These Hacks for Hiding Clutter and Toys in Your Home Are Genius
When you were a kid, either your toys were tucked in toy box, strewn throughout your home, or relegated to the basement. But now that you're all grown-up with kiddos of your own, making the most of playthings is a considerable design challenge. The best decorators look to textured bins, concealed spaces, roomy baskets, and ingenious built-ins. Ahead are the smartest toy storage solutions for sporty kids, arty kids, or those that love playing dress-up.
In designer Lauren Behfarin's New York City playroom, colorful bins in natural fibers provide a low-key catchall for stuffed animals and balls.
Architect Lee Mindel was inspired by the simplicity of a Scandinavian schoolroom when designing the Manhattan loft of the family of Claude Arpels and Winsome Brown; the children's room features custom-made bunk beds with built-in shelves, Ikea bedding, and a birch-veneer table and chair by Alvar Aalto.
In Positively Oakes desert-themed playroom, a wall-to-wall window seat doubles as an easy-access bookshelf for color-coded tomes.
The Home Edit advocates for stackable boxes to house markers and paints; a wooden carousel safely houses scissors.
This wooden house shelf (similar to this one by Pillowfort) is a cute way to display books and odd-shaped toys.
Clear, labeled bins make it easy for kids to clean-up precisely (and quickly).
In this art room by The Home Edit, play food is color coded and sorted into wire bins as wall-mounted shelves make room for low-profile boxes of art supplies.
A closet by The Home Edit makes use of big floor baskets perfect for odd-shaped toys like trucks and musical instruments.
A sectioned carousel from The Container Store is a great spot for markers and crayons.
Woven storage baskets from the Container Store give a closet storage space a unified feel.
This bushel basket on wheels allows children to neatly cart toys from room to room. (It's also easy to roll and stash way when little ones go to sleep.)
Wall-mount shelves provides low-profile storage for books, and also works as an easy piece of artwork.
In a minimalist Tribeca loft, floor-to-ceiling shelving houses toys as built-in desks provide study space for older kiddos. A unified black and white palette keeps the look particularly clean.
In that same minimalist Tribeca loft, felt bins in cubbies give bedrooms a little extra room.
Off-limits at the moment for the smaller children, the shelf that runs along the wall in this home by Maison Chic is ready to welcome their future souvenir collection. Children need space to thrive and an attractive environment to stimulate their choices in the future.
In this functional playroom from Bless'er House, a wall of built-in looking bookshelves was constructed from IKEA shelves and topped with a piece of of wood to make a handy counter. Labeled baskets house toys, and a sugar mold was used to house crayons and markers on the children's table. The rug is from Overstock and the pendant light is IKEA.
In Lucy Liu's playroom, a handy shelf from Oeuf has space for toys to be displayed and also zones where clutter can be tucked away behind sliding doors.
In Lucy Liu's playroom, natural wood storage cubbies house art supplies in appealing and easy-to-access bins.
In this airy blue and white playroom styled by Emily Henderson, IVAR bookshelves from IKEA are painted and styled judiciously. Cabinets underneath allows ample room to tuck away less aesthetically pleasing clutter.
A closer shot of this playroom styled by Emily Henderson shows the smartly styled shelves. Toys are treated like objects not junk when place in zones of prominence near non-toys, too; books are neatly stacked. A Melissa & Doug wire puzzle rack keeps pesky pieces neatly in place.
In this girly playroom by Emily Henderson, a few smart storage solutions are in full effect. First: stackable open bins like this provide easy access but also a clear home for items that can't be easily stacked (balls, stuffed animals). 3D wall art like these Pillowfort wood houses work as a rotating gallery, mismatched hooks are installed low enough on the wall for kids to access dress-up clothes but still high enough to leave space for moveable toys.
Another look at the girly playroom by Emily Henderson: A gray storage chest is a great place to stash less-used items and also doubles as a cozy bench or reading nook. A hanging pocket organizer brings small, easily lost items into easy view.
In this modern farmhouse playroom from Sarah Joy, a wire wall basket like this holds books, as a low shelf houses toys and a cute tent is tucked in the corner around a small table and chairs.
In the Hunted Interior's playroom, a built-in daybed is covered in pillows as an accent wall houses a safari of stuffed animal heads from Pillowfort. Wooden milk crates tucked into built-in bookshelves provided tons of roomy storage and a clean, unified look.
In Emily A. Clark's attic playroom, stackable wood bins from Target are a catchall for legos, crayons, trucks and other small easily stepped-on doodads.
Patterned wallpaper adds a unique touch to a children's bedroom from Peter Sandel Design, LLC.
In the Paris apartment of designer Anne-Marie Midy, a custom-made bunk bed and colorful armoire decorate the bedroom her two young sons share. Toys are arranged around a low built-in dresser built into the dormered window.
In a Washington, D.C. kids' room, custom bunk beds have secret compartments for stashing treasures. The rug is by West Elm; the walls are painted in Benjamin Moore's Soft Chamois.
In the Paris apartment she shares with her partner and their children, French fashion designer Alix Thomsen arranged a collection of vintage and contemporary toys and superhero figures on the shelves above her son’s bed. A boldly striped fabric attached to the wall serves as the headboard.
The playroom hanging seats and ladder in this DC apartment came from Ikea, and the rug is by Holland & Sherry. Wall panels conceal floor-to-ceiling shelves crammed with toys and a pull-out crafts table.
We see your toy box and raise you these inspired solutions.