Before and After: From Dining Room to Playroom Makeover

Host Joan Steffend and designer Krista Crawford give a dining room that's being used as a playroom a more playful personality that is temporary enough to revert back to a dining room.

After

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See how this playroom transformation is completed:

The walls are painted a sage green color to make the space flow with the rest of the rooms on the floor.
An entire wall is filled with an activity area made of painted fiberboard cutouts in the shape of a whimsical village. One section houses a magnetic board, another a chalkboard and on a "window" the shade is actually a roll of paper to pull down and draw on.
A magnetic board is created by attaching metal flashing to a piece of plywood. It's trimmed with molding to cover the sharp edges. Painted shutters hinged to the molding and a painted fiberboard roof peak frame the piece.
Another cutout is hinged to the front of the corner TV cabinet to make it fit in with the room's theme.
The adjacent wall features a corkboard made by gluing a piece of cork to a plywood board. The edges are framed with small wooden blocks screwed on from the back. Tip: Mount the board out of reach of small children to prevent them from reaching the push pins.
Two salvaged kitchen cabinets are repurposed into rolling storage benches for under the picture window. Locking casters allow them to be moved anywhere in the room and a cushion provides comfy seating while watching the TV.
More storage is brought in with a small cabinet. Above, they add a fiberboard window to the wall and accent the top with a "window box" created by drilling holes into the top and inserting small flower-shaped windmills.
A little color is brought down to the floor with a painted sisal rug made into a game rug. Game pieces are created out of clothespins and polarfleece.
Polar fleece squares are knotted into a patchwork design to create a doorway partition and matching curtains.

How-to: Painted Fiberboard Village

Steps:

1. Draw a village skyline onto the fiberboard and cut out with a jigsaw.

2. Cut out a space for a door. Spray chalkboard paint onto a piece of plywood and attach to the back. Reattach the door with hinges.

3. Tape off the design and paint. Outline the edges with black paint for a whimsical cartoon look.

4. Secure to the wall with screws.

5. Add a paper roll to one of the "windows."

How-to: Polar Fleece Patchwork Curtains

Steps:

1. Cut polar fleece into squares with notches on all four sides.

2. Lay out design if using different colors and knot each piece.

3. Paint small wooden pegs, as desired, and attach to wall with double-ended screws.

4. Knot the drapes around the pegs.

How-to: Magnetic Board

Steps:

1. Cut metal flashing (wear heavy duty gloves when cutting) and plywood to size and attach the two pieces.

2. Frame the edges with molding to cover the sharp edges.

3. Attach hinged shutters to each side and add a painted roof peak cutout to the wall above.

Itemized Design Elements:

$17.96 - paint (walls: Behr - Mason Jar)
$60.61 - village cutout (Joann Fabrics - Craftwood ball ends for paper roll dispenser; Benjamin Moore paint - Jack-O-Lantern #2156-30, Tranquil Blue #2051-50)
$17.50 - magnetic board
$41.55 - TV cabinet
$115.49 - rolling window seats (cabinets - re-use it center)
$22.50 - window box (Joann Fabrics: Crafter's Edition whirligig flowers, large #585-1100, small #585-1134)
$34.49 - corkboard (Toys R Us - wooden blocks #565512; Michaels - cork)
$79 - sisal rug (flea market)
$32.34 - game pieces (Joann Fabrics: Lara's Crafts beehive game pieces #411201, wooden flower pots #410749, Modern Romance flowers for yellow game piece pots; Michaels: Forster doll pins $46106)
$42.80 - doorway curtain (fabric - outlet; Michaels: Lara's Crafts, 3 3/8" shaker pegs V10041)
$31.82 - window curtains (fabric - outlet)

$501.03 - Total Cost