Do you need creative storage solutions for living room toys?
We all dream of being minimalists, but let’s be real… kids have A LOT of stuff!
Plus when our kids are entertained, we’re all just happier.
Our recommendation is to at least rotate toys often, which means less toys out at any given time.
Today we’re going to we’re going to show you 13 brilliant toy storage ideas for your living room!
We interviewed a number of parents and professional organizers who shared with us their top product recommendations for unconventional toy storage.
Let’s get started…
Disclosure: Affiliate links may be used in this post, at no cost to you.
Examples of Living Room Toy Storage Ideas
First I quickly wanted to show you some examples of functional storage for toys in the living room. Picture how some of these toy storage ideas would look in your own home!
Source: sos_interiors_
Believe it or not, those baskets serve as the perfect catch-all for a toy dump!
Source: mama.jots
This mama stores small toys in a rolling utility cart, and rolls it from her living room to the storage closet when its not in use.
Source: Caitlin Marie Design
We’ve all seen cube storage for toys, but how beautiful is this one. It blends in with the rest of her room perfectly… you would never know its filled with toys!
Related: 16 Brilliant Book Storage Ideas for Kids
Toy Storage Ideas for a Living Room
It’s now time to look at actual products that you can consider for toys storage ideas for your own living room. We love how functional (and pretty!) each one of these are.
2-Drawer and 4-Drawer Storage Organizers
Beth, a very involved Aunt and boss babe at Malouf Companies, says she uses these drawer organizers with hidden storage space in plain sight. They look like an end table so you barely notice they’re there!
Each one comes in a nice, neutral color so they blend in with any living space and home décor style.
These are a great example of how to maximize storage space in an otherwise small room.
Storage Ottoman
Randy, father of a toddler and co-founder of Relaxing Decor, appreciates when his family room appears put together. Here’s what he shared with us on a way to accomplish this…
Using storage ottomans to store toys is one of my favorite methods. Since our kids often play with their favorite toys in the living room, toys always end up scattered around the living room rather than back in their room. So, we have a toy storage ottoman in the living room for their favorites instead of a coffee table with sharp edges. Look for a shoe storage ottoman specifically, as their built-in pockets for shoes are a great place for many types of kids’ toys.
Decorative Storage Basket
Krissy, mama and founder of the parenting blog The Hadicks, gave us some great suggestions below.
When it comes to kids toy storage, getting creative is key. There are a lot of different ways you can store kid’s toys, but one of the best ways is a decorative storage basket. Storage baskets come in all shapes, sizes, materials and colors to match other items in your main living areas.
A storage basket will blend into the corner of a room while keeping all of your children’s toys in one place. They’re a great option for easy access and a basket is portable which is especially helpful if you have small children who play in multiple areas of the house.
Bonus Tip: You can cover the top of the basket with a decorative throw blanket when the toys are not in use, to easily hide the clutter on a daily basis.
Carousel for Play Dough Jars
Smriti, a mother of 2 under 5 from Yogic Experience, knows how overwhelming it is to organize a never ending pool of toys. She’s always on the hunt for creative storage solutions for living room toys that can help her tame the mess.
We love her idea of using this coffee pod carousel to corral all of your play dough jars! Store the carousel in your media cabinet at the end of the day when your child is finished playing. It’s the perfect spot to keep them all together.
Cube Storage Units
Cube storage units like this one are definitely the most popular living room storage and playroom storage choice. They’re great for mixing open shelving and pretty baskets, like these wicker baskets or colorful baskets.
Label each of the storage bins for things like children’s books, stuffed animals, or possibly larger toys in each cube.
What we love about cube storage shelves are how well they blend in with living room furniture and how they can be stored against an otherwise empty wall or under a window.
Collapsible Toy Box Chest
Mo Mulla, a father of two and parenting expert at Parental Questions, shared with us his favorite storage solution for his living room toys. Remember: Not everyone has a dedicated playroom!
This toy chest box is one of the best toy storage ideas because it is collapsible, which makes it easy to store and transport. It’s also made of a sturdy material that can hold up to even the most active children. The size is perfect for holding a variety of toys, and the neutral color will match any décor. Most importantly, it has a lid to keep everything contained and dust-free.
Lidded Storage Baskets
Betsy, a homeschooling mama from Little Beauties Home says…
“For toddler toy storage, having one or two large, pretty baskets with a lid is a great way to conceal toys in the family/living room. It’s also a great way to encourage clean up time at a young age using a couple of larger baskets to hold all toys, and not worrying about sorting toys into smaller, more specific bins.”
Portable Storage Solutions for Living Room Toys
Rolling Utility Cart
Macie Kreutzer, a mom of three and expert organizer at For the Love of Simple, gave us an awesome, portable storage solution for living room toys – a rolling utility cart. These movable carts are super versatile for containing everything from books to art supplies to small toys.
Plus, you or your child can roll it to and from places as needed. It’s also a taller storage solution, so it doesn’t take up as much floor space as traditional bins.
Clear Drawer Cart
Marcie gave us a second portable toy storage idea for the living room. It’s also a cart, but one with drawers. A 3-drawer cart with clear, see-through drawers is a great way to contain a variety of little kids toys. Containment with visibility is key!
This cart is excellent for small Lego pieces or Barbie small parts storage, or any sort of collection of smaller toys that go together (Pokemon cards, Nerf bullets). It’s also great for baby doll clothes, books, and coloring supplies.
Simply roll it into your linen closet or coat closet when your child’s play is finished.
Clear Portable Project Cases
If you have an avid artist in your household, these clear portable project cases are the perfect storage solution for all your child’s coloring books, scrapbooks, and more.
Thank you to Sydney, from The Listening SLP, for this wonderful suggestion.
Closet Storage for Toys in the Living Room
Over the Door Hanging Organizer
Marty, an organization professional at Modular Closets, suggests using an over the door toy organizer that hangs on the back of the door. You’ll be able to make use of a space that usually goes unused, plus they are inexpensive and a fun way to store smaller toys.
Utilize them to store your child’s toy collection of action figures, dinosaur figures, Barbie’s, cars, trains, Legos, and art supplies… the options are endless!
The bottom half of a hanging organizer like this makes toys accessible for children, which makes it easier for them to clean up. You can use the top half of the organizer for things you don’t want them to be able to reach on their own, such as messy craft supplies.
Hanging Mesh Organizers
Elizabeth Hicks, a female entrepreneur and co-founder at Parenting Nerd, loves using hanging mesh organizers as a handy place for holding lighter toys, like dolls or stuffed animals.
They are great for keeping the toys off the ground, and you can store an additional toy box below it to maximize your closet’s storage space.
Stackable Sweater Boxes
Crystal, a single mom to 2 toddlers and founder of Amazing Baby, has a really clever toy storage idea for the living room to share. It’s where she keeps the back stock of her kids books… in stackable sweater boxes at the top of her storage closets!
These sweater boxes are durable (I’ve had them for 11 years, in fact). I separate the books by age group and then organize by season. All the books from that box rotate onto the bookshelf; and the bookshelf books rotate back into the box with their cohort.
You can stack these storage boxes nicely on top of and next to each other so it is aesthetically pleasing. The books are laid on their sides with the spine of the book facing out, and the clear peek-a-boo window makes it easy to see which books are in which box.
Final Words on Hiding Your Toys in Your Living Room
The best way to keep your living room clutter-free is to rotate them every few weeks. This way, they are not all out at once which will help those of you with small spaces.
Plus, doing so will keep your kids interested in each set of toys much longer if they are not always readily available. When you go to pull out a storage bin they haven’t seen in weeks, it will feel like something new to them again.
For the kids toys you do want out daily, we hope you found some unique toy storage solutions for your living room that you haven’t seen before!
Related Posts
17 Ideas for Kids Room Shelves You’ll Want to Steal
Ways to Decorate Your Child’s Room Without Painting
A Must-Have Portable Blackout Curtain for Traveling with Kids
soundos says
Thank You for sharing such an amazing blog!
hadil says
Really it’s fantastic article post, thank you!
Celeste Kable says
Your posts in this blog really shine! Glad to gain some new insights, which I happen to also cover on my page. Feel free to visit my webpage 63U about Thai-Massage and any tip from you will be much apreciated.