Welcome to the indoor playhouse – modern farmhouse style tour!

The basement is finally complete, and the kids were not excluded from the project.  Initially, I thought the kids would get the media room, but I soon realized that they would watch way too much TV if this was their home base.  It should be noted that the twins are almost 8 years old and very active.  So, my solution to accommodating them in the recent basement renovation was to build an indoor playhouse – modern farmhouse style for them to create memories.  Undoubtedly, this was my plan for reclaiming the media room in order to create a family movie night space.

While I had the contractor finishing up work in the basement, I inquired about building the kids a playhouse.  I showed them a picture of a basement playhouse for inspiration, and then agree to take on the new project.  Indeed, Her Tool Belt’s gorgeous farmhouse style indoor playhouse was the inspiration for the kids’ playhouse.

I marked the size of what I initially wanted using blue painter’s tape.  This was to get an idea of the size and for the contractor to use as a reference. 

Indoor Playhouse – How it Was Built

First, the contractor framed the entire space using 2x4s.  The 2x4s make the playhouse structurally sound.

Once the framing was complete, the contractor used the tongue and groove shiplap over the studs to create the walls for the playhouse.  Without a doubt, the playhouse was starting to look like a mini farmhouse.

Certainly, the kids wanted a couple of windows with a ledge, so the contractor used a 1×6 to create the ledge for the future lemonade stands.

Faux Metal Roof

In order to give the playhouse a faux metal roof, we using 1x8s and 1x2s to create this look.  The contractor used the 1x8s with the vertical 1x2s between them to give the look of a standing seam metal roof.  The metal roof, as you will see later, definitely turns the traditional farmhouse into an amazing modern farmhouse.

Most importantly, you can’t have a farmhouse with a gable roof.  This small gable roof was created using 2x4s and wooden fence posts to frame them.  Of course, we added wood singles using these shims from Lowes.  What a clever take on a cedar shake type roof.

Lastly, the contractor created an opening for the kids to pass through to the media room.  This opening connects to the kids’ hideout space that was initially meant for storage.  Of course, we acquiesced and gave them a secret room to play and create memories.

A Modern Look Using Black and White Paint

Once the contractor completed the actual structure, I took a weekend to paint the entire farmhouse.  This included filling the holes with wood putty, caulking, and sanding in preparation for the painting.  Surprisingly, it wasn’t too bad since the contractor primed all of the wood prior to installing the shiplap and pine boards.

As with many modern farmhouses, I selected Sherwin Williams’ Tricorn Black as the truest black for the faux metal roof. 

The actual faux siding (or shiplap) was painted using the existing Sherwin Williams white paint as the trim throughout the house.

Wooden Door Construction

Once the painting was completed, I selected some wooden fence posts to create a door for the playhouse.  The contractor sanded the posts and used a cross piece to join the boards together.  This door is reminiscent of an upgraded fence gate with a modern flare.

Indoor Playhouse – Interior Styling

It was now time to work on the interior of the playhouse.  My first order of business was to put together this Ikea play kitchen.  It was a very tedious process, but I managed to get it done without too much of a headache.

Secondly, I decided to install some peel and stick wallpaper!  I thought the pattern I chose would be easy to install since it was a lot of black dots.  Installing this wallpaper was probably the most difficult part of the entire playhouse. 

There are visible seams in the wallpaper; however, I was determined to hide them with some black and white art.  Most importantly, these fun pieces of art give the playhouse a very homey, lived-in feel.

The overall theme of the indoor playhouse is a summertime lemon theme. I curated a lot of the décor from Etsy, Pottery Barn Teen, and At Home. Of course, this indoor playhouse will get a Christmas makeover soon!

This gorgeous rug from Ruggish Co. is so perfect for playing with trains, Legos, and Hot Wheels.

Lighting DIY

Since the playhouse was an add-on, we didn’t plan additional lighting requirements for this specific area.  I wanted some light in this space, so I had my handyman install some wall scones.  Of course, they didn’t have power, so I used LED lights and DIY’ed them using Velcro.  That trick worked for about two days before they fell to the floor.  Meanwhile, I ran over to Amazon to purchase some rechargeable bulbs. The kids will only use the bulbs when natural light is not available.

I hope you enjoyed this indoor playhouse tour, and please check out my Instagram highlights to see how this little cute space was constructed.

If you want to see the rest of the finished basement, please check out the full tour here.