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5 Amazing Playhouse / Playset Makeovers!

June 29, 2017

When we shared our plans for our own backyard play area a couple days ago, and subsequently the initial renderings of how we'd like to paint/makeover the playset we have headed our way--I made the mistake of saying that there's not a lot of great inspiration out there for good-looking outdoor kids' spaces. While there may not be a lot, there is definitely amazing inspiration out there that we are taking notes from and I'm excited to share five of favorite jaw-dropping makeovers today. (Quick note: There are bloggers and people out there that have done an incredible, inspiring job at building/designing play structures and houses from scratch--Elsie Larson, Emily Henderson and The Handmade Home come to mind immediately!--but for this post, I wanted to focus on makeovers that have been done to ready-made playhouses and playsets.)

1. Winter Daisy's Scandinavian Wooden House Makeover

Apparently, Melissa had this budget-friendly playhouse for three years before she decided to give it a facelift--and it's hard to believe it's the same house!

I'm obsessed with all the details she added. The warm pastels, chalkboard details and gold trim all pop on the freshly painted white backdrop. And the little minty dutch door? So good! See more photos here.

2. @Janscarpino's Labor of Love "Man Cave"
Instagrammer, Jan Scarpino, started with this orange-y wood Cedar Summit Canyon Ridge playset from Costco (why are they ALL that color?!) and over the course of a week, her and her husband completely transformed the eyesore into eye candy. She said it took a lot of love and sweat and, as an outsider who didn't do an ounce of the work, I can 100% say it was worth it!

3. Kirsten Krason's Budget-Friendly Dream Playset
Kirsten, the interior designer behind House Of Jade Interiors, put a lot of her grand and expensive ideas on hold for more practical things--including all the beautiful white playsets that were out of budget. She didn't let that stop her from giving this budget friendly set a makeover--by hand, after her paint sprayer went kaput!! Even though she is sure she has carpal tunnel, she still says it was worth it. I couldn't agree more. See more photos here.

4. Freckles Chick's Playful Little Plastic Playhouse
Paint jobs aren't just for wooden playhouses, I love this simple one done by Freckles Chick on this plastic playhouse! I see these all the time at yard sales or online going for under $50 or even free! Grab a couple of good cans of spray paint (look for the kind that adheres to plastics with a built-in primer) and you're golden.
5. Momma Society's Palm Spring's Playhouse
Some white paint over this $400 playhouse, and accessories from mostly Ikea and Target made this transformation not only sunny, but really affordable! And if that was real lemonade being made--I'll take 10! See more photos here.

Pretty incredible, right? I'm sure there are more outstanding ones I'm missing. If you, or someone you know, tackled a playhouse/playset makeover--we'd love to see! Leave a link in comments so we can all check it out.

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  1. I love the idea to paint the playhouses. They all look like completely different houses and more upscale. I would have never thought to paint the plastic one especially. I can't wait for Christmas to roll around, so I can get one of these for my daughter. She is going to love it and I will love that it is painted to match our outdoor decor so much better.

    What paint did you use on the Freckles Chick’s Playful Little Plastic Playhouse?

  2. Thank you so much for this post! We've considered painting the play set that was already at our house when we moved in, but I had trouble finding examples of people actually painting a cedar set white. So much inspiration!!

    I was wondering what sort of prep work will be required before painting. Like, do I have to sand the whole thing down? If you run into any specifics on actually carrying this out, give us an update please!

  3. So sweet! For those not willing to paint a playhouse (that would be me, ha!), it's worth noting that the orange stain fades considerably within a couple years. That said, it needs to be re-stained every few years anyway to protect against the weather, so maybe it's worth going ahead and painting it. It took us forever just to put our wood play set together (you'll probably get it done a lot faster, though!)...and I've thought about re-staining it a neutral color when the times comes, but I wouldn't paint it white, just because our white porch swing and rocking chairs show so much dust and grime and need wiping down every few days. You could use your gel stain on the play house like you did on your swing! I liked the rendering you did with the grey, too. Can't wait to see the entire finished space!

  4. WOW! I honestly have never given much thought to re-designing play sets, but holy cow! These are so awesome it's hard to pick a favorite! With your creativity, I am sure you guys will do something amazing! Man, your girls are so lucky ;)

  5. My parents made my playhouse when I was a kid and designed it to match our own house - just a mini, simpler version. They were re-doing the outside of our house at the time, so they used the leftover stone and paint to make mine "match." I absolutely loved that basically-a-pretty-square-box!

  6. Those are some amazing transformations. I think customizing a playset not only makes it look better but it makes it that much more special for your children as well. A true labor of love that they will remember long after they've outgrown it!

  7. Ok. This post just opened my eyes! I had never thought of giving a total DIY refresh to a ready made playhouse. I'm a simple thinker. Ha. Wow. These are gorgeous!! People constantly amaze me with their creativity, design and excecution.

  8. The #3 playhouse above kills me, it's so good! It even made the plastic green slides look better! YES! I hope you do something really huge like this to make it blend with your home. I think they leave it cedar color because it's...cedar. But paints and products have come such a long way for durability in the elements, I think it's a no-brainer to take a little time to customize an "off the shelf" playset. I can't wait to see this in-ground trampoline thing too...how this is constructed and installed will be so interesting to see!

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