Storage for toys which will look nice

last year

last modified: last year

Any ideas what to replace this shelving with?

We need storage mainly for kids toys - I’d love drawers where they can easily open and put things in - and place where we can put wallets, keys etc when walking into the house from garage.
Would not mind some extra storage for kitchen items. Maybe even display but this is secondary.

Door leads to a mud room (with laundry and storage) and garage. Space is a kitchen - family room combo mainly used as a playroom.

Open shelving in our household collect clutter and end up mess in no time.

Kids are 4 and soon to be 2.

This shelving was a temporary solution as we had no other space for them and needed storage but it just annoys me how messy they always are.

I thought about a console / accent cabinet type with some open shelving (but see the concerns above) or a mirror. Another option is to do a buffet / hutch / bookcase but wonder if it will overpower the room.

Featured Answer

PRO

Patricia Colwell Consulting

last year

My Dad built a really cool bench padded on top for our LR when we were living in married student housing , small space 3 kids. The bench had 3 bins underneath with wheels and a leather srtap on each the kids played in the LR all day and when supper time came they had to pick up the toys so we could have a nice LR at night. They pulled the bins out filled them and back they went under the bench that also gave us extra seating.I was a great idea and have passed it along to our grandkids .

Comments (14)

WestCoast Hopeful
last year
I don’t think that’s the spot for toy storage. You should put a unit on the other side of the door and make it lower and linger vs tall and narrow. Ikea has one that could work well. Then put all the kid stuff in bins that aren’t see through and they stay hidden and cleaned up
Related Discussions
Toy Storage Idea for You
Q
Comments (4)
Thanks Happymommy - we are having a heck of problem with toys ALL OVER THE HOUSE! We built a "toy room" and realized much too late that the dream of having our youngsters play in the dedicated toyroom (even if there's a TV in there) is just that - a dream. We have turned the toyroom into a storage room for toys and everything else. We tried to be very realistic about our lifestyle when planning the house but this is one that we missed.
...See More
Toy Storage Solutions
Q
Comments (14)
I remember that phase. We had toys in every room of the house. They need to be where you are so you can watch them though, so that means you may have to have toys in your living room or kitchen or anywhere else. Hang in there. They'll eventually get old enough so that you can say "no toys in the living room" when you need to keep it clean. The good news is, with twins they will soon be content to stay back in their bedroom and play with each other. My twins are 10 now and didn't cling to my pant leg for nearly as long as their older sisters. They're so much more independent. We have a walk-in toy closet now with shelving all the way up. I keep toys with lots of pieces (like legos) up high so they have to ask to play with them, that way I can make sure they have the last thing put away first. I never thought I would be able to get my kids to stick to a one-thing-at-a-time rule but I did somehow. We have toys sorted in tubs and they've learned that they have to put away one tub to get out another. It doesn't work perfectly but I can walk across their bedroom floor MOST of the time. lol When my twins were toddlers, I just had a couple of big laundry baskets to keep toys in that were in the living room. They're light and easy to carry room-to-room and easy to carry back to their bedroom. I need better storage though. Wish we had an ikea store here. I'm always reading about things people have found there.
...See More
bookcase for toy storage? scale?
Q
Comments (14)
We have the Linden Street toy storage from JcPenney for our 6 yo son. You can create your own with a combination of cubbies, drawers and shelves. The drawer is nice for stuff you want out of site. I put bins in some the cubbies and left other cubbies bare for books and display. I also display on the top. It's a create-your-own type of modular system: http://www.jcpenney.com/jcp/X6E.aspx?GrpTyp=ENS&ItemID=1b28160&DeptID=83422&CatID=83498&SO=0amp;Ne=949+5+877+8+18&NOffset=2&shopperType=G&N=4294930662&Nao=0amp;PSO=0amp;bcCat=3&cmAMS_T=XGN3&cmAMS_C=MERCHA&cmAMS_Z=XGN3TOPOFRESULTS&CmCatId=83422:83498 and http://www.jcpenney.com/jcp/X6E.aspx?Grptyp=ENS&ItemId=1ad21db&cmOrigId=1b28160&cmTypeFlag=RichRel&cmCatID=83422:83498 Just thought I'd share. If you like, you could design something like this on your own.
...See More
Dining Room to Play room - non-kidsy temporary toy storage
Q
Comments (54)
We did go with Ikea, the expedit. I LOVE them! I keep bugging DH to go back and get a couple more for our basement. I think they are great storage. I did think about using some of my DR furniture for storage and keeping it, but I just didn't think it would work for me. There are doors they make for the Expedits and some people paint them. There are amazing pics all over pinterest. I saved some to my playroom board and have it linked below, but there are so many good ideas. Here is a link that might be useful: Playroom pics
...See More
ikmsrd23
Original Author
last year
@WestCoast Hopeful. Can’t put anything on another side of the door - there are kids mats and jungle gym so won’t be safe. I can put storage next to bathroom and move play kitchen in this corner. To clarify - I am not looking for something which looks like toys storage. Why do you think the spot is not working? What would you put in it instead?

@Patricia, I think I have an idea what you are taking about. Probably won’t do wheels (as my kids would abuse it and use it for climbing) but otherwise would work
WestCoast Hopeful
last year
Can you take pics of the actual space? I used your floor plan for reference. The tall storage unit isn’t lid friendly and looks unsafe and messy. I think the space is right and not suitable for a storage area.
PRO
Patricia Colwell Consulting
last year
BTW the wheels had some kind of lock on them not sure what they were we just unlocked at toy put away time. The wheels were actually casters.
ikmsrd23
Original Author
last year
last modified: last year
Oh. Locks may work

Here are a few more photos of the space from another angle and what I thought about (not those pieces but style).

to add, I am not married to keeping play kitchen where it is now - I can move it to their bedroom/playroom combo we are putting together or instead of a second shelbes unit So storage can go tnere and the corner next to garage door be a bench / something else
kl23
last year
All my kids' toys were stored in their bedrooms, and they didn't have more toys than they could fit in their bedroom closet and a toy box. They could bring them to any room in the house or outside during the day. They were all put away again at night. Any toys I found left out after bedtime were confiscated for a couple of months. They spent time with each other and with their parents instead of playing alone. I asked them recently if I didn't provide them with enough toys growing up, and they laughed and assured me they had plenty of toys. Just a different perspective.
J C
last year
Back when I was 5, I had a large old cedar chest to fill with my toys, to keep out of the way. Being a boy it was easier to just clean up, with out disarray. It was large enough to use as a table for activities, and served many years... going from toy storage, to storing cloths, winter items, and blankets. Now that I am older, I wish I could have taken it to college... as I had it until then. Proof well made furniture will serve a purpose longer than what is simple and made to be tossed as consumable.
ikmsrd23
Original Author
last year
K L thank you. We just moved them to the same room which is large enough to have space for toys / play area and I moved most toys there. Maybe I’ll enforce the same rule now. I usually take toys away/ rotate but was harder when they were interested in different-age toys

JC yes I’ve been thinking that maybe a trunk or a chest for toys. There are bins / ikea storage in their room but that works better for Lego/sortable
littlebug zone 5 Missouri
last year
Build a custom cabinet to fit exactly, same height as the existing doors.

The top 2-3 shelves should be open for adult (keys, handbag, etc) storage but the rest should be enclosed with doors. Kids toys would then be out of sight.
PRO
BeverlyFLADeziner
last year
Maybe a round cylinder element to hold toys
RTHawk
last year
last modified: last year
You need to consider 2 things: 1) how the 4-year old and the 2-year old will reach the toys and also, put them away -- this means low storage, and 2) how they can easily see where things are -- this means transparent containers
marmiegard_z7b
last year
Custom is an option.

I wouldn’t use anything tall at all unless you’re bolting it to the wall for safety.
First, the kids’ toy storage will be limited to floor height & about one shelf up. Top of that also if that’s their territory. As in, use ground level, then 12-14 “ up, and 12-14 “ above that. So I wouldn’t be envisioning a large amount of storage there. So you might really narrow down which type of toys and amounts, deserve space there.

I can’t see putting important adult objects on same place as toys. But you could install upper separate floating shelf or hooks on wall above. Yet, many kids would take that as a climbing challenge.

So you could see if one of those 4- cube ( 2x2 cubes) units fits there. I do get tired of the canvas cubes or baskets, but that design does work for kids. Clear is good, but they can be “ opaque “ and you can print a nice simple photo of the contents( blocks, cars, etc) and kids will manage that.
Or an open low shelf unit just the width of the space there, and then you have more flexibility in containers.
I don’t think small kids do as well pulling out wider drawers- and won’t organize contents therein- which is why I don’t especially recommend a furniture- type drawer unit , although I’m not saying it’s wrong- but drawers would need to have really good smooth action, I think and expect kids to just toss things in randomly.
kl23
last year
I'm glad you like the idea. I have to admit it wasn't my idea to confine toys to the kids' bedrooms. I grew up that way. My poor mom picked up our things and placed them just outside our rooms and then scolded us. No fun for anyone. My fun addition was the confiscation of toys that weren't put away. And that didn't start until the painful Legos on the kitchen floor. So I don't think it's too late to start implementing the plan. I blamed it on the "kitchen fairy" so it was a little more fun. She also took away the cats' toys once in awhile, and some of my own things. How I wish I could go back to the days when my kids believed everything I said, and I could create a safe, happy fantasy world for them. They were and are the best part of all my life.

The only toys we had in the rest of the house were the games we all played in the family room or dining room. I've never seen a kid choose a toy over time with a parent. A parent's time is as priceless as it is rare, because parents have so much going on, and it only gets more so as they age. I don't know where anyone finds the energy, or where I did... :-)