I assume you are not going to leave them empty, so I would move them.

Are you sure that is a return and not a supply vent? It seems small for a return. Is the other return is much larger?

@mike_home It is a return as the supply is in the ceiling in this room and this one doesn’t have a louver.

@houssaon If we put a decorative grate over those areas or left them open as shown, would it be okay to stay there? We have limited wall space in the room (which we use as a playroom), so the other walls are already occupied with other items that wouldn’t allow for as much airflow around them.

Looks like two units. Can't you just space them apart enough to free up the return? I know it's a look you are going for but in a space that is storing toys, it will likely have toys in front of it for most of the time anyway when the kids are playing.

I would split them and then have one larger toy that sits on the floor in front that would not block the air return

Anything that blocks the flow of air is going to lessen the efficiency of your hvac system. I would move your storage/display shelving elsewhere.

I hate to be one of "those people", but.... the open outlet to the right is a bigger concern in a playroom then covering the vent.

There should be no problem keeping some toys in front of the return. As long as there's nothing big directly in front of it as mentioned before, then you're good to go!

Twintech Heating & Cooling

https://twintechheating.ca/

This is beautiful odd size cold air return box. Usually they are wider so adequate air supply is available to the system. How many square feet are in your home? Two cold returns this size in almost any home is insufficient for proper functionality of the HVAC system. Might want to have your home inspected by a good quality HVAC specialist who isn’t selling anything like a new system to inspect and analyze your situation. Hard for us here to give proper guidance. Good luck.

Does the plenum behind this return go down or up? You could try extending the plenum and moving the return up the wall so it is above the level of the wall storage. Depending on whether your priority is heat or A/C, moving it up may affect the room temperature, but the overall system will still work.

Bruce