Welcome to our art playhouse! I’ve been wanting to share it for a while and finally have the chance. It’s 80 degrees in LA so we’ve been spending a lot of time painting, glueing and spraying in the playhouse lately. I feel so grateful to have this incredible space, built by my husband and our cousin Ted from the ground up. Yup, they’re amazing. Isn’t it beautiful? I dream of turning it into a real Reggio inspired Atelier. It seems we get closer and closer every few months. It’s constantly evolving. I thought I’d share a few of our favorite things to keep in our playhouse. I hope they inspire you in some way. If you are looking for ways to bring more creativity into your child’s like you might also like to check out my favorite art supplies for summer list.
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It’s definitely an anything goes space. We paint the walls. We paint the doors. We paint everything. I have a few go to art tools in the playhouse that keep everyone very happy and I pretty much keep them out year round. We love nancy bottles from Discount School Supply. They are softer than regular bottles, making them really fun and satisfying to squeeze for little ones.
I am also a huge fan of rollers. We have a ton of them. You can get them at Discount School Supply, Michaels, or if you’re lucky a local thrift store. I try to get as many art supplies at thrift stores, garage sales and flea markets as possible. I picked up some big shells on my last visit to the Long Beach Flea Market and we use them to hold everything. I love them! I also like to keep random little things in the playhouse that engage little kids. Little birds are a favorite. I’ve found them at Michaels and you can also buy an assortment of little pretend birds
Evolving canvases are a staple in our playhouse. Every once in a while Aaron’s Brothers has this crazy sale where oversized canvases are like 7 dollars. It’s crazy. Whenever it happens I buy three or four and it’s so worth it. If you can’t find a sale, you can always pick one up at a thrift store or hang up a sheet or canvas fabric. We paint over them for weeks and it always blows my mind how beautiful they come out.
Our playhouse isn’t reserved for art only. We play drums, sing, dance, cook and clean. It’s a magical space I am so proud of. I’ve always wanted to have my own atelier, and somehow it manifested in my backyard.
I’ve caught glimpses of your art playhouse from other posts, but it’s so great to see the whole thing. It’s amazing. You and your kids are so lucky to have such a magical, open-ended art-making area like this, and my favorite part is that it’s not inside!
Thanks Jeanette! It’s so much fun to play in and I love that it keeps changing over time. Come over!!
I am so in love with this post, and basically with your life in general. I want an art playhouse SO BAD!! Just beautiful 😉
Thank you Stephanie!!! Wish you could bring your kids over for a play date!!
This is such a gorgeous, inspiring post, Meri! I’m so glad that you shared it.
Thank you so much Rachelle. I appreciate it. Thanks so much for sharing it with your readers. You made me AND my husband very happy.
Can I just come and move in here? You’ll hardly even notice me … 🙂
We’ll put a bed on the roof!
I want one in my backyard. Already allerted the husband, he asked for plans…. Thanks for Tinkerlab on sharing this post on Facebook.
Awesome! I’m sorry we don’t have the exact plans to share. My husband and cousin just kind of designed and built. I don’t know how they did it but I am SOOO grateful! Hope you get to have one too!
Thanks Meri Cherry, I’ll just keep begging my husband until he gets enough of me…;-)
Hi what materials did you use? This looks amazing! I want one! Haha
Thank you so much! My husband and cousin worked really hard on it over a period of months. A lot of wood, hammer and nails involved. My girls are very lucky! And so am I! : )
awesome!! I love it 🙂 Lucky kids – I will definitely share this post and pin etc. etc. – as every kid should have one of these in their backyard!
Thank you so much Lindy! We LOVE LOVE LOVE it and yes, agreed, every child should have a space like this. That would be FANTASTIC!
I would love to know HOW to create a space like this. We are renting, so creating a mobile space or transportable space would be ideal. ANY suggestions to do this at minimal cost???
Hmm…mobile..I don’t know. BUT, I did just see this great little cardboard art studio on Blogmemom that was really inspiring and temporary! http://www.blogmemom.com/recycled-crafts-art-studio-in-a-box/ My husband built this so unfortunately I don’t know the exact steps, but I do know he started with a simple frame and then added the floor and then the walls. I think the key for any space, especially if it’s temporary is keep it simple!!!
Is that a window in the second picture and if so, what’s behind it? It looked almost like a bedroom for a while there, but after much studying I’ve concluded that’s unlikely 😉
Ha. No, it’s not a bedroom, though I have gotten requests from friends and family seeking to move in : ) It’s just a table with some things on it sitting behind the playhouse. Are you a detective? : )
I just love this! I want one! 😉
Thank you Stacy! We love it! It’s 85 degrees in LA today and we’ve been in it almost all day.
Wow. That’s so beautiful. What a magical place for your two little girls.
Thank you Leslie!!! You have to visit one day!
An art playhouse is a fantasy of mine! I LOVE LOVE LOVE your ideas and suggestions, especially the evolving canvas!
Thanks Ana! Glad you like my suggestions. We love our playhouse. You guys have to come over and share it with us!
What a great idea and special learning place for exploration and creativity.
Thank you so much! So thankful for it!
such a motivating post! you’ve made me realize how much I miss the days when my kids were little. exploring materials is so important and you show and this beautifully with these amazing photos! thank you for sharing and inspiring us all, meri. xx
Bar! Your comments always make me feel so good. Come to California!!
Are you kidding!!!!!! Your studio is absolutely, the most amazing, delightful, freeing space any artist would love. Inspiring!!!!! Well done!
WOW! Thank you Danielle!!! My husband will be very happy to hear your kind words. Thank you so much. We love it too!!!
This is just such an amazing gift to your entire family! What a husband and what perfect match. I absolutely love it and what often strikes me when I meet adult creatives is that many mention that, as children” they were given a “space to create for themselves” – you’ve more than accomplished this and the element of spontaneous creation is evident in the work that you share, too! I want to be your neighbor….! Bravo, Meri Cherry!!
Oh please be my neighbor Gina! You are so amazing and your words go straight to my heart! Thank you so much. I just can’t wait till we can play together again.
What an incredible space! Wow. Just wow!
Thank you so much!!! We feel so lucky to have it.
That’s really thnkiing out of the box. Thanks!
Oh my goodness! This is such a fantastic idea! I can just imagine the fun that goes on in there! Very clever idea!
Thank you so much Carin. It is an amazing space we feel really grateful to have!
Are you able to give us approximate dimensions?? Thanks.
Stacy, it’s about a 10 x 10 foot space with about a 7 foot ceiling. Hope that’s helpful!
Awesome! Thanks so much! Gives us a place to start… 😉
Baby steps. It took us a while to get here. Have fun!
Omg omg omg omg. We have an art room and a ton of supplies, recycled materials, etc for my son to explore, but I must make this happen! <3. Love this!! <3
This is great! Such a creative space. I’m curious if it is a pergola style open roof or if there is something covering the roof to prevent rain from coming in? Thanks!
Oh my God! I’ve just seen this and I want to build it!!! I have the room but have never built anything like this before. Surely I can … Can’t I????!!! I have the PERFECT spot and I keep eying it off for a sandpit or cubby but I think this would be well worth it and I could use it as a tax deduction. This would solve ALL my problems of trying to find space inside the house because i can’t get into MY studio (someone else seems to taken over the room I was meant to use) … Well I can get in there (now) to get the items I need OUT but I need to take it all up to the house and then have to put them all away afterwards. I’m now asking myself, “Could I do it?” How much did cost to build? I’m in Australia (Perth) so we don’t have to brave the weather. Yes, we have Winters but not BAD Winters really. Summers are HOT but that’s OK. I can still see this working for my 3.5 year old daughter and me …
Do it!!! You can do it and you’ll love it!!!! and so will your daughter!
Yes, we definitely will. Just whether I can pull it off or not. Thanks for the vote of confidence. :0) I love your blog by the way. I’ve only just come across it through Cint’s My Poppet.
Welcome then! What’s Cint’s My Poppet?
Hmmmm … Now I’m confused. Maybe it wasn’t My Poppet, maybe it was The Art Pantry or was it The Artful Parent??? Whichever one it was, in their newsletter, they suggested heading across to see your wonderful ideas for Wood.
Well, either way, I’m glad you found me! : )
I have 2 kids with special needs and they love art. I would to build this for them. Do you have more pictures of the back and the sides. I would love to recreate this playhouse.
Thank you
I’m sorry, I don’t have any directions. We kind of worked as we went. The four main posts are cemented into the ground and then we built the floor base and then added the walls and the wood planks on the ceiling. The whole thing is based on the four main posts that is a cube. I hope that helps. Sorry I don’t have more plans for you. If you work with a carpenter or very handy person, I’m sure they can make a good guess. Sorry not to be more helpful! If you email me I can send you some pics to help. mericherryla @ gmail.com
I’m so inspired by this! Absolutely beautiful. I would like to know how well it holds up to weather. Is there a covered roof? Does it stay dry inside?
I am so in love with this! What an inspiration!
I love how there is a spare for the children to claim as their own and not have to worry about ‘getting things messy’ etc.. I understand there are boundaries when it comes to doing messy art/play inside a house, so I love the freedom the children have in creating their art without restrictions.
One thing I want to know is if this is at a ‘cubby house’ height or is it high enough for an adult to stand up in… in other words.. can this place allow the children to use it when they grow older ?
Your an amazing mama, a wonderful artist, and a great teacher! I teach art classes for kids of all ages, and your website has been such a great help to me. Your girls are lucky to have you!!
Thank you so much Cree! I appreciate the love!
My preschool is in the planning stages of our new outdoor classroom. My job is to create the art center. I love your studio idea and want to find a way to do one in our space. If I posted a picture of our current art area, could you help me with ideas? Please email me with your response. Thank you!