Sophie and Trent's Place: Creating a colourful kids playroom on a budget

Out with the cats, in with the kids.

Sort of.

At Sophie and Trent’s place, three cats ruled the old sun room for years.

Quite happily, too.

Then came Seth and Teddy – the married couple’s two boys, now aged three and one.

They needed a place to play. A place to rule of their own.

It was never going to be a fair fight.

“We built them a cat run to make way for the boys,” Sophie tells Place Journal of the handover.

On her quest to show the world the best of South Australia on her uber-popular Instagram and TikTok page The Streets of Adelaide, Sophie’s message is simple.

Adelaide isn’t boring, you’re just not doing it right.

And as she embarked on this new project of creating a kids playroom on a budget, it must’ve been on her mind.

Because this space is anything but boring.

And they’ve done it just right.

The result is a kind of space where imagination runs wild and every corner tells a story.

“The inspiration was maximalist colourful fun,” Sophie explains.

Maximum fun on a minimal budget.

“We were originally going to do peel-and-stick tiles but they were so expensive,” Sophie continues on the process of bringing a striking new floor to life.

“Luckily one day I came across these soft play tiles on eBay - way more practical, fun and cheap.”

In next went the beautifully playful tree bookshelf - a whimsical structure that seems to grow right out of the soft-tiled floor to become the centrepiece of the room.

Straight from… *checks notes* … Costco.

Standing out amongst an array of children’s titles from Dillons in Norwood is Sophie’s favourite book about Adelaide - Night, night Adelaide - found by a friend in a local op shop.

Nearby, the boys’ favourite wooden toys from Forest Finds bask in the sun beaming through the windows.

See, Adelaide – anything but boring.

Neither are the adorable animal stickers from Gorman scattered across the walls.

The insurance worker by day handled 90% of the installation herself, though she was quick to delegate.

“Trent finished off the jobs I didn’t like,” she laughs.

But the most touching aspect of this transformation isn't the clever budget hacks or the Instagram-worthy aesthetic.

Trent is about to begin dialysis and the family faces uncertainty about his working future in the sand mine.

Hostile child takeover aside, this bright, joyful space represents something more.

A sanctuary of childhood wonder, crafted with love during a challenging time.

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Words: Jordan Pinto

Editorial styling/curation: Ashleigh Pinto

Photography: Shannon Wark for Place Journal

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