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In today’s age of iPads and mobile phones, old-fashioned ways of having fun are becoming obsolete. Pillow forts are a great group activity to not only have some fun, but to spend some quality time with your family. Not to mention, the best thing is that you can set it up quickly using just the pillows in your home. Today, we’ll take a look at how to build a pillow fort and some tips to make your fort bigger, stronger and more stable.
You don’t need to have kids around to enjoy a pillow fort either, you can get in touch with your inner child by having some fun once in a while – or plan a romantic date night in.
How to Build a Pillow Fort
First of all, you will need to find a nice, open space in your living room or basement where your fort can stand. Make sure there is enough space on all sides so that you do not bump your head or limbs when you move around. This will also ensure that you don’t accidentally knock over a side of the fort while getting in and out of it.
If the area on which you’re making your fort is not carpeted, you might also need some thick blankets or a mattress for the floor. The roof of your fort will also need to be covered with blankets.
Chairs and couches can also be used as support for the walls to make your pillow fort more stable. While you can technically stack up pillows or cushions to make your walls, you will need a lot of them and you might end up with a wobbly fort.
Step #1
Place two chairs on either side of your designated fort area. You can use four chairs if you want to make your fort bigger by using two chairs on each side. If you’re using a mattress for your fort floor, keep the chairs on either side of it instead of on it, as this could cause them to tip over.
Step #2
If you have a couch in your living room, you can use it as the back wall for your fort. This will give you three solid sides, leaving the front open for getting in and out of the fort.
Step #3
Now that you have the basic structure of the fort ready, it is time to use your pillows to soften the sides. Using soft pillows on the insides will give your fort that classic pillow fort quality. You can use sofa cushions or gusseted pillows on the sides because it’s easier to keep them standing up without too much support.
Step #4
Once you’ve covered the three walls of the fort with cushions and pillows, you can throw some more pillows on the mattress to make seating or lying down more comfortable. Down pillows are usually soft and perfect for these situations.
Step #5
Ensure that the walls are roughly the same height by adding extra pillows on the sides. A pillow fort in itself should have no hard surfaces.
Step #6
Once you’ve finished these steps, you have an open floor model of your pillow fort. All you need now is the roof that goes on top. For this step, you can use a weighted blanket if you have used strong supports like chairs and couches.
Step #7
If you have made your pillow fort without using any furniture and only used walls of pillows, you will need to use a thinner blanket. Otherwise, you might run the risk of one or more of your walls falling over because of the weight.
Step #8
Using multiple blankets, cover the entire roof of the pillow fort as well as the open front end. This will give your pillow fort a makeshift blanket door that you can pull back for entering or exiting.
How to Make a Pillow Fort More Interesting
The steps mentioned above are for a simple pillow fort that you can enjoy with your friends or family. However, there are a number of ways to make your pillow fort a lot more interesting. You might get bored of being in your fort if you do not add some extra features to it.
Lighting
If you’re making a pillow fort in your basement or if you’re using thick blankets, you will find that it can get really dark inside the fort. Using some string lights on the inner walls of the fort will give it a magical quality.
Screens
Using the front blanket door of the fort as an opening, you can either set up a TV in the fort or just bring in your laptop. Lying down comfortably in a pillow fort and watching a movie can be a beautiful experience.
Games
If you do not want to rely on technology for entertainment in your fort, you can always bring a few games in. Card games like Uno are very popular, and the best part about them is that they’re fun for all ages.
Decorations
Bring out your artistic side by bringing crafts inside your pillow fort. You can even use stickers, notes, string, and pins to decorate the walls of your fort. However, make sure that you do not damage your pillows in the process.
Bottom Line
Pillow forts are not just for kids. Sometimes even adults need to let loose and bring out their childish side to have fun with their family, and pillow forts can be a great way to get this done. We hope that this article has taught you how to build a pillow fort and have a great time with your favorite people.