How They Pulled It Off: A Sophisticated But Kid-Friendly Climbing Wall

A graphic pattern and minimalist color palette make the double-height play feature fit in with the stripped back interiors of a renovated Philadelphia carriage house.

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Kate Reggev

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Welcome to How They Pulled It Off, where we take a close look at one particularly challenging aspect of a home design and get the nitty-gritty details about how it became a reality.

Architect Juliet Whelan of Jibe Design had designed a few health- and wellness-related spaces throughout her career. But she had yet to design a kid-friendly climbing wall—that is, until she started working with a family of four (Kelly, Aalap, and their twin girls) in Philadelphia’s Fairmount neighborhood to renovate their historic former carriage house. "Kelly wanted the home to be calm and simple, but also welcoming and playful for the girls," says Whelan.

The former carriage house is located in Philadelphia’s Fairmount neighborhood on a block with other historic carriage houses. The two-unit home has four bedrooms and six bathrooms across its three stories and 4,200 square feet. — The former carriage house is located in Philadelphia’s Fairmount neighborhood on a block with other historic carriage houses. The two-unit home has four bedrooms and six bathrooms across its three stories and 4,200 square feet.

The two-unit home had previously been renovated, and was in excellent condition. But "the finishes were heavy," explains Whelan, and Kelly, a graphic designer, is "a true minimalist." So early on in the project, a color palette was established: white, black, and pale green, with bright pops of color in subtle and surprising places like inside cabinets and drawers.

The climbing wall is located on the only double-height space in the home, on the third floor near the kitchen.

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Pops of color were included throughout the home, including on the inside of a niche that was specially sized for the girls’ two cellos.

The scope of the renovation involved stripping out and simplifying finishes and lighting in nearly all rooms, plus enlarging the windows on the first floor and collaborating on furniture selections and the design of several custom pieces throughout the home.

Aalap, who had originally suggested the idea of the climbing wall, was equally committed to creating a fun haven for the children. "But he was also inspired to create bold, exciting design moments—he wanted the home to be a piece of art," says Whelan.

The twins, Olivia and Sonia, are incredibly active—playing the cello, skiing, and rock climbing. During the design process, Aalap suggested the construction of a climbing wall for the kids. In search of a space with as much verticality as possible, Whelan identified a double-height wall outside the kitchen on the third floor as a potential location.

The couch in the living room is from Cassina, and the dining chairs are from B&B Italia. The dining table is from West Elm, and the standing lamp is from Juniper Design.

Kelly, however, was concerned that climbing walls often looked clunky and gimmicky, and might not work with her minimalist vision for the home. "The typical climbing wall is childishly playful in bold primary colors," says Whelan. But she was convinced that she could develop a design that would feel sophisticated yet fun, with a black-on-black panels in a graphic pattern against a white wall. After doing some research, Whelan proposed a hexagonal wall panel from Eldorado Climbing that created an abstract design. Kelly and Aalap immediately agreed.

The renovation of the home involved stripping out and simplifying finishes in nearly all rooms. The kitchen cabinets, which were in good condition, were retained but painted.

How they pulled it off: A sophisticated climbing wall

The climbing wall kit comes from supplier Eldorado Climbing. They have several wall panel options in different shapes and styles, including DIY and custom options.
Each panel comes with a frame that ranges in how far it projects from the wall; flat frames sit closest to the wall, while box- and wedge-shaped frames project farther out.
The panels are attached to the wall with epoxy bolts; Whelan had concerns about the strength of the original brick wall, so rather than bolting the panels directly to it, they attached to a plywood-reinforced stud wall covered with Sheetrock in front of the brick.
"Generally internal walls don’t have much in the way of lateral forces on them," says Whelan. "But once you start hanging children off a wall, you need to strengthen it for irregular sideways loading."

Like the rest of the home, the minimalist color scheme of black and white with pops of color continues in the primary bedroom. This bedroom with its en suite bathroom was originally located on the second floor, but Kelly and Aalap decided to move their bedroom to the third floor and give the girls the second floor.

To address potential safety issues, portable crash pads that would soften falls were recovered in a pale green Xorel, an ecologically sustainable and easily cleanable fabric. When they’re not in use, the pads—which are about three-by-four feet folded over—are hung on the wall in the parent’s bedroom on the third floor.

The standing desk and shelves in the study are custom built by Hive Mind.

For Whelan, one of the key aspects of the project was creating a home that was restrained and yet exuberant. "Kelly chooses carefully and if she can do without, she will. But we also pursued an exuberant undercurrent," she notes. Moments like bright accents of color inside drawers, a super-plush rug that invites active play, and the rock wall show that a fun space doesn’t have to mean resorting to kitsch or primary colors. "I don’t believe that design for children has to be childish," she says. "Kids will find the fun no matter what a thing looks like."