Containing Kid Clutter: Stylish Storage Solutions for Kid Spaces

Rough Linen I love the nook under the stairs, just the sort of place children adore - and I love the order of all the other photos, but do kids need so much stuff? Mine are grown now so I may be suffering selective memory - that hamper of soft toys makes me queasy.

athomeamy Love all these rooms! That art table with the pegboard is such a great idea. And the stage....I have been wanting to do something like that!

andrea_of_ffft I agree with the "how much stuff do they need" thing. Really, the more stuff they have, the less they need to imagine... maybe. One of my favourite four year olds ever had very few toys and really cherished the ones he had. He had a lot of lego. He also had a stick for every tool that his dad had, which hung in the garage next to the appropriate tool and so when his dad was weed eating, this boy went around with the weed eater stick and helped his dad with the gardening. SO adorable. I asked my sister to bring a toy back for my kids that Thai children would play with. She came back empty handed because they don't play with toys. Just whatever they find. What she brought back was a wonderful lesson for all of us about "stuff".

I live in a very small space with two boys and am always looking for clever storage of all sorts, but it drives me nuts that every "storage solution" magazine or website has photos of perfectly organized "rooms" for stuff. (Apparently it is perfectly normal to have an entire closet outfitted for wrapping gifts!) I could perfectly organize a toyROOM, what I need to know is how to include hidden storage in the space I have. So frustrating. In the US you guys live in MUCH bigger houses, but to me it usually just looks like wasted space.

Having said all that :) I LOVE the reading nook alcove, how much fun would that have been when I was a kid! I would love to do something like that for the boys... I think kids prefer spaces of their own that are tiny and nifty like that... and like the under the stairs closet. SO much fun to hide out from the adults!

Kasey Buick I love the ideas here! I live in such a small space..so storage is critical for my kids.
Thanks for the ideas!

Joanne Fairmont Yinger No.7-"Rethink it" is exactly what I am doing...What do I mean? I'm embracing the "live with your stuff in-the-open concept". In our lower level, i.e. our basement, my husband and I have an ugly pegboard, poorly utilized for odds and ends, hung above a basically unused workbench. And in a different section of the basement, is my wonderful white laminate-covered parson's table (where I do art projects). And the last piece: my basement needs some cluttered-clearing.
Your photo/idea presents me with the opportunity to: 1) re-paint the pegboard a favorite color (maybe swimming pool blue) 2) replace the unused workbench with my parsons table and 3) Utilize the pegboard for gift wrapping supplies, art supplies, etc.
I think its true that like the shoemaker's kids who wear old shoes, designer's rooms are often the last we tackle. Thanks for the push I need to make an improvement to one of my spaces. While children don't reside in my household, grandchildren will be happy to do art projects in a cheerful, neat area.

Christie Thomas I love these solutions! We added shelves to a playroom when we moved here. It helps organize books and toys and keep things neat! Christie at www.threepixielane.blogspot.com

The Shabby Nest Hi Andrea...I am actually in agreement with the "how much do they need" comment too. I feel like kids don't need nearly as much as they have...mine don't anyway. But it seems like even I try not to add to their "stuff", friends and relatives do. (or maybe it just spontaneously multiplies..ha ha!) And I love the story with the boy and his sticks...those really are the best kinds of toys.

The Shabby Nest Hi Joannefyen: So happy that I provided you with a little bit of inspiration!! I'd love to see how your space turns out!

Roberta Philbrick Congrats on your first ideabook as a Houzz contributing designer ;) I'm a regular here and I didn't look at this ideabook last week because my kids are all out of the house...but there are many good ideas here as well for all of us with studios. Looking forward to seeing more of your ideabooks. Fondly, Roberta

kathyschrenk Andrea: I don't know any americans who live in giant houses where there's a whole closet for wrapping paper, etc, certainly not here in California! Maybe in Kansas or someplace where land is dirt cheap and you don't want to go outside...
theshabbynest: Try asking people not to bring presents to your kids bday parties. It's worked for us so far...

snissaj I love all of the storage solutions here. My son has a play tent full of stuffed animals because he just loves animals and I find he uses them plenty to imagine all types of animal adventures. With that said, I don't buy my kids much of anything throughout the year (except souvenirs from travels) but when bdays and christmas rolls around family will spoil them to pieces. Thus, I find they still end up with quite a few toys. One solution for toy sensory overload is to rotate the toys in bins from the playroom to the garage. They feel like they are getting new toys all year round!