Designing the Ultimate Playroom with Expert Tips from Educational Designer, Hollie Mayes 

By The Wallpaper Kids, Aug 1 2024

 A child's playroom isn’t merely a space for play; it's a world of possibilities, a canvas for imagination, and a sanctuary for growth and development. Yet for many parents, designing and maintaining a fun and clutter-free, multi-functional playroom can feel like an impossible task. 

With careful planning, a touch of creativity, and an understanding of children’s needs from both a practical and educational perspective, a well-designed playroom can serve as a haven for both children and the entire family. 

We sat down with Dubai-based Educational Design expert Hollie Mayes to explore the dos and don’ts of designing a comprehensive, multi-functional, and educational playroom. Hollie collaborates closely with families to create spaces that are not only aesthetically pleasing but conducive to children’s learning and development. Drawing from her Early Years teaching background, experience as a mum of twins, and passion for interior design, she has transformed children’s playrooms into beautiful spaces for learning, unwinding, and creative exploration. 

1. Can you elaborate on what Educational Design is? 

 Educational Design is the combination of organisation, functional design and educational philosophies. It not only changes the aesthetics of a child’s space, but it can truly transform how a space feels and the productivity of how it is used. 

Everything we do at Hollie Mayes Educational Design centres around your children. We strive to create a home environment that is able to calm and stimulate children while encouraging independence and autonomy. 

 2. What inspired you to start Hollie Mayes Educational Design?

 I was an Early Years and Primary teacher for 15 years, but it was after becoming a mother to twins that my inspiration for Hollie Mayes Educational Design began. On my new journey through motherhood, through many playdates visiting my friends’ homes, I quickly realised that a teacher’s knowledge of how a child’s learning environment has a significant impact on their academic and social development, was not well known to parents. 

 Teachers are ever mindful of the power a child’s surroundings can have on their learning. The classroom environment is meticulously planned out to facilitate as many learning experiences as possible. As a mother, I feel it is imperative that this knowledge is shared with parents, and so we are striving to raise awareness about the many different environmental learning techniques that educational philosophies use, by creating beautiful and functional spaces for children to thrive in. 

3. How can the design of a space help children with core life skills? 

The first essential core life skill is, learning how to learn. This is what our school curriculums endeavour to do. We want our children to be confident young adults, entering the ‘big world’ with independence, critical thinking skills and the ability to tackle any problem that comes their way. 

For example, I have so many parents come to me and say, I want my children to be more independent in their play. Independence is a core life skill that children must learn. Being able to take your own initiative to fulfil your wants and needs is essential, and setting yourself up to achieve what you would like to do without relying on the help of someone else, gives children their own autonomy. 

Through the smart and thoughtful design of a child’s space, by choosing specific colour palettes, implementing toy rotations and planning transitional furniture layouts, we can encourage the skill of independence as well as many other core life skills. A well-planned learning environment can encourage children to push through boredom, self-regulate, develop fine and gross motor skills, work on problem-solving techniques as well as develop their concentration span. 

4. Why is it important to consider a playroom’s colour palette and which colours are the most conducive for play? 

It is extremely important to consider a playroom’s colour palette, as phycologists have proven that colours can influence mood, behaviours and creativity. Bright vibrant colours like red, yellow and blue can stimulate energy and enthusiasm, encouraging active play and imagination, perfect for a playroom. Softer, pastel colours can create a cosy and inviting atmosphere, suitable for calmer activities like reading or sleeping, which is perfect for a bedroom. 

Choosing paint colours, selecting the right wallpaper and designing age-appropriate furniture are integral to making a playroom transform from chaotic and over whelming to the perfect environment enticing your children to play and learn. 

Furthermore, many educational philosophies specifically use a calm and neutral background to let the work of the children stand out. And so, by creating the right harmony when balancing stimulating and soothing colours, the background to a child’s space can support a great variety of play and learning activities. 

5. In terms of Educational Design, what are your playroom staples? 

For me, not all toys and spaces for play are created equal. We like children to be powered by creativity rather than batteries. 

The first staple for me is a toy rotation system. This is facilitated by an organised environment. I often get told by parents that their children will only play with the same toys. Or they say to me they don’t really play with any of their toys and flit from one thing to another – often causing parents to go out and buy more, adding to the clutter of their play environment. 

A toy rotation system will make sure your child does not get overwhelmed or bored of seeing the same toy all the time. Children need to be able to push past boredom to delve into new play experiences. With a toy rotation system in place, children are able to be enticed to develop focus and concentration skills because suddenly that ‘old’ toy feels brand new again. 

My second staple is an inviting reading nook. Stories are the fuel to so many literacy skills that are used throughout your child’s life. My biggest piece of advice is not to over stuff a bookcase. It is not for book storage – it is to encourage little hands to pick up new and exciting texts. 

Thirdly, we like to make sure there is enough play top space for your child to enjoy their toys, puzzles, arts and crafts. I can’t tell you how many spaces I redesign with no tables where the only option to play on the floor, which is fine occasionally, but would you like to do your work on the floor all the time? Sitting at a table, on a chair the correct height for your child, will develop core strength and drastically improve letter formation learning and handwriting. This is why I say a carefully designed space really can develop core life skills. 

In addition, we like to add a vertical writing surface – like a magnetic white board/blackboard. I know that The Wallpaper Kids use magnetic wallpaper in their designs, this is one of my favourite features. When children write on a vertical surface it improves skills in engaging core strength, shoulder/elbow stability, pencil grasp, wrist extension, bilateral coordination, hand eye coordination and open-ended play. 

6. How can playrooms be designed to foster a love of reading?