plum Joyful’s non toxic standards, but I think they are a viable option.

Teepee!!!

Because every kid needs one. Or at least some sort of blanket fort they can hide away in and dream. Full disclosure, I kind of want it for myself. Shhh. I opted for this one from Minicamplt on Etsy. It’s plum perfection.

There’s my healthy playroom decor inspo. More to come once the room is done!

INjoy,

xo