Do colorful toys and little socks multiply when adults aren’t looking, or does it only seem that way? Kid “stuff” is undoubtedly a daily organizing challenge for anyone fighting the good fight against clutter and for every adult who has ever stepped on a teeny-tiny toy in the middle of the night. Read on for some tips to calm the chaos and organize your child’s bedroom clutter.
Every kid’s closet could benefit from a few easy upgrades to the standard closet set up. Divide a reach-in closet in half and install wooden or wire shelves in one half. Include cubbies or bins for little shoes or toys. Double up on the hanging rods – one on top of the other – to take advantage of kid-sized clothing storage needs. Customize the entire closet to your needs with custom laminate cabinets or an easy-to-install wire system.
Encourage reading in preschoolers and older kids alike by making book storage and book displays one and the same. Use picture ledges around the room at kid-height or install shallow shelves secured to the walls for bookstore-style display. Feature news books frequently to keep them interested.
Buy and install hooks that are too cute or stylish to hide in the closet and use them to store things that kids use all the time. A hammock full of stuffed-animals can hang between two hooks when not involved in a game, or dress-up clothes that get frequent rotation in the land of make-believe can hang at the ready.
You want to encourage kids to put away their toys and games, but you don’t want to look at a bunch of toys piled on shelves every time you enter the room. Invest in baskets or bins that you almost want to keep for yourself, and you won’t mind seeing them on shelves. Seagrass or felted wool is a little more sophisticated for an older kid, and colorful canvas or cute animal shapes or prints suit a younger child.
Don’t overlook hidden-purpose storage when choosing furniture for a child’s room. When decorating a nursery, create a changing table by converting a dresser you can also use to store clothes or toys now and into the future. Build a reading bench that’s storage and seating in one by turning a laminate wood shelf on its side and topping it with a comfy cushion and throw pillows.
Once kiddos are old enough, build a loft bed and discover square footage you thought you’d never see again. Incorporate a homework desk with task lighting under the lofted bed for older kids or use the space to build book display shelves and a cozy reading nook.
Create a custom platform for the bed that incorporates drawers underneath. Drawers at ground level make it easier for kids to put away their own toys. Take a look at wasted space in reach-in closets. Many closets are wider inside than the door opening. Install shelving in those hidden spaces.
If your little artist is constantly leaving markers and paper scraps on the floor, create a just-right sized art table with hidden drawers or storage cubbies. Give a master builder somewhere to store the Legos by attaching a building surface to the top of a kid-sized table and installing slide-out drawers to hold blocks when the building is done for the day.
It might be hard to justify spending money on kid’s bedrooms when you’re worried about changing preferences as they age. Get around that by investing in timeless, quality pieces that will stand the test of time, like a beautiful dresser or armoire to store toys and games now and into the future.
Create a place in your kid’s room where they can camp in the jungle or defend the land from dragons or get some downtime. It can be as simple as hanging a curtain on a tension rod in half of the remodeled closet or setting up an understated canvas tent in the corner where your kiddo can leave the puzzle pieces on the floor sometimes, and you won’t even have to see them.
Harkraft has been creating beautiful and innovative storage and organization solutions with homeowners for a long time. We’re here to help you, too, whether you want to create a custom wood laminate system to loft the bed and incorporate storage or you’re looking for a wire-shelving system to upgrade your existing spaces. Contact us today to talk about how we can assist you in clearing the clutter.
