The most interesting residential projects are often the ones with a tightly defined brief. We recently worked with a family of five to redesign their playroom — three young children aged 2, 6, and 8, a moderate budget, and a clear goal: one room that could do everything.
The space needed to accommodate playing, creating, reading, and studying — simultaneously and interchangeably — while remaining tidy and light-filled. The answer came from rethinking what standard materials could do.
The Brief: Four Functions, One Room
The challenge was to create storage for an enormous number of toys while keeping the room tidy, organised, and light-filled. We needed to answer four different needs simultaneously:
- Increasing storage
- A reading area
- Flexible seating
- A play surface
Adding tall cabinets would have blocked the room and the natural light coming through the windows. We needed to think differently.
A Custom Result from Standard Parts
Custom millwork, given the budget, was off the table. So we turned to IKEA kitchen cabinets — and transformed them into something that reads as entirely bespoke.
Using 2×4 lumber, we built a base raised to the height of the wall base. On top, we placed IKEA upper wall cabinets — but turned on their sides, so the cabinet height became the bench depth. Each frame is 15" × 14¾" × 30", and we fitted four across the full width of the wall. Using basic door cabinets from IKEA, we achieved a clean white bench running wall to wall. We used eight doors in total, two per cabinet at 15" × 15" each. Filler panels on both ends — painted to match the cabinet white — completed the seamless built-in look. We relocated the electrical outlets from the back wall to the end filler panels, so the power points sit neatly within the bench itself.
The Oak Top and the Finishing Touches
For the top surface, we used two 8×1 oak beams joined together to create a wide enough surface, with edges softened using a sanding machine. The wood top adds warmth and a natural element that balances the clean white of the cabinets. Inside, simple bins for different toy categories keep things organised — kids can take out and put back easily.
The long bench along the window wall now serves as a reading nook, a play surface, a seating area, and a storage unit — all in one. The room is lighter, more open, and ready for anything three kids can throw at it.
"Not everything has to be used the way it was intended by the manufacturer. Open your mind — you'll see many ways to use the same thing."