We have always organizerd our toys with plastic containers. Our first toy room had a closet with sliding doors (not walk-in), we removed the doors and used this for toy storage. We just lined the closet with 3 book shelves with shelves that could be rearranged. We lined most of it with plastic containers from Target (didn't use the lids). Then each container had a label...large legos, medium legos, wood puzzles, animals, people. Our last home we actually bought the storage systems from ikea. they are not "built-in." They work wonderful! I highly recommend open bins/containers for kids to easily access and clean-up. The wicker type containers (Pottery Barn, etc) are nice looking, but don't seem to hold up or clean up as well. Also, they will scratch the shelves/built-ins. Use as much for this toy storage as possible and don't be worried about building too high. They accumulate too many items/toys as they grow. I also love shelves that are too high for them to reach. This is wear I store board games, etc. thatI don't want them to reach by themselves. Also, older siblings like to have the higher shelves to "protect" their items from little brothers.

I guess it depends on what your kids are into. I don't have kids, but my hunch would be that it would be best to keep the permanent infrastructure of the room pretty simple so you can change it up over the years to suit their interests. You should probably make sure it's wired so they can have whatever technology they want our there in later years when all they do is play video games. (If they're like my husband, that means well into their 30s : ) I do have one cool idea, though, which sounds a little out there but bear with me: A stage/theater area where they could do performance-type stuff. You could have a raised "stage" area at one end of the room and/or one wall partially mirrored, maybe some cool lights, and there could be a big trunk or a clothes rack where they could have costumes and dress-up stuff. Later when they are older, they could do karaoke or those dance video games and stuff like that with their friends, or if they study dance or music or drama in later years they could practice there. I also think a playhouse area sounds neat. When I was in kindergarten, our classroom had different play areas that we rotated to every day. There was a playhouse area that all the girls fought over because it was so much fun. It had a kitchen area and pretend food, baby dolls, play clothes and an iron, etc. There was also a "construction" area that the boys loved. It had big blocks you could use to build walls and toy equipment, etc. I guess it would be crazy to have a sandbox in there since it's indoors?

I use a spring clamp to fasten sheets or blankets or throws to the bunk bed, the ladder, etc. I find that my kids' impromptu installations WILL be left out indefinitely, if I allow it. I can't stand it, for them to be up for a week (since it's in the LR, usually), but I allow them three days. THEN they are required to break it down and put it away. But honestly, the building of it is a huge chunk of the fun. And they don't usually play w/ it on day 3 at all, and sometimes not on day 2. What I *should* do is insist that there's a limit--12 Barbies, 12 stuffed animals, 3 Imaginext castles, or something. So that they don't spend ALL their time setting up and never getting to play.

Across the whole back wall I would build a deep shelf with an open bottom at table height. For now it will be good for parking ride on toys under and setting larger playsets like Little People, Barbie, and Hot Wheels. You can add a couple of baskets to catch miscellaneous small toys. I like to group them by people/animals, cars, etc. Later, it will serve as the perfect place to stand and build with Lego, and finally when they are Middle/High School age you can create a study area there. Under the window you can place a bookshelf, and use a sofa floating in the room facing the toy shelf to divide the play area from your work space.