When decorating my grandbabies’ Toy Room, I wanted something fun, colorful, and functional. It needed to be able to host many kids with a wide range of ages. That meant a variety of toys, books, and learning supplies all squeezed into a spot that I use daily. It would also need to house naptime equipment and have lots of storage space.
Find A Theme for the Toy Room
I found this great canvas print of a squirrel for $8.00 at the Home Store. I love the pop of orange-ish brown color, and the whimsy of this little critter. And so the THEME of my toy room was born!
Working Around Your Theme
It always makes decorating easier if you decide on a theme to build around.
For example, with my squirrel print I could go outdoor-camping-woods crazy. I could make some log looking pillows, put a tent up in the corner, place a camping lantern on the dresser, and add lots of green plants.
Or you can theme around colors or textures, which is what I decided to do in this room. I love the way it turned out. It is bright and fun, yet simple with clean lines.
Using Color Themes
The canvas print that I found had that orange color, browns, and grays. I knew it would be easy to add the grays, and the orange would set everything up perfectly.
I wanted to keep my wall color, rug, and linens neutral. When the grandkids get older, it will be easier and less expensive to change. Plus, it is gender neutral which works well for me.
White sheers curtains and shades on each window. Simple black curtain rods were $8.00 each.
The 8×10 gray rug was under $100.00 from Home Depot. It helps soften the room up as well as keeps noise level down.
The cream colored light fixture is from IKEA. My home is older and doesn’t have ceiling lights in the bedrooms. Instead of that expense, plus begging my hubs to hang a fixture, I found this one. I plugged into outlet and hung with hooks from ceiling all myself. And, I like the style of the shade. It reminds me of a cloud. 🙂
I knew that I wanted to have the word ‘PLAY’ on the wall. To bring in the theme colors, I found different letters in multiple fonts, textures, and colors. These were a few dollars each at the Home Store. I literally placed them on the store floor until I found the ones that looked good to me. The orange ‘A’ looks amazing with the squirrel print.
I made the bunting with print paper from Hobby Lobby. I purchased them when they were 1/2 price. You need 2 sheets of 4 different colors/designs, tape, twine (or string), and tacks to hang. Check out how to make my DIY Bunting here. I made my bunting long enough for one wall and a slight overhang on touching wall. It brings your eye around to my word wall art.
Naptime Necessities
The portable crib was passed down from a family friend. I like that it is smaller than a regular crib. It doesn’t take up too much room that is needed for toy space. A regular sized crib would work just as well. I store extra playpens and blankets under the crib for when needed.
The rocking chair is passed down from my husband’s grandmother. I love reading to my sweet peas on my lap, or rocking them to sleep in their great-great grandma’s chair. Nothing sweeter.
Toy Room Storage
I have 6 grandchildren that hang out in this room. With so many little ones, storage for their toys and games was a must.
This 8 cube organizer bookshelf turned on it’s side with added wheels that lock into place gave me a sturdy place to house most of their things. I added gray cubes and some Rubbermaid storage containers. These hold everything from Imaginex, and Potato Heads, to Barbie’s and Littlest Pet Shops. I even have one each for Mega, Duplo, and regular Legos.
Cardboard books are low on my shelf for the little “picture” readers. I keep a basket with paper books higher up. This basket was from a thrift store $1.00. I added a cute tag stamped with BOOKS and it works perfectly.
I found this Melissa & Doug puzzle shelf which came with 2 puzzles. It fits nicely on the cube shelf and helps to keep puzzles organized up and away from the littles.
This puzzle shaped shelf from a secondhand store was $5.00. It originally is a Dora the Explorer Book Shelf that had 3 levels and retails for $95.00. Mine came with only 2 of the shelves. I painted it gray to go with my color theme. It can also be used as a bench for around the kiddie table at snack time. My cardboard giant blocksfit well here. See my post on Toys that Promote Gross Motor Development here.
Chalkboard Just Their Size
I got a gently used chalkboard from Facebook Marketplace for $10.00. It is in excellent shape and the perfect price. I hung it low so it is easy to reach. It is a large board that allows for several artists to work at the same time. See how to DIY your own chalkboard here.
I keep the chalk and erasers in a caddy up and away until ready for play.
Keeping their toy room organized and tidy is key for stress free fun. In addition, including them in the clean up teaches them responsibility and allows them to take pride in their work.
Additional Toy Room Storage
Jason built 4 shelves in the closet for added storage. I keep art supplies, a cube full of super hero costumes & dress-up clothes, games, playdough, bean boxes (see a great post on these unique sensory tubs of fun here), and extra clothes/baby supplies for mishaps with my sweet peas.
I have 2 laundry baskets side by side in the bottom of the closet. One is used as a toy box. The other holds my train set, buildings, and tracks. (I have the Geo Trax Rail and Road System and several expansion packs. It’s a great quality and durable set, but rather pricey. I found mine at a second hand store for $5.00. See how I thrift for great finds here.) Utilizing laundry baskets makes for easy transport when we want to branch out into other rooms.
I love how my Toy Room turned out. It’s such a fun place to make memories. It is a great space for my little people! What kinds of things do you consider a must for your toy room? Let me know in the comments below. ~ Susie Peas
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