The classic childrens playhouse is still a popular addition in a lot of young family homes and one of the best decisions you could make for your child's development is to create a safe and comfortable play space in the garden. Many hours of magic and fun can be derived from ‘playing house’ and escaping into their own little world.
Create a fun and creative playhouse for your family by adding furniture such as chairs and beanbags, fun decorations and murals, curtains for privacy, as well as storage for toys, games and crafting. Don’t forget to make the space comfortable and homely with pillows, blankets, rugs, bunting and fairy lights.
Outdoor play is an essential part of playtime for kids. A beautiful, practical and thoughtfully decorated playhouse can be the antidote to hours of fun and wild imagination for your little ones as their young minds run free and develop into adulthood. With such a variety of options on the market and heaps of ideas you need to be sure you’ll create the best play space for your babies.
What Do You Need For a Playhouse?
Kids playhouses can become a great reading nook, a comfy place for sleepovers, playing and socialising with friends or siblings and learning new interactions with each other and themselves. Some things you may want to make your playhouse more inviting for your little ones could include:
Furniture
Get creative, comfortable and make your playhouse a home with some mini furniture pieces, such as a cute chair and table set or beanbags. The little ones can use these for arts and crafts, reading or doing homework. You could invest in stackable chairs so that when friends come to play they can play games, craft together or play host to some elaborate tea parties.
Depending on the size of your playhouse and how well it is insulated, you may decide to fit a small bed inside for naptime or sleepovers. A larger versatile bean bag might be a good alternative for smaller spaces.
Our Outpost small Playhouses are big enough to fit some comfy chairs or beanbags in at 1.5m x 1.3m and our large playhouses could accommodate a bed for sleepovers or napping at 1.9m x 2.4m.
Furniture adds a touch of realness that will keep the kiddos occupied and comfortable in their playhouse for hours on end.
GET A FREE COPY OF OUR CATALOGUE
Storage
Shelving or a small cupboard makes for practicality and convenience. Storage will enable your kids to store their favourite toys and games and encourage the development of organisation skills. As well as keeping the playhouse tidy and minimising trips and falls, your little ones will be able to find their toys easier and quickly.
You might want to encourage your little ones to fill the storage themselves and see what goodies they decide take pride of place in their playhouse.
Comfort
Comfort is likely to play a large part in the playhouse but comfort levels may depend on what your little ones use it for. Pillows, cushions, blankets, throws and rugs can make it super cosy and encourage relaxation. To avoid mould or mildew be sure to invest in outdoor materials for your comfort options.
How Do You Decorate The Inside of a Playhouse?
The way you choose to decorate your kids playhouse will likely depend on their interests and what they are most likely to use it for. The inside of your kids playhouse is where all the make believe takes place and with a few special touches you can make it come to life and spark extra imagination into their playtime.
You might want to pick the brains of your little ones to see what ideas they have to make their space truly their own, their imagination might surprise you! Decorating your playhouse is a fun and educational activity for the whole family. It is a chance to divulge your kids creativity and encourage them to express themselves. At the same time they can learn about colours, textures and combinations of different materials.
Wall decor
If you have the inclination you might decide to paint or wallpaper the walls of the playhouse and hang some pictures. Bright, fun colours and dynamic shapes or murals can help to stimulate play or you might choose muted colours or pastels to inspire a calming vibe for reading and sleeping. If you’re feeling creative you could choose a theme and create an aesthetic to emulate a certain place such as a beach house or a traditional wendy house.
Adding a blackboard wall will likely encourage your kids to draw and write to their heart's content. It’s also a way they can decorate themselves over and over again and will save your walls from little creative hands inside your house! Stencils are also a fun way to add pattern and texture to the inside of your playhouse and you can get the kids involved to make it their own personal space.
Accessories
To make your playhouse more aesthetically pleasing and inviting you could add some cute bunting, make some pom poms or add fairy lights for playtime in the darker evenings. If you opt out of a blackboard wall you could add a simple small blackboard or whiteboard that can be removed. Add board games and puzzles for the whole family to enjoy.
What is the Best Flooring For a Playhouse?
Installing the best flooring for your playhouse is crucial for a long lasting investment. If your playhouse investment is a success it’s likely it will gain a lot of through traffic and rough play and it needs to stand the test of time against the elements. You’ll need flooring that is durable and easy to clean without compromising on aesthetics.
Pressure-treated softwood boards
The most popular option is the pressure-treated softwood. They are usually made from plywood, pine or cedar, the treatment ensures durability by preventing rot and mould growth and installation is relatively simple. To ensure the longevity of this type of flooring you can also paint it.
Vinyl tiles
Vinyl can be the perfect addition to your Playhouse flooring. Due to solely being made of plastic they require almost no maintenance, are easy to clean, recyclable and are hardwearing, meaning they will have a long lifespan. If you plan to lay vinyl flooring in your kids playhouse you’ll have ample design and colour opportunities to suit any aesthetic.
Carpet tiles
You may have considered carpeting your kids playhouse as this can create a comfortable, warm and safe space for any falls. They are as equally easy to install as the vinyl tiles and just as simple to replace should any accidents happen. Carpet tiles these days are held in place by adhesive dots and can be easily removed. You can mix and match colours to create your own scheme.
Mats and rugs
Mats and rugs are probably the easiest option for quickly adding a floor covering to your kids playhouse. You can throw them down for play time, pick them up to throw into the washing machine when they’ve had ample exposure and easily replace them at the end of their life cycle.
How Do You Accessorise A Playhouse Outdoors?
Don’t forget there is all the space outside the playhouse to utilise and have fun with design as well. You can decorate the outside with a little garden, a picket fence, a patio set or even planters with fake or real plants - if you’re brave. If you have a green thumb you could use it as an opportunity to teach your little ones how to look after their garden and make it part of playtime.
A sandbox, miniature golf sets, balls and other small outdoor games could make for a fun play space around the playhouse and the great thing about investing in these outdoor activities is they can be stored inside the playhouse when not in use, that way they will be protected from the elements and more likely to stand the test of time.
What Do You Put Under a Wooden Playhouse?
Your playhouse will benefit from a good foundation but with Outpost Buildings durable base it's not necessary. In fact a level grassy area is the perfect base for your playhouse as Outpost Playhuts sit up off the ground on their skids. This helps to prevent moisture coming through the floor as opposed to a playhouse that sits directly on the ground. The likelihood that you already have a patch of grass means you don’t need to spend extra earnings on creating the perfect base.
Outpost buildings playhouses come with a heavy duty skid mounted base that can be moved easily and relocated at any time making them the practical and obvious choice for your kids playtime in the garden.
The best part of investing in Outpost playhouses is that they are extremely strong, durable and designed to last for generations. Once your kids are grown up an Outpost Playhouse can be sold on or saved for the family’s next generation. This is a huge benefit when compared to cheaper playhouses that won’t stand the test of time.
However, if you don’t have a flat area to put your playhouse on or think you’ll need a raised or more solid base due to it getting wet or boggy when it rains then consider using play bark, wood chips, sand or other easily drainable material for the outside area.
Other ideal materials you can use for a foundation include:
- Play bark
- Sand
- Rubber mats
- Wooden panels such as decking
- Gravel
If you plan to put your playhouse on top of a patio or concrete surface, we recommend adding a shock absorbent surface around the base of the playhouse to create a soft landing to limit your worrying of hard falls during playtime.
How Do I Keep My Playhouse Cool?
The midsummer sun can become excruciating and can limit your time outside, but a well positioned playhouse can provide some much needed respite in the garden. To maximise your kids playtime outside consider where the best spot in the garden would be to keep your playhouse out of the heat.
The best place to keep your playhouse is going to be under some shade such as a large tree with adequate airflow. Gauge where the sun will be at different times of the day, especially the time of day that your little ones will be out playing, whether it’s after school or lunchtime and choose the most protected area to place your playhouse.
Blinds, curtains and shutters will all assist in keeping the heat of the scorching sun out while your kiddos play, craft or sleep in the playhouse in the summer.
Additionally, good ventilation, whether it be through windows or doors can help keep your playhouse cool during the hottest times of the year.
What Paint To Use In a Playhouse?
The type of paint you use on your playhouse largely depends on the material it is made from and the elements you are exposed to. Outpost buildings large and small playhouses are made from solid 15mm plywood with treated timber framing and have Zincalume steel roofing with Colorsteel upgrades available - check out the range of colours to choose from here. If you choose to paint your playhouse yourself, here’s some tips:
Wood
Painting a wooden playhouse is more than just decorating. For most types of wood, a good paint job will protect it from the elements, fungus and UV lighting and increase the durability of your kids playhouse for many years to come.
Use exterior paints when painting your wooden playhouse as they will include components that help withstand the effects of the elements, whether it’s extreme temperatures or direct UV lighting. In addition to exterior paints, water based paints are generally free from harmful toxins and chemicals, which can evaporate over a period of time affecting you and your kids.
Plastic
If you have invested in a plastic playhouse then unlike wood, the only reason you would paint a plastic playhouse is for aesthetic reasons. When considering the type of paint to use on your plastic playhouse, first of all make sure it is exterior paint and secondly, make sure it will adhere to plastic and be careful about using dark colours as the hot sun can cause dark coloured plastic to bend or warp.
We recommend Resene Lumbersider expert paint for exterior timber surfaces. If you’re using regular paint you may want to use a primer as a base coat to make sure it will stick.
If you have any questions about the playhouses on offer here at Outpost Building, feel free to contact us today.
