Loft/Playroom Refresh and Engineered Prints

So here we are in my loft/ kids playroom. This space has sat un touched for over a year. At our previous home we had a small room downstairs that I used for the kids playroom, so when we moved to this house the kids area doubled in size! The only new item I purchased for this space when we moved was the Ikea sectional, and ottoman because well we needed a place to sit. Other than that everything else came over from the previous playroom. I have been wanting to update and change out this space for some time now. I just never really liked the feel and look of the space. Similar Sectional Rug, Ceiling Fan 

So here’s what the space looked like before. Not horrible, but I was over those Ikea cabinets and green lamps, plus the shag rug was thrashed! My kids are older now and have less toys that I have to store, so I didn’t have a need for all those Ikea cabinets anymore. I knew I wanted just one large console instead. I felt that would help the room fell more put together as well.

Off to Living Spaces I went to look for a large console or sideboard. If you watch my stories on Instagram then you saw my shopping trip!! I love Living Spaces One of a kind section. They are their Element pieces. The pieces are usually all good quality and good prices. This piece is solid wood and it holds a lot. I’ve had the horse print for several years. Can you believe my mom found it at a thrift store!! I actually saw the exact print though at Living Spaces a couple years ago. I looked online and couldn’t find it, but maybe if you go into the store they could have it. Similar Console Faux plant Homegoods, Smilar Horse Print,  Similar Basket, similar lamps 

To replace the two Ikea cabinets that were flanking the window I went with these open shelving bookcases. I’m excited that I have shelving that I can change out and restyle often!! These were the best priced open shelving bookcases I could find online and every store I went to. I’m very impressed with the quality too. Bookends, Basket, Driftwood Ball, Red apple Bookends, Gold Wire Basket, Similar black vase, Similar White pot

I really like the symmetry the bookcases bring into the space. I think they even out that large long wall very well. I’m not always one for faux plants, but I do like this one I found at Homegoods. I felt that the corner just needed something there and this guy did the job! Basket, Horse Bookends, Similar plant stand, Glass Cloche, Wood and Gold Vase, Mid Mod plant stand,  Natural wood Frame

So on this wall is where I originally had that large horse print. I knew I wanted to put up large prints of the kids in this space, since it is their space, but I just didn’t know how to get large prints without spending a fortune. That’s when I remembered that Chris Loves Julia had put large prints in her kids area using engineered prints. Now since I didn’t know what engineered prints were, their blog post was very helpful! Ps their home is amazing!

So the first thing I did was take pictures of my three kiddos. I had them each stand in front of the wall that was soon going to house their photos. Now when Chris Loves Julia took pictures of her kids she wanted their sizes to show. I thought that was a genius idea! So for my son I held the camera frame just above his head, not showing very much wall space above him. With my second child I held the camera so a little more wall space showed above her head, and with my youngest I held the camera so there was a lot of wall space above her head. I think it’s so cute and sweet how it shows my youngest being the smallest. Had I just had equal amounts of wall space above them it wouldn’t of had the same effect. Thank you Chris Loves Julia for sharing that tip!

The next thing I did was edit each of their photos using Pic Monkey and turned them into black and white photos. I played around with the brightness, contrast and shadowing until they were just how I wanted them. Once I was done I saved them to my computer.

Then I went onto Staples website and ordered the photos! I went to their print shop and clicked on engineered prints. Now it says that engineered printing is not for photos, but I ordered them anyways. When I did pick up my prints the cashier did tell me they were going to start enforcing not doing photos on engineered prints, so I don’t know how long you have to be able to do this, so you better hurry! I ordered the 24×36 size, but they also offer smaller sizes. I purchased my black frames from Michaels Stores when they were 70% off. Here are similar frames.

The last thing I had to do was put them in the frames and hang them! I absolutely love how they turned out. Every time I walk by their pictures it makes me smile. I wasn’t sure how good the quality of the prints would be since they’re on paper, but I have to say I was impressed! I did have to trim the sides of the prints to get them to fit perfectly in the frames, which was kind of a pain, but I luckily had a sharp utility knife. Each print only cost me $3.44 and each frame was $15. Prices may vary by area. So I was able to get three very large 24×36 prints with frames for around $55. A pretty good deal in my book for prints that size. Plus since I didn’t spend a fortune, I won’t feel bad when I decide to change the wall again lol! Similar Table, Plaid pillow, Plaid pillow with pink, Similar Frames, Similar Sectional, Similar Throw, Rug  

I also changed up the landing at the top of the stairs. This is what it looked like before. It was a cute little area, but I was just tired of it!! Console table, Wreath, Lamp, Horse bookends 

When I did my den refresh, blog post coming soon I promise, I took down my large oil painting that I had in there. This little area seemed like the perfect spot for it. I had been wanting a bench in the house for a long time, but just never have had a spot for one.  Once I removed the console table I knew I finally found a spot for a small bench! Did a little styling and called it a day. Faux fiddle leaf, Indigo Throw, Similar Bench, Similar Vase 

This area was a large media niche when we first bought the house. We added this custom built in as a workspace for the kids. We had left over quartzite from the kitchen so we put that on top. Its been a very useful and functional space. Similar Chairs

Plaid pillow, Plaid pillow with pink, White and black mud cloth pillow, Glass Vase 

Alright there she is! I hope you enjoyed this little room refresh. It always feels good to change up rooms. Makes it feel like a whole new house! Please feel free to leave comments and questions. And don’t forget to subscribe so you don’t miss a post!

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