Hallelujah — the sun is back on the East Coast, and when it finally appeared after weeks of rain we grabbed the camera to photograph our newly completed bonus room. “Finished” is a loose term around here since we always tweak things, but this space is now functional, playful, and incredibly comfortable. We managed to pack in a lot of purpose: a dedicated spot for arts and crafts, a massive sofa for family movie nights and guests, a dress-up corner, plus plenty of storage and shelving. The couch in this room is a true vortex of comfort—once you sit, it’s hard to leave.
If you want background on how this room came to be, we documented the process: finishing the storage space above the garage, adding built-ins and floating shelves to a window niche, and creating a wire-free TV wall. It’s wild to think this room looked very different earlier this year.
Our goal was a room that feels casual and fun, serving the whole family. We’ve realized how useful it is to have a contained play area that’s not the main living space and a shared play zone upstairs that isn’t just a single bedroom. Still, we hesitate to call it strictly a “playroom” because it serves adults too: it’s perfect for movie nights, doubles as a guest sleeping area, and functions as a quiet nook for reading. The door is one of our favorite features for creating a separate, cozy retreat.
We think of the room as divided into four main zones:
- Arts & crafts desk
- Mega sofa and TV area
- Dress-up corner
- Wall-to-wall storage and floating shelves
Starting with the art desk: both our kids love having a dedicated art spot on every floor, and this one gets a ton of morning use. It’s become a predictable part of the morning routine and even makes it easier for parents to sneak in a shower now and then. The desk and chairs were a fortunate hand-me-down from a neighbor and fit the space perfectly. Colorful prints and cheerful touches make it inviting and practical for little artists.
We repurposed small wooden spice racks as art supply trays after painting them white and adding a coordinating green accent. Clear plastic cups corral pencils, crayons, and markers; a small soup can was our sizing reference to find containers that fit neatly into the trays. Little practical solutions like this make the space both tidy and easy for kids to use independently.
One of the most playful features is the butterfly installation. We planned the layout with removable post-it notes to get the composition right, then swapped them for feathered butterflies mounted on bendable wires with removable adhesive. The wires give the butterflies subtle dimension so they appear to float off the wall, and the removable adhesive makes it simple to adjust or change the display later.
From the art desk you can see our large patterned rug, the wall-mounted TV, and our favorite lounging spot: three chaises combined into one mega sofa. We used three identical chaises that clamp together and covered them with a gray-brown slipcover, creating an oversized seat that’s perfect for movie nights, sleepovers, or curling up with a book. It’s also an easy guest bed with a sheet, blanket, and pillows when out-of-town friends stay over.
The dress-up corner sits tucked behind the couch beside the built-ins. Costumes, capes, hats, and playful props were overflowing in a downstairs bin, so moving them here gave them visibility and renewed interest. A blue inlay floor mirror and baskets make it both functional and fun—kids love the act of dressing up more when they can admire the results in a mirror.
We added simple hooks for hanging costumes and framed a piece of art made from photos of Clara’s “recipes.” We photographed her drawings, arranged them digitally, and printed an affordable engineering print to create a sentimental and custom piece of wall art.
We didn’t buy many new toys for this room—mostly we moved existing favorites to make them more accessible. The play kitchen and shared Duplo collection, along with lower cabinet storage for puzzles and games, have encouraged communal play and reduced the need to fetch items from high shelves. The room quickly proved useful for its intended mix of play, relaxing, watching TV, and hosting guests.
Transforming this space took time and a few iterations. At first it felt like dead space, but with added furniture and activities it became a lively, useful part of the upstairs. The result ties the area together and makes the whole floor feel more complete—well, unless you want to inspect the bathrooms closely.
Finally, for a little nostalgia: here’s how the hallway and this space look now versus when we bought the house and before the room was finished. The transformation from unfinished storage to a lively bonus room has been incredibly rewarding, and it’s already become a favorite part of our home.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I have some important sprawling out to do on that trio of chaises.
Psst — we updated our current house before & after photos to include this room and refreshed images of other spaces. We also keep a running list of paint colors and where we sourced many items for each room.