Is organizing or purging some old items part of your resolutions this year? I have three kids (11, 5, and 2) and after Christmas there is no shortage of toys, books and other kid's items in our home. It can be a bit overwhelming to have stuff everywhere, so I want to show you how to organize toys in the family room, without giving up style or function.

Start with some inspiration.

I always start with an inspiration board, or at minimum an image of what I ideally would like my space to look like. Figure out the colors, furniture, style you want your space to look like. In this case, I found this image from Pottery Barn and loved how this media center beautifully stored all the items.

Photo Credit: Pottery Barn Website

Measure out your space. 

Measuring out your space, allows you to figure out what you want to get and how much space you have.

For my family room I purchased the following at IKEA:

Two units HAUGA cabinet with 2 doors

Two KALLAX shelf units

  

[You can find out more info here on this blog post on how to plan for your IKEA trip].

Create piles of what you want to store, and a system of how you plan to store it

Here's the list of items I needed to store:

  • books
  • puzzles
  • big blocks
  • wooden train tracks and trains
  • cars
  • balls
  • small toddler board books
  • magna-tiles
  • photo albums
  • electronic toys
  • homeschool supplies (crayons, markers, colored pencils)
  • stuffed animals
  • diapers and wipes

I organized items based on kid height first. All kid toys would be within reach for them to get on their own. Anything that would need adult assistance, I put up on the upper shelves.

Find decorative storage bins, totes or baskets to hold your items. 

This is where you can get creative to make your space feel more like your style. There are so many options when it comes to storage bins, and so many store options. My favorite options: Target, World Market, IKEA, and Home Goods.

I went to Target and purchased the 13" Decorative Coiled Rope Baskets for the top row, I love that they have the faux leather handles. For the bottom row, I purchased the BRANAS rattan storage cubes from IKEA.

Add the finishing touches to your decorate your shelves and space. 

I also purchased the following from IKEA:

  • KLÄMMEMACKA to store all art supplies
  • TJENA magazine holders to store homeschool booklets and other books
  • MALA paper with holder 

I also added a mix of real and faux fern from Target (they are SOLD OUT of this particular one I bought)

I also purchased this Ombre Seagrass Amelia Tote Basket with Lid from World Market to hold stuffed animals

I hope these tips help you create a space you and your family love to spend time in, while keeping the things organized and kid friendly!!