5 Design Tips for an Awesome and Organized Kids’ Play Room

What does your kids’ play room or area look like? Is it tidy? Chaotic? Fun? A design and look you love … or just totally for them? Maud Maciak, toddler mom and busy business owner of Magnifique Homes, has real-world and functional design tips on how to make it an area you and your kids both love — including easy tricks to keep it organized and engaging.

Maud Maciak and her little!

5 Design Tips for an Awesome Kids’ Play Room, by Maud Maciak

1. Real furniture for a real mess. One of the first thing to remember is that although it is a kid’s space, a play room doesn’t have to be made out of kids’ furniture. This is essential to remember when it comes to storage solutions! Find a unit or a multiple shelf solution that fits the amount of your toys and crafts. The kids’ collection from your favorite vendor might look adorable … but finding real-size furniture to organize your play room will be a game changer when it comes to keeping that room neat over time.

2. A label maker is a lifesaver. Once you find a great frame for storage, look into bins than fit. One time-saving organizational hack is to label those bins immediately. I found that making a little drawing on the tape/label will help kids to organize their own things as well. Children are actually great at organizing if things are always in the same spot, so keep these bins on the same shelves and transform all of your little ones in super helpers.

3. Rotation and the hidden closet. Have you ever wonder how designers’ play rooms always look organized and never cluttered? Our secret … toy rotation! This idea saved my sanity at clean-up time more than once. If you are lucky to have a closed closet nearby, I recommend to bring out about 30 percent of what your family owns in toys and crafts and display/organize it in the play room. The rest can be stored away for the moment. The rotation needs to be adjusted based on the age and the level of focus of each child. But each time you rotate, you’ll find that they treat their toys like brand-new items. I personally rotate once a week. Less clutter and happy kids … can’t ask for more!

4. Show me the books. I tend to add books in all my designs as they are elegant and give a relaxing vibe. A playroom is surely no exception! For a kid’s play room, display them in a way to pique your children’s interest. My old time favorite is the IKEA spice shelf or picture ledge, but any small shelf can do. Place them face forward (rather than with the spines out, like in a library) so i’s easy for kids to identify their favorite books by the cover, take them out and put them back in.

5. Keep it together. This trick is an old-time favorite. Organizing an efficient play room can be overwhelming, but it is much easier if you treat it as you would a “work space.” Your kids will spend some serious time working on their skills and building memories in that space, so organize it as you would your own office. A great trick for loose puzzle pieces and small parts of crafts or games is to keep them together in freezer bags. For larger items like flat boards or coloring books, look into magazine/file holders. They are easy to organize on a shelf and can be labeled as well.

I am a huge believer that kids are tiny adults and they, too, love to work (read: play!) in a organized and beautiful space. —Maud Maciak