Smart Playrooms
PHOTO CREDITS: JANE BEILES
NAME:
Karri Bowen-Poole
CATEGORY:
Playroom Design
WEBSITE:
www.smartplayrooms.com
INSTAGRAM:
@smartplayrooms
BASED IN:
Rye, NY
About
Smart Playrooms is a full service Premier Educational Playroom Design Company offering virtual and onsite designs to families everywhere.
As the Founder and CEO of Smart Playrooms, Karri Bowen-Poole has spent the last 10 years revolutionizing the way children learn and play with her innovative and educational playroom design services. Her intentional and ground-breaking approach has landed her in the homes of A-list celebrities and families who are looking to change the way their kids learn and play at home.
Before starting Smart Playrooms, Karri had been teaching and working with children for over 10 years. After receiving a Master’s Degree in Education, she worked as a teacher at private schools throughout the tri-state area including the Buckley School and the Nightingale-Bamford School in NYC, Greenwich Academy and the Stanwich School in Greenwich. Karri recognizes the profound impact the playroom has on children’s behavior and how they interact, learn and play.
“I’m passionate about creating playrooms that are fun, educational and inspirational by combining my educational expertise with my love of design.”
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Interior Design - Design/Build
Interior Design - Design/Decor
Playroom Design
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Fairfield County
Litchfield County
New Haven County
Westchester County
New York City
Hamptons
Vacation Homes
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Q&A
What is your motto as a playroom designer?
Keep It Simple. Keep It Educational. INSTALL MONKEY BARS! I believe less is more. Be more intentional about choices. Creative, successful, functional designs are more about being thoughtful than spending a lot of money. Really think through what you will use the space for, how it will grow with your kids and then how to maximize the space so everyone can use it. And donate anything that your kids have outgrown.
I am so passionate about monkey bars and I use them in almost every playrom I design. I am known as the MONKEY BAR DESIGNER! Monkey Bars are everything in the playroom…they provide a real challenge for kids, sensory and vestibular input and also take up no room in the playroom as they are on the ceiling. They are the perfect addition to every playroom.
What are the key ingredients that go into making a playroom “smart?”
A Smart Playroom is an educational, child-centered playroom that:
Combines interior design principles with functional organizational systems.
Understands child development and what kids need
Is customized to the ages and interests of your children
Nurtures and encourages independent, open-ended and creative play
What people, places, or things inspire you?
European and Scandinavian design fascinates me and impresses me as their use of colors are so perfect for children. I am so fond of subtle neutrals with pops of colors, like grays and whites with a pop of green, teal or orange.
Meet Interior Designer Karri Bowen-Poole