Moving house is a great opportunity to do a spring clean, and in the past week the kids’ toys have had a major cull. As the girls are now 6 and 9, I am being ruthless about what they still ‘need’. Early on I realised that no fancy dinner parties were being had at our place so I set up the formal dining room as their play area. This has been a great use of the space but the room is fairly open and a thoroughfare, so the toys were constantly visible. I have tried to create a stylish space with durable furniture and good toy storage options. We started off with the Ikea Expedit shelves. They were fantastic for storage and the kids could easily access their toys or books but they always seemed to look messy. On a trip to the US a few years ago, I couldn’t believe the range of gorgeous storage options at the Pottery Barn Kids store. From baskets to shelving systems in a choice of many colours, it was very inspiring. Since that trip, online shopping and stores such as Pottery Barn opening here have made these gems so much more accessible.
These storage tubs still get me very excited!
Just love the pastel colours for girls.
The boys options are extensive too.
I think this revolving bookcase is the perfect solution for a small bedroom.
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Another US store that offers beautiful kids storage alternatives is Restoration Hardware. Here are some of my favourites.
I can never go past an armoire, so elegant!
Since we have moved on from the Expedit shelves, I have come across an Australian company that make great storage baskets to fit the shelves perfectly. These would have been ideal to hide the toys and keep them sorted.
Ikea have also expanded their range of baskets to fit in the shelves.
We replaced our Expedits with this library from Town and Country Style (we don’t usually have the ladder in place, that was just for the Sales Campaign photo!). The blackboard signs on the baskets were from Pottery Barn Kids. Hopefully as the girls need less of this shelving for their things, I can reclaim them for my study.
Here are some other great spaces dedicated to toy storage.
It is so clever how this designer has increased the function of the shelves by turning them into a bench seat.
The Expedit shelves here are used as a console as well. I love those pink lamp bases and rug.
How do you store your kids’ toys? I would love to hear any other ideas.
Belinda XO