My Houzz: Color and Whimsy in a Child’s Play Space in Kansas
A secret bookshelf passageway and a vibrant palette create magic in a 4-year-old’s bedroom and attic playroom
Before Photo
Before: The bedroom featured original parquet floors, but the couple added pet-friendly carpet for their two dogs. They also repainted the walls in a more soothing blue.
This space came with two twin-size Murphy beds. They don’t get much use right now, but Audrey is certain they will come in handy for her daughter’s future sleepovers with friends.
This space came with two twin-size Murphy beds. They don’t get much use right now, but Audrey is certain they will come in handy for her daughter’s future sleepovers with friends.
Audrey and Ted are shown in front of their 1972 fixer-upper home with Vivi. “I love the tall trees in our neighborhood and the character of each home,” Audrey says.
Door paint: Bay Mist, Valspar
Door paint: Bay Mist, Valspar
Audrey made this tepee for Vivi as a gift for her first birthday, and it has been one of her daughter’s favorite places ever since. “She loves to read in it and used to sleep in it after the transition from the crib to big-girl bed,” Audrey says. The personalized name art was also a DIY project. The tissue paper garland was purchased on Etsy.
Browse tepees
Browse tepees
Pictured at left is the open door to the attic before the new carpet and paint were added, as seen on the right.
This unusual door to the attic playroom was a feature the previous homeowners installed. “I love the 1970s shelf of books that is actually a secret passageway to the attic playroom,” Audrey says. The door opens easily; it is usually kept shut so the warm attic air stays out of the upper level of the house.
Audrey and Ted left the existing gray walls in Vivi’s bedroom and decorated the rest of the room with bright orange, coral, turquoise and pink accessories. “I organized and displayed colorful books, artwork and toys on the closet door shelves, which brings even more color to the room,” Audrey says. The white bookshelves open to a closet and behind that lead to an adjoining guest bedroom.
A few pieces in Vivi’s bedroom are hand-me-downs from Audrey’s family, including the queen-size bed and the corner nightstand, which was an old sewing table from Audrey’s late great-grandmother. The wooden chest was a gift from Audrey’s late great-aunt and the bedding was a gift from Audrey’s mother to Vivi. A pink crochet blanket from the 1950s knit by Vivi’s great grandmother is repurposed as a bedskirt.
Dot Accent Rug: Pillowfort, Target
Dot Accent Rug: Pillowfort, Target
A cheeky unicorn lamp sits on top of a turquoise nightstand from the vintage shop Good Ju Ju. “My main goal with the spaces was to use items or furniture we had on hand already and not to bring much of anything new into the spaces,” Audrey says. “I love that Vivi knows where the inherited pieces of furniture came from. She can tell you exactly who gave us each piece. They are not very high quality, but they mean a lot to us because we love who they came from. I love how this opens up the dialogue on our family history.”
Unicorn Table Lamp: Target; find more eclectic table lamps
Unicorn Table Lamp: Target; find more eclectic table lamps
Many of the photo frames pictured here on art shelves from Minted were repurposed from old ones Audrey had from her childhood. “I used mostly free printable art in the gallery walls and shelf art,” she says. The shelves also feature some of Vivi’s original paintings.
The banner is from the dollar bin at Target and the jewelry holder is from an antique store. The little dish holding a small collection of lip balm was a gift from Audrey’s mother.
Ted chopped a big branch to create wooden slabs for Vivi’s 1st birthday party as part of an adventure theme. Audrey painted one mint green. Displayed on top is a doll gifted by a family friend.
Ted chopped a big branch to create wooden slabs for Vivi’s 1st birthday party as part of an adventure theme. Audrey painted one mint green. Displayed on top is a doll gifted by a family friend.
This yellow book is from Audrey’s mother. “I mostly like the color and size,” she says. Audrey found the stick in the backyard and painted it with Vivi, and the lamp came from Audrey’s great-grandmother.
The couple decided to keep the original parquet flooring in the attic. This space is also decorated with a bright color palette. “Color has always influenced me whenever decorating our toddler’s spaces. I love bringing in bright pops of color with different DIY accessories and projects,” Audrey says.
The pink table was a nightstand she painted in Flamingo Chalk Mineral Paint by Dixie Belle. “I love the way the color pops against the new gray carpet and neutral walls,” she says.
Poang children’s armchair: Ikea
The pink table was a nightstand she painted in Flamingo Chalk Mineral Paint by Dixie Belle. “I love the way the color pops against the new gray carpet and neutral walls,” she says.
Poang children’s armchair: Ikea
The toy dinosaurs with faux succulents were a DIY project.
A tissue paper garland and framed prints add additional color to the white walls.
“This room is full of character and Vivi plays in it the most out of all rooms,” Audrey says. The space came with a lot of existing built-in shelving and cabinets. “The shelves are wonderful for displaying and organizing all of the toys that Vivi has inherited from all of her cousins,” she adds.
“Ninety percent of all toys are hand-me-downs from our childhoods and Vivi’s cousins,” Audrey says. Vivi loves tidying up her play spaces at the end of each day. “She is so proud to show off her clean rooms to us each evening,” Audrey adds.
The space includes a little reading nook nestled next to stairs that lead up to the attic observatory. The original architectural detail on the stair banister can be seen.
This tiny observatory dome is an unexpected surprise. “We haven’t used the observatory much since we’ve moved in due to the mature trees above us, but we do hope to start using it more,” Audrey says. “This is the oldest house we have owned, and we have come to love the quirkiness of it.”
My Houzz is a series in which we visit and photograph creative, personality-filled homes and the people who inhabit them. Share your home with us and see more projects.
Browse more homes by style: Apartments | Barn Homes | Colorful Homes | Contemporary Homes | Eclectic Homes | Farmhouses | Floating Homes | Guesthouses | Homes Around the World | Lofts | Midcentury Homes | Modern Homes | Ranch Homes | Small Homes | Townhouses | Traditional Homes | Transitional Homes | Vacation Homes
My Houzz is a series in which we visit and photograph creative, personality-filled homes and the people who inhabit them. Share your home with us and see more projects.
Browse more homes by style: Apartments | Barn Homes | Colorful Homes | Contemporary Homes | Eclectic Homes | Farmhouses | Floating Homes | Guesthouses | Homes Around the World | Lofts | Midcentury Homes | Modern Homes | Ranch Homes | Small Homes | Townhouses | Traditional Homes | Transitional Homes | Vacation Homes
Who lives here: Ted and Audrey Kuether, their daughter, Vivi, 4; and their two dogs, Marley, a chocolate Labrador and Edgar, a border collie
Location: Leawood, Kansas
Size: 1,900 square feet (177 square meters); four bedrooms plus an added attic room, three bathrooms
Year built: 1972
The minute Audrey and Ted Kuether’s 4-year-old daughter, Vivi, gets home from school she runs upstairs to play in her bedroom. With a handmade tepee and a secret passageway to an attic play space in the colorful room, it’s easy to see why. “We love that we can hear her playing and talking to her toys downstairs due to a unique extra staircase that leads from the attic to our downstairs dining room,” Audrey says. Audrey is a decorating and DIY enthusiast who writes and documents her family’s home improvement projects on her blog, Oh So Lovely.
Dot Accent Rug: Pillowfort, Target