About Us | Ako Playrooms

Playrooms Designed by Educators, Built for Real Life

At AKO Playrooms, we blend developmental knowledge with interior design to create spaces that spark imagination, movement and connection - and look beautiful too.

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Steven de Bruin

Founder & Lead Designer

With over 12 years of experience in education, Steven is passionate about transforming how children play and learn at home. A former junior classroom teacher and literacy specialist, he led school-wide initiatives in play-based learning before founding Ako Playrooms. Inspired by redesigning his daughter Arlie’s play space during parental leave, Steven saw firsthand how intentional environments could support creativity, connection, and developmental growth. Today, he brings his deep understanding of child development and human behaviour into every design — creating play spaces that are as purposeful as they are beautiful.

The Ako Approach

Design with Purpose
We’re not just designers, we’re educators who understand how children grow through play. Every space we create is grounded in child development and educational best practice, making play meaningful, beautiful, and deeply enriching.
Transformational Play Spaces
We transform ‘almost there’ playrooms into purposeful spaces that spark imagination, support active movement, and invite curiosity. These are spaces that grow with your child and bring a little magic to everyday family life.
The Meaning of Ako
In te ao Māori, Ako means both to teach and to learn - a value that sits at the heart of everything we do. We work alongside families and children to co-create play spaces that nurture creativity, connection, and shared discovery. Mahi tahi, we do it together.
Organised by Design
A beautiful space only works if it works for your life. Our designs blend form with function, creating calm, structured spaces where kids know where things belong, and parents feel more at ease.
Aesthetic Integrity
We believe children’s spaces deserve the same design attention as the rest of your home. Our aesthetic approach is bold, considered, and playful. Always shaped by your personal style to create a space that feels cohesive, elevated, and uniquely yours.

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Designing for play, Learning & Life

At Ako Playrooms, we design spaces with a clear educational purpose. Every layout, feature, and zone is thoughtfully planned to support how children learn — through movement, creativity, independence, and imagination.

We start by understanding your family’s needs, then map out play zones that align with child development — from sensory exploration to active play, and everything in between. The result is a space that works beautifully and grows with your child.

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The Six Categories of Play

At Ako Playrooms, we design every space with balance and purpose. Our framework, the Six Categories of Play, ensures that children have access to a wide range of play experiences that nurture movement, creativity, imagination, problem-solving, and social connection. By weaving all six categories into a play space, we create environments that support whole-child development and give families confidence that their space is both engaging and thoughtfully designed for child development.

Motor Skills Play
Developing both fine and gross motor skills, this play type strengthens coordination, balance, and dexterity. Activities like climbing walls, cargo nets, and swings build large muscle control, while crafts, construction, and role-play refine hand–eye coordination and precision.
Art & Sensory Play
Combining creativity with sensory exploration, this play supports cognitive, social, and emotional development. Through painting, tactile materials, and hands-on sensory experiences, children build problem-solving skills, express themselves, and form deeper neural connections.
Small World Play
Encouraging imagination and storytelling, this type of play invites children to create miniature worlds using figurines, buildings, and props. It supports spatial awareness, narrative skills, problem-solving, and empathy — all while nurturing creative thinking.
Constructive Play
Focused on building and creating, constructive play includes blocks, magnetic tiles, and other hands-on materials. It enhances spatial reasoning, engineering thinking, and fine motor skills as children explore structures, balance, and design solutions.
Creative Play
From dramatic role-play to musical expression, creative play fuels imagination, confidence, and self-discovery. It strengthens language development, emotional intelligence, and artistic exploration — helping children bring ideas to life in playful, expressive ways.
Skills-Based Play
Through puzzles, books, and games, this structured play style strengthens problem-solving, logical thinking, and cognitive development. It lays the groundwork for academic success while fostering patience, focus, and self-control.