I don't see any way to picture space use until the toys are gone.

Probably the first room in the home is not the best location for a toy room. Where else can the kids go? Toys in their room?

What do you really want to do in there? Sit in a comfortable chair to watch the kids play? Or sit on a loveseat/sofa with 2 kids to read them books? Or sit in there for a glass of wine and a good book after the kids go to bed?

" I hope there is another room for the adults to have a visitor or two without risking falling over the toys. Or the kid stuff can move to another room."

Why? The kids are surely more important than occasional visitors of any age. It's their home too. If this is the only room where they can play and also the only gathering room in the house, their play is much much more important for these next few years. In my home it is, anyway.

If visitors are offended by the evidence of my active, bright children then it's too bad for them. They can go, because the kids won't be made to feel inferior. When I know I'm having company, it is at a time of my choosing and I prepare the house accordingly with the help of the kids. Drop-ins are always welcome, but don't expect that my kids and their things will disappear for you. This seems to be an acceptable arrangement for our visitors.

We're only addressing the post honestly.

In my house, adults are in charge. Children are there, but they do not own the house. Toys go in cubbies, etc. After looking at the pictures, it appears as if the only chairs in the room are for children. Clearly adults not welcomed.

@Pam P I *think* your post is in response to the one I wrote, and I think possibly you thought I was the OP?

I agree that there needs to be an efficient way to corral the toys into some semblance of order. And that the room can be made into a pleasant place for adults and children alike.

I do *not* agree with the sentiment expressed that children and their activities should be tucked away in a bedroom so as not to inconvenience guests.

In these pictures I see a lot of toys put neatly on shelves or lined up around the room. Clearly an effort has been made to keep things tidy. It's a TOY ROOM. Of course the kids' needs come first. Maybe there are more toys than necessary. Purge purge purge.

I see a room with a lot of doors and a fireplace, difficult to lay out seating even without the pressure of being a toy room.

I also see a sitting room by the stairs that is meticulous, and a tiny peek at a dining room that is orderly too.

I see no clutter on the floors, no disorder in any room including the one in question.

The post is asking "how can I organize these toys? And how can I provide comfortable seating for the adults?"

Jumping on the OP for not having an organizational system and for allowing the children to "run the house" isn't the same as providing solutions. Let's empower parents of young kids with practical tips.

When you get a sofa and chair in there the space won't seem so big at all. And the kids need room to play, and you need room for traffic to circulate.

I could see you starting with an arrangement something like this...

Traditional Family Room · More Info

or this...

Bayswater Family Home · More Info

Hey, eliza909! I'm not a pro...just a Mom of 3 almost-grown kiddos who always arranged furniture in a way that worked for us. Sounds as though you have a vision in place, and simply need some cheering on. Here's what I did when my littles were little...If you don't have someone to help you with the heavy lifting, clear all the small stuff from the room, and grab some painter's tape. Outline where you want your loveseat/couch and chairs to go. Then fill in with your other furniture & kids' toys. Is that double doors or windows at the back of the room? If built-ins are something you don't want to budget for right now, you could use an old hope chest or long bench with baskets underneath to corral the toys in that area. If it were me, I'd keep the space as open as possible, and create 'zones' for play, art tables, reading, etc. Low shelves or cube storage flanking the fireplace will also help with storing all the stuff kids use.

Think about how you want to live in the space, and make it work for you and your family. Hope this helps and Happy Houzzing!

Eliza I'm a little confused as to why you think you will have too much space. Maybe if you post a floorplan someone can do a layout for you to show you how nicely the room will come together with a sofa and chair in it. I don't think there will be any such problem as too much space, and kids do need space for play. You just haven't reached train set or Lego age yet...

A quick and dirty sketch showing you a potential layout. My rendering shows the f/p too far to the right and proportionally too small. The toy shelves should each be at least as wide as the fireplace is.

I estimated your room at roughly 12x16-18 and I assumed the curtains are covering French doors. If they are covering windows you could put chairs or a sofa there, too.

Where I show a reading chair in the upper left corner, you could place the play tent. To me it looks like a good amount of walking/playing room, not empty at all.

Remember that this is not to scale.

Well it seems there are a few issues that need to be addressed here first. It looks like you need some storage, and we should have some dimensions of the room to be able to fully help. We also need to know what's behind the curtains. There is a possibility that you could do storage benches there. Then on each back wall do storage cabinets. This would be a good way to have adequate storage in the room. Then perhaps get a sofa and float it in the room facing the fireplace. You could then put chairs on each side of the fireplace facing the sofa. Or add a TV above a console on one side of the fireplace. These are all possibilities of course that might work in your space.

Florence Avenue: Living Room · More Info

Den Renovation · More Info