I talked a little bit the other week about organizing my kid's craft supplies, but my overall goal has always been to find a better playroom storage system. What is the best way to organize toys in a playroom?
It really all comes down to the space you have, the toys you have, and what will work best for you and your kids. We've all seen perfectly styled playrooms in magazines and Pinterest, right? But I think what we're all searching for is realistic toy storage. Hopefully, the following tips will help you figure out how to organize a play area in your home.
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| image: Manja Vitolic, unsplash |
Pinterest
Many years ago I read the book Cozy Minimalist, which talks about how to declutter your entire home and create a minimal style that works for you. One of the first things the author suggests is to make a Pinterest board for the room that you want to style. Just pin things that speak to you; don't worry too much about if you can pull it off or not. And then let those images guide you.
Here's the Pinterest board I created for the Playroom. You can see that I'm definitely interested in optimizing floor space and wall space. And my tastes in playroom storage range from traditional shelving units to the more multi-purpose, like this Recollections Hudson Rolling Cart that I kind of also want for my scrap room.
I'm also inspired by bright and colorful artwork, as well as specific "centers" for reading and arts & crafts. We have a window ledge in our playroom that I've always wanted to turn into a cushioned window seat for some reading time.
Brainstorm with Kids
While a Pinterest board that you've curated is a great place to start, Andrea Lozoya from Porch.com suggests including your kids in the brainstorming of the playroom design. If they're old enough to express their own interests and tastes, find out what kind of space they'd like to carve out for their imaginative play and creative pursuits. (You can find more tips for designing a playroom space in this Porch.com design guide.)
Furniture & Storage
When it comes to toy storage, there are so many choices out there. I've done playroom storage bins that are easy for my daughter to pull out and access what's inside. In an ideal world, each bin would be reserved for specific types of toys, but... as long as the bins aren't totally overflowing, I can let my ideal vision go. (And who am I to talk? Like I'm some kind of super clean person?)
Cube storage is also very popular, and Whitmor has a new Clip & Cube Collection available at select Meijer locations and Wayfair. You can customize your playroom storage units (or whatever room you're trying to organize), and everything is under $100. Tools are included for assembling the units, which are made from a smooth, durable wood grain laminate finish.
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| Whitmor Clip & Cube |
If you just need help corralling the small stuff or toy storage ideas for small spaces, IRIS USA has a variety of bins and trays in different sizes that would make perfect playroom storage units. One of my favorites is the Kids Carry-All Tote. Personalize it with the chalkboard label and use it to store art supplies, school supplies, and small games and toys. If your kid is anything like mine, she'll love carrying the tote from room to room, depending on where she wants to play. You can even bring it with you when traveling to easily keep travel toys contained and at-the-ready!
Flooring
Our playroom has carpet. Granted, it's old carpet, and we know that we're going to need to replace it eventually. It's that mindset that has made us very lax when it comes to spills. Yes, there are paint stains on our playroom carpet. And we're okay with that.
But if you're not, you might want to think about what you can put on your playroom floor that will be durable and easy to clean. Putting down a playmat underneath an art table, like this chevron one from Skip Hop, might be a good option to make it easy to wipe up paint, glue, and glitter spills.
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| wander & roam mat |
I also love these wander & roam one-piece reversible foam mats that come in really cool designs, such as antelope + stripe - greige, dash + diamond - blue, and ikat + stripe - navy. Unlike the Skip Hop playmat, you don't have to assemble these eco-friendly mats, which means there is less chance of somebody tripping on a piece of foam that's pulling up.
And if you're trying to create a special reading nook, maybe you place a cozy rug and bean bag chair near the books.
These, of course, are just a few playroom organizing hacks that I'm contemplating using as I embark on this organizational journey in 2021. If you use any of them, let me know and show me how you used them! And if you have other DIY playroom storage ideas, I'd love to check them out and see if they might be useful in my own playroom, so leave me a comment!
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