Stylish Storage for Kids Rooms and Play Spaces

Have you ever looked around your living room and felt like you were standing in the middle of a daycare rather than the home you so painstakingly styled? As a fellow mom, I know the feeling that there’s never enough storage for kids rooms.
It’s incredible how much stuff you accumulate for such small humans! There are the toys, books, and puzzles they played with this morning. The stuffed animals they (and you) aren’t ready to let go of. And let’s not even get started on the surprise gifts grandma brought last week.
It can feel impossible to keep everything organized in a way that enhances, rather than detracts from, the rest of the décor in your home. But thankfully, there’s storage for kids rooms that makes the impossible possible in this situation.
The key is to select pieces that strike a balance between smart and stylish. By finding simple storage solutions and leveraging innovative kids room organization ideas, you can find the sweet spot that gives your kids the space they need while complementing the style you’ve created.
In this blog, I’ll show you how I used innovative storage ideas to create a fun but organized area for my son Zaki’s room and play space!

What to Look For in Stylish and Simple Storage Solutions

It’s hard to strike a balance between an organized and functional playroom while also making it seamless with your decor and design style. I mean, how exactly do you make Elmo fit into a modern scheme?
My suggestion is to find a healthy mix between kids playroom décor and kids room organization ideas. But to do that, you first need to look at your needs.
What’s currently crowding up your space? Is it toys? Books? Arts and crafts? Then, ask yourself what space you have available. Because every child and household is different, you must get a comprehensive assessment of both the things that’re cluttering your space and the space you have to declutter.
Once you know what you need to get out of sight, you’ll better understand what simple storage solutions to start looking for. Some criteria to consider include:

• Boxes or bins that can fit under the couch or bed
• Options that fit in your closet space
• Storage that’s easily accessible
• Containers for small spaces
• Available counter space

For unique spaces, I know it can feel impossible to accommodate the overwhelming amount of things your small human possesses, but remember that we’re all about making the impossible possible here! Keep reading to see how my son Zaki and I got creative for his room.

My Favorite Storage Ideas for Kids Rooms and Playrooms

Before we dive into my favorite storage ideas for kids rooms, I want to stress that it’s so important to choose what’s fitting for your home! For example, when deciding on how to store kids toys, cube storage for playrooms may be right for one home, but it may not feel right for another. So trust your gut and your needs.
That being said, here are my favorite storage ideas for kids rooms that helped me find the perfect balance of stylish and smart when organizing my son’s safari-themed room!

Pegboard

The first thing I needed to find organization for was Zaki’s nerf collection! He’s super into these right now, which told me two things.
1.) This wasn’t going to be a donation situation anytime soon, and 2.) I needed them somewhere he could easily access them. I found my solution by optimizing the space on the back of the door with this pegboard! To make the most of small spaces, utilize the space behind doors and walls and consider this pegboard and similar hooks!

Cubby Unit

I don’t know about you, but I LOVE a good cubby unit. Depending on the material, you can paint it to match any aesthetic you’re going for, and it’s a great space to categorize toys or books! Plus, when you’re leveraging cube storage for playrooms, you can add cute baskets inside to create extra storage for items you want out of sight but easily on hand.

Canisters

If you’ve got a little one who loves arts and crafts, then canisters may be extremely helpful for you! For Zaki’s playroom, I took advantage of the counter space on top of the cubby unit and placed clear canisters to hold art supplies. This kept them in sight and easy to identify! 

Floor Bins

As I said, sometimes Elmo (or, in my case, Nerf guns) doesn’t match the vibe (aka my beautiful floating shelves)! But that doesn’t mean you have to take the fun out of the play space altogether. For me, these extra-large floor bins were the key to finding the balance between the style I wanted and the space my son needed in his playroom. The extra big ones also gave us room to sort larger toys like stuffed animals and cars.
Mom tip: Keep a few empty bins on hand! As you know, kids’ needs and interests change as they grow.

Zip Bags

This next mom tip deserved its own section entirely, so here it is!
If you’re a parent, your child has likely received a toy that came with a million pieces for them and immediate anxiety for you. But instead of letting the tiny pieces get lost overnight or crunched on as you walk across the room, here’s a stylish hack for you: zip bags!
They’re a simple yet smart solution for sorting those tiny pieces within large bins (like the ones above) to keep smaller items together. You can also label them to make them easy to find.

Acrylic Shelving

I’m a big believer in encouraging my child’s interests and creative expression, and if you are too, then you’ll love this acrylic shelving as much as I do! It lets you display your child’s treasures – in my case, Zaki’s Lego collection.
By placing their creations or prized possessions here, you can encourage a sense of pride and create a place to help them enjoy their collection (if they have one!).

Vertical Dividers

While shelves like this pack some good organization punch on their own, one other organizational goodie is hiding away on this shelf that I absolutely LOVE. It’s the vertical dividers I placed in the storage space underneath. Using the dividers, I could store puzzles and games in a way that makes them easy to find. For things that came apart in pieces, I used these adorable mesh bags!
Seeing that these are things that may not always grab my son’s interest, this organization makes it a godsend for the days I don’t need to see it. Then on those days when my son magically remembers he loves playing with them, they’re right there and easy for him to find and put away!

Magnetic Strips

This last tip isn’t one I utilized for Zaki’s room (yet) but one I’ve seen and loved. It’s magnetic strips for small cars! This could be another fun way to display your child’s interests and keep their favorite toys in sight.
When it comes to storage for kids rooms, these strategies have been a game changer in finding my balance of style and smarts in Zaki’s room. But the one thing that has allowed me to keep this balance was decluttering every few months and not unnecessarily buying more toys.
I know, I know. Easier said than done, but once you get into the habit of it, I promise you, the balance you’ve found will be the balance that remains!

Style for You. Space for Them.

There’s a lot of options when it comes to finding storage for kids rooms. But remember, before you buy bins and all the fancy stuff you see on Pinterest, you’ll want to prioritize the things that both your child and your space need!
If they’re book lovers, maybe you need more shelf space than bin space. If they’re Lego collectors like Zaki, maybe it’s wall space you want to maximize. Whatever it is, by understanding your needs you’ll be better able to find your balance between smart and stylish.
If you’ve seen any items in Zaki’s room that you love, click here to get them for your next DIY project, or follow me on Instagram for more DIY design inspiration.