How To Achieve A Decorative Toy Storage Unit
Tired of looking at your children’s toys all over the floor? Why not find a decorative way to store all of their toys. Better yet, develop a storage unit that they can use later in life too!
We often find ourselves faced with bright colored plastic storage bins that are set on wobbly wooden rod shelves. Let’s face it – they aren’t the prettiest, safest, or best use of space. There are several options you can choose from that look much better!
First determine the best use of space for the unit. Is it in their bedroom or play room? It should be located somewhere close to where the children play with their toys. Once a location is determined, decide on a color scheme. Do you want bold primary colors? How about soft girly colors in purple and/or pinks? Or soft boy colors in blue and/or green?
My favorite solution is a simple bookcase in a painted white or cherry wood. It may have anywhere from six to nine “cubes.” In each cube, place a canvas storage tote that has a place for a label (check out what Bed Bath and Beyond offers). Don’t feel like you need to have all of the bins the same color. Color coordinating the tote to the type of toy in each bin would be a creative solution to knowing where to put them when cleaning up. Teaching your children to put toys away is a great life lesson. Imagine if you can manage to do it in an organized fashion! Later in life, the totes could be removed and it could be used as a bookshelf. Or leave the totes in and find new uses of items to store in them.
A couple of other simple solutions for toy storage would be to have shelves built in a room where some of the more exciting toys or dolls could be displayed. Possibly put built-in cabinets at the bottom of the shelves.
Still not satisfied? What about a standard wood toy box? Try getting one painted white or cherry colored. Applying an upholstered cushion on the top of it allows for a dual purpose. If you leave all the decorative paintings off, this would be a great opportunity for storage later in life for sweaters or blankets!
One important thing to consider when choosing a toy storage unit is safety. There have been many horrible accidents that have killed children from falling furniture. Anchoring the furniture to the wall is a safe way to prevent this. A simple way to do this would be with anchor wire and eye screws. For more information, ask your local hardware expert.
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