I like white.

The white furniture is good. You know, children are not as concerned about these type of details, and the room is for them. I do like that there is blue in the room, and I don't think it needs grey. I imagine there will be some colorful items on the shelves, and I would also go toward a colorful rug. Not just blue and white.

One rug idea:

Momeni Lil Mo Hipster LMT14 Area Rug, Blue, 8'x10' · More Info

I might put the shelves on the current bookcase wall so they're not the focal point. Here are rug sizes...

Thanks for all these suggestions! Yes, I do like how the white will look. The tall shelves will have doors on the bottom and top thirds as to conceal the toys. The exposed shelves will then have books and kids decor. I did think about putting the cabinets on the wall with the current bookcase, but there’s a light switch there. Also, if I did go that route I wasn’t sure what to put on the wall with the paintings. That wall you can see from the great room and the whole room is almost an extension of the great room.

White looks great.

your room reminded me of this dining area. get a cool light like this

and yes, try one of the Ikea hacks

this one is the Brimnes

Billy bookcase hack

doing a shiplap or tongue and groove around the bottom portion would look cool. (and lower your pics a bit. too high)

Beth has this nailed!

White would look so good with that wall color. The cabinets from Ikea should be easy to clean, which I assume is a priority. I found this fun, bright rug that could work really well in this room with those white cabinets and teal/blue walls. It would help make it a decidedly playful spot.

Yes. Be sure to fix cabinets and bookshelves to the walls. Also...look at Flor carpet tiles instead of a conventional rug. Fabulous, fun colors. Removable if damaged, etc.

Wow, so many awesome suggestions! Thanks so much! And thanks, Beth, for all the inspiration.

What about rug shape—rectangle or oval or round?

Will definitely bolt cabinets to wall!

@jmdkc, I know this thread is old but did you ever finish your room? I'd love to see after pics.

Also, what color did you use in the space? I love the drama and wow factor :)

@shead , I’m still working in the room lol! Was hoping to be done by now, but pandemic life plus a baby = super slow speed. We bought this house a few months ago and the previous owners selected the color. I’ll see if I can find the name for you. Was actually thinking about painting it all white to match the ceiling and make the space feel bigger. But maybe I will leave it?

Still stuck on finding a rug and a wing back chair for the space.

No, don't paint it! I LOVE the color and if you do white shelving, it'll be amazing <3

We just finished a new build and I did very few colors in our house as I was overwhelmed and just "went with what I knew." We are working slowly on our basement and I want to paint an accent wall in our basement stairwell something dark and dramatic like this (our staircase is U-shaped). We are also planning to do a long wall with IKEA Billy bookcases and want to paint the back of the bookshelves the same color.