bedroom, living and playroom room ideas to keep order

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Tired of toys taking over your home? We’ve picked our favourite toy storage ideas to find ways to prevent your home resembling Santa’s workshop after a busy shift.

Whether in a children’s room, family living area or playroom smart toy storage ideas can help to keep clutter at bay. Because a clutter-free home makes for a happy home.

Toy storage ideas for all rooms

Remember that simple storage items such as boxes, baskets, hooks, hangers and wall organisers will all help to create an efficient space that still has plenty of personality – suitable for any room where kids are free to play.

Good storage, multi-functional furniture that serves a child’s changing needs, and imaginative decor are all key. A balance between form and function will result in a hard-working layout that stands the test of time.

1. Add a splash of personality

Just because storage is functional doesn’t mean it has to be boring – especially in a child’s room. We’ve updated this pine IKEA storage unit with a few tester pots of paint – a simple yet brilliant IKEA hack to try.

Simply use masking tape to section off the areas you wish to paint and let your creativity run wild. Adding fun to the storage solution might even encourage a little one to want to tidy up themselves, you never know.

2. Style a sideboard

When it comes to kids’ toys make the storage as stylish as it is practical. This sideboard provides the perfect modular storage solution to hide items away and display the most attractive toys – because there are so many beautiful toy designs that deserve to be shown off.

A well-styled sideboard can help to declutter any space within the home, from hallways to living rooms and bedrooms. Intersperse the toys with more grown-up items, such as house plants and framed family photos to prevent the look from feeling too much like a playroom accessory.

3. Hide toys away in adorable designs

Wonderfully characterful baskets are just the thing to make toy storage functional yet fun. These Scandi-style felt baskets are attractive enough to let toys live in any room, even Uber cool living rooms. The set of two, large and small, felt whale storage baskets are on hand to store and transport toys when it’s tidy away time.

With the largest measuring 25cm in height and 51cm wide the set is plenty enough to accommodate even the most generous of toy collections.

Buy now: Felt Whale Storage bags, £45 set of 2, Cox & Cox

4. Utilise an alcove space

A smart alcove idea ensures space is used to maximum potential. Use the awkward space to stagger storage, leaving larger pieces such as play kitchens freestanding in the lower half then using shelves stacked above to keep items out of reach.

5. Create a curated display on floating shelves

Create a striking wall feature that’s also a handy place to keep books, toys and kid’s artwork with floating shelves. Stack several floating picture ledges and attach a wire trim to hang artwork to create a characterful display. Children can easily store and display their favourite toys and books on the shelves, turning them into an ever-changing curation.

6. Keep LEGO in order

There’s nothing more frustrating than losing a vital building block to complete a LEGO masterpiece, it is therefore one of the most essential toys to seek sensible storage for. LEGO appeals to all ages, from six to sixteen so the storage has to be timeless and suitable for all tastes – making these characterful LEGO design collection storage boxes perfect.

The stackable storage solutions are ideal for keep order in style for girls and boys bedroom ideas. Of course they are not just for building blocks, they can be used to store all manner of accessories.

Buy now: LEGO Design Collection Large Storage Brick Box, £24.95 each, A Place For Everything

7. Elevate storage in living rooms

Keep toys off the floor and out of sight in a living room, to ensure the space feels like a grown up affair after bedtime. Out of sight, out of mind is very much the idea behind elevating toy storage for busy family living rooms. Multiple hooks on the wall ensures plentiful space to hang stylish baskets to storage toys – which can easily be taken down when playtime begins. A great bargain living storage idea too.

8. Dedicate a corner for bespoke storage

Make the most of a corner by putting up shelves alongside side, to create a smart corner solution. By hanging the shelves at a higher level you can use this idea for storing books and toys that may need to be looked after, rather than left on the floor or squished into a basket. Elevating toys into a corner is a great space-saving small kids’ room idea.

9. Make storage multifunctional

Look for ways to make storage multifunctional, such as this window seat idea that combines seating with underneath drawers to storage toys and more.

Multifunctional solutions are especially practical for small living room ideas where you need to make more considered choices when using space.

10. Create a dedicated space for creativity

As your children grow, their bedroom will need to accommodate plenty of additional storage space for a desk, books and equipment. Look for multi-functional pieces of furniture that incorporate desk space with plenty of hidden, but accessible, storage. This smart storage solution is merely a painted panel with floating shelves mounted against it, to create a small but adequate desk area.

Additional magnetic strips have been added to ensure all manner of metal objects can be safely stored off the floor – tiny toy cars included.

11. Explore the possibilities with multi-use hangers

Sometime the simplest of solutions is the best. In this child’s bedroom we used Komplemet multi-use hangers from IKEA to storage storage soft toys. Instead of the use intended, storage for scarves and ties, we’ve utilised the hanger for kids toys. Not only does it make perfect sense to provide extra storage space in an accessible cupboard, it’s also a great way to keep plush toys off the floor – ideal for hygiene purposes too.

12. Use portable baskets for storing toys

Keep your child’s books or doll house toys together in easy to clean jelly baskets. They are perfect if your child’s play area sprawls into your living room idea and you need to be able to move them around to clean. They also come in handy when you’re packing you’re little one up for a trip to grandma’s and they can’t decide want book to take – why not take all of them?

13. Hang canvas bags from a windowsill

Storage solutions don’t need to cost a fortune, if you are looking for a unique way to keep your kids toys in order but are a little short on funds have a go at this tote bag storage idea. Use any old canvas bags that you might have hanging around the house and cover them with a splash of fabric paint or screen print some letter to personalise them. Next attach some hooks into the underside of the windowsill and simply hang the filled bags from them.

14. Add in plenty of wall storage

You can never have too much storage, and nowhere is this more true than in a kids’ bedroom or playroom idea. Team less-frequently accessed solutions, such as an under-bed basket, with easy-to-reach containers, baskets and peg rails so that everything can be cleared off the floor quickly and easily. Walls are a great way to use every inch of space for storage potential.

15. Make use of wall storage

In a compact space, make the most of walls for storage. Wall-hung shelves or units will not take up floor space, leaving it available for playing. Open shelves will keep everything within easy reach and will make tidying a quick and easy task. Combine storage with display by using crates as wall-hung, box-style shelves. Each of these boxes has been painted to match a chest of drawers, creating an eye-catching practical feature space against a white backdrop.

The boxes have been lined with a decorative paper and then filled with favourite toys and accessories, proudly visible but nice and neat. The tops of the crates create additional display shelves too.

16. Streamline with smart cabinets

If you prefer a more streamlined look, incorporate wall cabinets and chest of drawers so you can store toys and other bedroom paraphernalia cohesively behind closed doors. Look for shelves that feature hooks or peg rails for a little additional hanging space.

17. Look for low-level storage

Make it easy for your child to play with and pack away their toys. Storage doesn’t have to be boring and bland. Get creative by painting each door in a different colour to stimulate the senses and provide an attractive display that you can change as often as you wish.

18. Include under-bed storage

Ideally, look for childrens beds with built-in storage. Bunk bed and divan beds will provide convenient drawers at a height perfect for little arms, and many feature sliding panels for easy accessibility that allow you to have a bedside table next to the bed. This also keeps you from having to drag out unwieldy storage systems.

However, if the specific look of a divan bed does not fit into your chosen design, go for a bedstead that is high enough to stash small storage boxes underneath. Wicker baskets peeping through can keep a bedroom feeling rustic and homely.

19. Add in moveable storage for versatility

As we encourage little ones to express themselves through art and crafts, we need to provide the perfect place for all the mess that goes with it. By creating a dedicated workstation it allows them to get creative but remain tidy at the same time.

Look for storage solutions that can be adapted as your child’s needs change. Adjustable shelving allows for different uses, from big blocks to DVDs to ring binders. Tidying their own room will be impossible if they can’t reach. Use higher storage for things like bedding that only you need access to.

20. Think multi-purpose solutions

If you want more storage, but don’t have the wall space, look no further than under the bed. A bed with built-in storage drawers is a sensible choice – also opt for a bench with lift-up seats, or a play table with storage hidden underneath the tabletop.

21. Place beloved toys high on floating shelves

As your kids grow up there will be certain soft toys that they might not play with everyday, but still can’t bare to be parted from. Find a permanent home for their fuzzy friends by positioning them on top of a floating shelf. These style of shelves are perfect for storing all sorts of keepsakes, position them at staggered heights to create an eye-catching display.

We hope these smart toy storage ideas help to solve your children’s storage dilemmas.