Playing in the Closet

You may recall that not too long ago I gave you a sneak peak into Little Man's play closet. I love that it is right off the kitchen and I really LOVE that his toys are no longer scattered across the house!

Previously the closet was used for storage and also where we kept the pups crate. (I guess it was always a play closet!)

There is an actual loft playroom upstairs but we spend so much time in the kitchen and family room that it made sense for us to have something downstairs too. I have several projects in the book for this space involving magnets, lots of paint, and some pretty loud paper!

Yesterday after nap, I was trapped inside with a teething 4 month old and a rambunctious toddler... not exactly an ideal combo! So I headed into the closet to find something to entertain them. It's a long and narrow space especially with the long and low bookshelf taking up one of the walls. As I pulled out the blocks, it suddenly occurred to me what I needed to do! And lucky for me Little Man inherited my love for furniture moving!

I turned the shelf on its side so that it is now a tall narrow shelf standing about 4 feet tall. This bookshelf was originally a middle section that bridged 2 large bookshelves so luckily it is finished on all sides so this worked perfectly! We pushed it all the way to the back of the closet but because of the sloped ceiling it left about a 2 foot gap that makes the most adorable little reading nook! We moved his bean bag into the space and if only I had a video to capture the excitement the first time Little Man venturing into his 'Reading Cave'!

Moving the shelf around gave us much more room to work with in the closet so I pulled in his table and chair too! I need to work on some of the organization aspects but for now he is loving it and keeps pulling me in and closing the door to show me his closet!

 The reading cave - behind the shelf