Eight homes that put fun first

Scandinavian Deck by Leo Qvarsebo and photographed by Lindman Photography
Author: Houzz

Everyone likes to play – it’s one of the most cross-cultural, intergenerational activities in the world. But everyone likes to play in their own way. Let’s see what fun means for the owners of these houses across the globe, which all show how a property can be transformed into a playful place for people of all ages. Will you, perhaps, be tempted to climb an indoor wall, bounce in a giant net or skateboard across a room? Check out these fun spaces, then start planning your own.

1. Playful Summerhouse in Sweden

Location: Dalarna, central Sweden
What’s fun here: Playful elements such as a rope that helps you climb to different levels of the roof, where the views are breathtaking
Who lives here: An architect, his wife and their children, plus assorted family members and friends as summer guests
Architect: Leo Qvarsebo

When Leo Qvarsebo finished his architecture degree, he wanted to build something for real rather than submit entries to various competitions, as so many young architects do. The result is this summerhouse, which he designed and built from scratch using mainly recycled and cheaply sourced materials, with help from family and friends.

The house fulfills the three main criteria Qvarsebo wanted in a vacation home: a bedroom with a panoramic window, to allow for lying in bed and watching the August thunderstorms; a room completely dedicated to reading; and a kitchen big enough to cook up a feast for guests.

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2. Faux Jungle in New Zealand

Location: Springlands, near Blenheim, in the Marlborough wine region of New Zealand’s South Island
What’s fun here: A living room with a decidedly jungly mood
Who lives here: Interior designer Alex Fulton and her husband, Jeff; daughters Isla, 11, and Violet, 10; and dogs Daisy the Jack Russell Terrier and Moo the Italian Greyhound
Architect: Alex Fulton Design

Four walls of tropical Arte wallpaper – plus sofa upholstery to match – envelop the Fulton family’s living room in lush greenery. The ‘Jungle Room’, as they call it, is filled with everything from a faux tiger rug and blow-up monkeys to a collection of animal heads arranged above and around the fireplace.

Despite being a Virgo who admits to liking order, Alex is a huge collector. She sourced her menagerie of animal heads from holidays, party shops and Instagram leads: “It’s reached the stage where people now point them out to me,” she says.

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3. Indoor Climbing Wall in Spain

Location: Hortaleza district, Madrid, Spain
What’s fun here: Climbing up to 10 metres without leaving the house
Who lives here: A family that includes two children
Architect: Playoffice

In this contemporary home, every level is set back from the large windows of the home’s facade, forming indoor ‘verandahs’. This means there’s free space between the windows and the floors, space that was ripe to be turned into a play area.

The house was initially designed by architect Javier Calvo, but Playoffice was commissioned to give it a fun feel, as it’s located in the middle of the city and the kids have nowhere to play outside. The team exploited the space behind the windows to install a climbing wall, which rises through the three levels of the house.

On the third level, the wall spreads across to a playroom that holds ropes, mats, nets and all sorts of gymnastic equipment. Winters in Madrid can be quite cold and children tend to play indoors. But these two kids love climbing indoors so much, they now train outdoors too.

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4. Candy-Bright Kitchen in Denmark

Location: Ikast, central Denmark
What’s fun here: Unusual and colorful wallpaper in the kitchen
Who lives here: A family
Designer: Farvehuset Ikast

This quirky wallpaper attracts a lot of attention! The colour might be a bit bright for some, but this family definitely went for a fun approach. Danish kitchens are typically white and very simple: Wallpaper aside, this one is white with a touch of black on the frames of the doors to the terrace. The wallpaper is a daring break from that minimalist look.

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5. Big Playground in Germany

Location: Hamburg, Germany
What’s fun here: Children’s room that’s also a full-scale playground
Who lives here: A family that includes three children
Designer: Pascal Snoeck of Snoeck & Co.

Oh, what happy kids must live here. This is the room of three boys, ages 3 to 6. Its 85 square metres holds relaxing, quiet spots as well as fun ones, such as this slide. The boys sleep here as well, in beds on different levels of their very own playground.

During the planning, Snoeck laid out the room on a 1:1 paper ground plot so he was sure it would work. The colours, however, he chose and applied on site, once he had a sense of the room. The structure is built of HPL-coated MDF and the desks are coated with chalkboard paint – so even homework should be fun.

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6. Indoor Skate Park in the United States

Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota
What’s fun here: Skating indoors and becoming a home skate pro
Who lives here: Three brothers – Will, 7, Ben, 9, and Jack, 11 – and their parents
Designer: Ronda Brandvold of WB Builders

Minneapolis winters can be tough. On January 6, 2014, the wind-chill in the Twin Cities region hit a bone-shattering -48 degrees Fahrenheit (about -44 Celsius). Not the kind of weather for three young boys who love to go out skateboarding in town.

So when it came time to design their new home, designer Ronda Brandvold and her husband, Tim, who’s a lead project manager at WB Builders, decided to create a custom skate park in their basement where the boys could shred all year long.

The masonite structure has rails for grinding and ramps for jumping and doing tricks. The 2.7-metre ceilings provide generous head room for catching some air. Custom skateboard and helmet racks hold boards, while a half-wall ensures that runaways don’t careen into the walls of the surrounding bedroom and bathroom.

Open trusses, unfinished concrete walls and graffiti art done by one of the boy’s friends help create a street vibe. “There was a strong intent to keep the park industrial and a bit urban,” Ronda says. But make no mistake: The skate park isn’t just for the kids. “You can also occasionally find their dad ripping it up,” Ronda says.

Wall colour: ‘White Dove’, Benjamin Moore; carpet: Pacificrest; windows: Marvin Integrity

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7. Climbing Frame Storage Cupboard in Russia

Location: Moscow, Russia
What’s fun here: Big storage unit for toys is also a playground, room divider and gym
Who lives here: A young family that includes two children
Designer: Ruetemple

The owners of this home are creative types who can’t stand typical design. That’s why most of the furniture in their home is built-in and custom-made.

The ideas for the kids’ room changed throughout the construction process. “We started from ‘just a rope bridge for a small kid’ and finished with a modular room divider and two loft beds,” says architect Alexandr Kudimov.

The unit divides a 18-square-metre room in two. The spiral staircase contains plenty of storage space for toys, with containers fitted inside every step. On the upper, rope-bridge level, you can see a lot of hooks; they’re ready for future sports equipment, such as a punching bag, swing or climbing rope. It means the space can adapt to the kids as they grow.

The construction is sturdy: The divider is made of veneered metallic pipes covered in panels that were then painted. This bright yellow is the only colour the mum wanted.

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8. Bouncy Play Tower in Australia

Location: Alphington, near Melbourne, Australia
What’s fun here: Bouncing around on a giant net suspended near the ceiling
Who lives here: A couple and their twin boys
Designer: Andrew Maynard Architects

It’s no work and all play in this studio-cum-study-cum-crazy playroom. Making the most of the vertical space in a ‘tower’ addition to the home, a giant net – reached from the ground floor by a set of steps – hangs over desk space and built-in shelving. The safety netting is attached wall-to-wall and is strong enough to hold a host of climbers who want to read, bounce or keep a lookout from up high.

The tower extension was the 8-year-old boys’ idea. They drew it up on a piece of paper and presented it to their parents and architect Andrew Maynard, who was helping the family renovate and extend their weatherboard house. The tallest of a series of newly constructed buildings that fit together like Meccano, the tower transforms the home’s profile without overpowering the streetscape.

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