When we first arrived at this very outdated communal playroom for lots of children, ages 1 to 8, we knew we had some work ahead of us. We wanted to create a beautiful, modern playroom that invited the children to play, learn, move and meet friends in the building. The playroom, for the entire apartment building, is not only a place for children to play, but it is also a place for children, adults and caregivers to meet one another. The playroom can become the most important community resource, if indeed it is designed well to accommodate all sorts of children with various talents and interests. This room is medium sized, and we love the way the nooks sort of created these self contained play areas. We decided to maximize the space and did not include a waiting area with a table, as that would have meant taking out one of the play zones. There is room in the hallway for strollers and coats, so we were able to use all of the space for playing and learning. We decided to include a playhouse (pretend play), a slide/ mat/ soft play area for sliding and moving, a building area with a magnetic board for playing, a roadway for ride on toys, and lastly, an area for wall ball and basketball! In addition to these zones, we replaced and redesigned the ceiling lights and also painted the space a bright white, and used the birch tree decals along 3 of the walls. Since the apartment building is in NYC, we wanted the children to feel like they were outside, in nature. This makes children feel calm, thoughtful and happy. We also wanted to make sure the colors both created a calm feeling but also energized them where necessary like in the ball area. Lastly, of course, we wanted to make sure there were enough activities to stimulate a wide range of kid's interests add abilities. We absolutely LOVE the way it came out!