John Issa of Perimeter Architects oversaw the creation of the rope room in this Wicker Park abode, which belongs to client Brian Littleton—a bachelor with a young niece and nephew. "It posed tons of challenges," he recalls. "Designing with a material that has slack is more math than I care to tackle."

In the cockpit of their imaginary rocket ship, the kids tinker with a dashboard of dials, levers, and knobs assembled by artist Christophe Gauspohl.

Jasper and Maeve take five. One of their requests was for their dad to create a secret door to connect their bedrooms together.

Golden Age This poll about people’s perceptions of their ideal age revealed that “most people are very happy with their current age,” according to Domestic Data Streamers member Pau Garcia.

A folding glass NanaWall system "allows the clients to keep an eye on their kids while working in the kitchen," says Blaine, who dubbed the space the 'NanAtrium.' "It helps keep the kids safe and contained, and helps the family get back to enjoying life." A swing door provides easy in-and-out access when the glass wall isn't fully opened.

The pencil-themed desk and stool are by Pierre Sala.

Kids Playroom

Bill Thompson sits on his deck.

Pull-out storage is located under the bunk.

Vietnam-based firm Story Architecture designed this 1,259-square-foot home for a young family in Ho Chi Minh City’s District 7. In the light-filled atrium, a tree with a built-in climbing structure provides a unique indoor playground for the children.

Kidroom

The space under the staircase houses a Lego version of the John Hancock Center by New York artist Sean Kenney.

Salminen built the bunk beds out of birch, Finland’s most plentiful tree species, for the couple’s children.

Don't forget that toys are meant to teach children, as well as entertain them. They can easily be integrated into homeschool lessons.

Sosi gets into trouble beneath a colorful grid painted by her dad as a riff on the German painter Gerhard Richter.

A children's playroom on the ground floor.

The feel of natural materials on the skin can make a home comforting. A Colour Carpet by Scholten & Baijings for HAY, made with 100% New Zealand wool, defines the play area in the child’s bedroom of this house in Hamburg, Germany.

The children’s rooms, which are reserved for family and an extended network of friends, feature more custom Crasset-designed beds set against a vivid blue backdrop, courtesy of the French paint brand Zolpan.

In certain places, the scale of the home is adjusted for children. A standard door, covered in chalk-board paint, has a 48-inch-tall door set inside it.

The Stonorovs couldn’t find a crib they liked and that fit their budget, so Tolya custom-made Niko’s sleeper out of walnut plywood and 3form plastic circles laser-cut by East Bay Laser & Waterjet. Otto made the sliding changing table out of solid walnut. Worried that their dog, Oscar, was feeling neglected, he built a Japanese-style water and food dish for him.

Leo's new play-space has quickly become Eric's favorite part of the home. "It was one of the most simple projects to build, but the most satisfying to complete because of the look on Leo’s face when he first climbed inside and saw all his toys in HIS space," he notes.

Now three, Nate occupies coveted corner real estate in a third-floor room with a treetop-level view. “It’s a great space,” Casale says, “although it is the noisiest room in the house because of the street. But by now he’s so used to sleeping through all of the sounds, I don’t think it bothers him.” The brightness of the space is enhanced by an accent wall coated in fire engine–red chalkboard paint (Benjamin Moore Natura flat-finish paint in Vermillion mixed with unsanded grout) that Nate can scribble on—as soon as his parents get around to telling him that it’s allowed. A matching red pendant lamp from the Soho shop Kiosk hangs above a six-foot-tall teepee by Dexton Kids.

The architects’ two young children occupy this bright bedroom, furnished with Ikea beds. Another custom lamp illuminates the space.

The new below-grade playroom, with its wood EZ Play Jungle Gym, doubles as a bedroom and features a window that looks into the pool.

Baby Max’s bedroom (in his parents' Los Angeles A. Quincy Jones house) is outfitted with a Gulliver crib and a red PS cabinet, both from Ikea, as well as a Birds in Harmony mobile by Christel Sadde and Katsumi Komagata for the Museum of Modern Art Store. The custom “I brake for unicorns” neon sign is from Let There Be Neon, a shop in New York City.

The playroom, located in the original house, looks into the courtyard.

Source: Nicole LaMotte/Parachute

The second floor balcony has been reconfigured to create a series of flexible family spaces for play and work that surround the series of public spaces on the ground floor.