Storage

11 Hassle Free Kids Toy Storage Ideas

When it comes to toy storage ideas, the goal should be to make it as easy as possible for kids to store away their toys. This means having storage solutions that are low to the ground and are easy to open (or don’t have lids). If it is easy for the kids to store things away, that means it will be easy for them to get their toys when they need them. The cubes in the picture above is a good example – seen on Land of Nod.

Ideas for Storing Toys

2. Get Some Large Containers: See what kind of large containers you can get. There are large wicker baskets and hampers. Large plastic storage bins are stackable. Large buckets are cheap, and they can be labeled with what’s in them. They can also be painted over to create a more playful look – the green buckets DIY above is on BHG.

3. A Trunk: In the living room or playroom you could use a chest or a trunk to store toys. Or if you are tight on space, then a furniture piece such as an Ottoman with an open top can double as toy storage and a coffee table.

4. Storage Cubbies: Have cubbies that are low down to the ground. These can double as a bench or a playing countertop, just like the ones above seen on Little Raiser.

5. Wooden Crates: Wooden crates are best for mixing storage with decor. They look good, and they can be used to store books or toys – Apartment Therapy. You can also create themed containers for a more fun and playful storage crate: paint a wooden crate red with “Fire Department” in black on the side.

6. Storage as Decor: Make storing toys playful by using vintage suitcases (Country Living).

7. Hooks and Railings: Railings can be fitted to a wall. These can have small buckets or containers with hooks hanging off of them – used to store art and craft items like crayons or Legos.

8. What’s Under the Bed? In the bedroom you can have rolling containers and storage units that can slide under the bed to store toys or be used as book storage. Or use a bed that has shelves and cubbies underneath – this can be DIYed with pallets – have a look at my kids bedroom storage post for an example.

9. Space Saving: There are over the door storage organizer hangers (get one here) that can be used to store toys in the bedroom or bathroom. Other storage solutions include fitting hooks or a railing low down on the back of the door.

10. Bath Time Toys: A bath shelf caddy or a wall railing with hanging baskets can be used to store bath toys – get one here. To prevent slipping, make sure the storage units are close to the ground, or close to the bathtub so that the children don’t over reach.

11. Outdoor Toy Storage: For outdoor toys, like sports balls – build a simple ball container with bungee cord, letting your kids have easy access to the balls – The Family Handyman.

Safety Note

Just a quick note on safety. Everywhere thats ideal for kids toy storage, as in low down to the ground, is also a place to avoid storing any hazardous materials or sharp objects such as cleaning liquids, tools, or glass objects.

Have a look at my shoe storage post to see the best way for kids to store their shoes: Unique Closet and Entryway Shoe Storage Ideas.

Rustic Storage Ideas and Organization Tips

Some simple rustic storage ideas include using:

Wooden crates. These can be stacked up to create makeshift shelving
Stone bowls and wooden trays to group clutter items together (remotes on the coffee table | watches, phone, keys on the bedside table | toothbrush/paste, lotions in the bathroom).
Glass bottles and glass jars can be used to store kitchen items, as seen in picture (1). They can also replace plastic bottles around the bathroom or kitchen sink (soaps, lotions, etc.). For some inspiration, have a look at my mood board post here: Home Decor Ideas: Using Vintage Glass Bottles.
Vintage style wire baskets can be used around the house. For more vintage storage ideas have a look at my mood board post here: Vintage Storage and Organization Ideas.
Large wicker baskets (2) can store: magazines, fire wood, living room blankets, shoes, toys, dirty laundry, or be used as a trash can.
For rustic storage cabinets, there are wooden ones like the floating cabinet in picture (3) or the free standing one in picture (4). Or you could put reclaimed planks of wood on top of iron shelf brackets.
Hang up some iron clothes hooks.

The DIY Route

Upgrading Furniture Pieces: A simple way to add a subtle rustic touch to your cabinets, closets and draws, is to add leather pulls. You can see how The Brick House created the leather pull seen in picture (5) here.

Another way to upgrade your draws is to replace the front part with reclaimed wood (6).

Repurposing: In my DIY Rustic Decor post, I talked a bit about using ladders and reclaimed windows.

Ladders can be used all around the house, from hanging blankets and magazines in the living room, hanging towels in the bathroom, to hanging clothes in the bedroom. You can even hang pots and pans from them in the kitchen with some hooks. Use an iron or wooden ladder for a rustic look, just like the one in picture (7).

Another way to hang clothes is to screw together some wooden poles. You can see how the clothes hanger in picture (8), with the leather detail and metal hooks, were made here.

Reclaimed Windows: Old windows can be turned into elegant rustic coffee tables with storage or cabinets. For pictures and more ideas, have a look at my mood board post here Home Decor Ideas: Using Reclaimed Old Windows.

image credits: 1/2/3/4/5/6/7/8

More rustic and storage mood board posts:

April 2, 2015 in Storage

Creative Magazine Storage Ideas: From Leather Rack Holders to Using Old Shutters

From a magazine rack made out of leather straps, to using plexiglass to create a floating magazine holder. Any one of the creative magazine storage ideas below will not just store away your magazines, but will add a unique decor element in a room.

Storage Decor Combo

Wicker and wire baskets, or galvanised buckets and bins are some ideas for decorative magazine storage. All of these storage containers can be left out in the open as they will also act as decor pieces

Wooden crates and storage boxes, either quite minimalist in design like the one in picture (1) or a more rustic one (2), are great looking magazine storage pieces.

Going DIY

Leather straps, seen in picture (3), can be used to create an elegant magazine holder. Smaller leather straps (recycle an old belt), along with dowels can be combined to create a long magazine rack (4). This long railing can also be used to hang up blankets in the living room, clothes in the bedroom, or towels in the bathroom.

A simple leaning wall shelf can be built to store a small magazine collection along with a few decor items. For an example and a tutorial on how to build one have a look at The Mill page.

If you only want to have a few magazines stored and hung up on display, then have a look at the DIY magazine hangers idea in picture (5). It’s quite a simple DIY which you can find the instructions to here.

Over at Love Aesthetics, you can see how two sheets of clear plexiglass, a Stanley knife, and a handsaw were used to create the very minimalist and elegant plastic book / magazine display holder seen in picture (6).

Hunting and Reclaiming

Here are two elegant storage solutions that use reclaimed materials.

An old rustic wooden ladder can lean against the wall and be used as a hanging magazine rack (7). You can also use the ladder to hang up blankets, and clothes (Ideas for Decorating With Ladders). For a modern looking ladder (a DIY using dowels and black paint), visit my Mill page.

Using old window shutters is one creative storage idea. The shutters can be wall mounted, or just sit on the floor and lean against a wall. If you get a tall shutter, like the one in picture (8), you’ll have a lot of slots to file and store away magazines.

Here are some other storage posts to get more ideas from:

image credits: 1/2/3/4/5/6/7/8

July 30, 2014 in Storage

The Walk in Closet of the Kitchen: Pantry Storage Ideas

Having a well laid out pantry can be a luxury in a kitchen, much like a walk in closet in a bedroom. No matter if you have a big or small pantry, there is a lot that you can do to make the best, and get the most storage out of it. Here are some creative kitchen pantry storage ideas to help transform whatever sized space you have.

A Quick Look and Keeping Stock

For a lot of food items, it would be a good idea to store them in glass or see through plastic storage bins and containers. This way you can quickly see what is inside each one, but also how much is left. The same can be done with vegetable draws, just like the ones in picture (2).

Making it Look Good

With so much being stored in a kitchen pantry and it being used daily, you’ll want to keep it tidy and uncluttered. One way of doing this is to use matching containers. You can find containers that have different colored lids to help stay organized. Or use chalk board paint or printable labels to help organize the containers.

Here are some ideas for good looking storage containers: wicker baskets (3), wire baskets, glass jars, enamel containers, and porcelain containers. For more ideas have a look here: Vintage Kitchen Storage Ideas: From Milk Baskets to Wicker Baskets.

More Than Food Storage

Apart from storing food items in the pantry, you can also store things like:

Cookbooks
Recycled plastic bags
Serving trays
Occasionally used large appliances like a batter mixer
Have a wine glass and bottle rack
Extra roles of paper towels and trash bags

Or how about setting up your own mini kitchen garden in the pantry

A command center can also be set up in the pantry. This can be made up of hanging file organziers, a chalk board, and a place to store shopping lists and coupons. Have a look at this Ideas for Setting up a Family Command Center in the Kitchen mood board for more ideas.

Making Good Use of the Space

If you have available wall space inside of your pantry, then a peg board can be hung up. Hang things up with hooks, or put a plank of wood over two pegs to create a shelf.

Other smart pantry storage solutions for your walls include fitting towel bars that can store rolls of paper towels, trash bags, aluminium foil or saran wrap for easy access.

Check out the cheap DIY lazy Susan modification to the corners of the pantry in picture (4). This lets you have easy access to the items stored at the back of the shelf.

If you look at my kitchen storage mood board you’ll see how simple tension rods have been added to shelves. This makes it easy to store flat items like trays on their sides, saving a ton of space.

The back of the pantry door, and any cabinet doors can have storage space added to them. You can get over the door organizers that allow you to hang items up. Simple shelves, hooks, racks and railings can also be fitted to the back of the doors.

To take advantage of the height in the kitchen pantry, see if you can add a good looking wooden ladder or step ladder.

Built in or Free Standing

When it comes to putting shelves in a pantry room there are two ways to go about it. 1) Built in shelves or a storage system make the most of the space, as they are custom built to the layout. They can be built all the way up to the ceiling, or even over the doorway. And they create a uniformed look in the space. 2) Free standing storage shelves are inexpensive and quick to set up, but usually won’t make the most of the space.

You don’t even need much space to create a pantry. Check out the very shallow pantry wall in picture (5), with the amazing sliding barn door.

Lighting: A Better View

Another way to make the most of a pantry storage space is to have it well lit. Having a ceiling light is one option – but sometimes this light won’t reach individual shelves. A simple and cheap way to light up the shelves is to buy battery powered puck lights – either motion sensor ones or tap pucks. They simply stick to the underside of the shelves.

Going on a Road Trip

If you have space, a small portable rolling storage unit – just like the one in picture (6), would be a great addition. It can be used to store items that are often used to cook with. The cart can be rolled out when cooking, and stored away when it’s not in use.

Finding A Shortcut

If you are lucky enough to have a pantry that shares a wall with your garage, you can have a little door (locked from both sides) connecting the two. This way you don’t have to carry your groceries all the way through the house.

image credits: 1/2/3/4/5/6