Everything to Know About Playroom Organizing with a Q+A from a professional organizer! We transitioned our basement to a space for our kids.
First things first fam – you must hire Of Space and Mind to organize your home ASAP. Ashley and her team are amazing. They helped us move into our home and came back. Remember them from our kitchen post?!
Moving our upstairs playroom down two floors and trying to transition the basement to this playroom was no easy task. OSM are professionals and truly the best of the best. They knew exactly what to do to turn our basement into a playroom filled with toys, puzzles, games, books and still keep things in order.
Ashley, the founder of Of Space and Mind, did another blog post take over here to share all of her tips and tricks on organizing your own play space at home.
To be honest – I highly recommend investing in an actually organizer like Of Space and Mind. They will show you tips and tricks you likely never would have thought of on your own. And they travel all over the tri-state area. They also help with SO much. Their team can help with packing, unpacking and they do any room. Seriously though.. they even did our back stock pantry and it is stunning as you saw on Instagram.
If you call Of Space and Mind – tell her we are besties and you can also get a free consultation for your home!
Q+A with Of Space and Mind:
1. What are your top 5 tips to organize a playroom?
- Over index on storage. Add in more storage than you need today so categories like toys, books and games have space to expand. If everything is already tight, your system will break down the next time a new toy comes into the space.
- Labels make cleanup easier for everyone. You can use words, pictures or a combination of both!
- Create a flexible system. Instead of building your playroom around one toy or activity, create different zones for play and use a range of storage that fit each activity.
- Use a mix of open and closed storage to make sure toys feel accessible. Use closed storage to rotate toys and keep things fresh!
- Take things out of their packaging to save space. Packaging tends to be bulky and the variation in size makes storage harder. We often transfer games, puzzles and activities into stackable plastic bins or zippered pouches to save space and keep them organized.
2. At what age should I set up a playroom? My baby is 10 months and changes so fast.
It’s never too early to create a play space for your little one! Create a flexible space that can easily be updated as your child grows. Toys, books and activities can be updated but the zones you create can stay the same! We’d recommend soft flooring, open space for crawling and exploring, and safe toys they can pull themselves up on. Keep storage on their level so toys are accessible – montessori type shelving works really well for this!
3. How much of a budget does one need for a playroom organization? Any budget-friendly tips?
Playrooms can be one of the most affordable rooms to organize because there are lots of cute and affordable kid friendly products out there! We use these bins in almost every playroom we organize and they are under $4! The dollar store also has some great options too. Just make sure to buy bins that are durable enough to stand up to little fingers, are big enough to be useful and you can match in future. For easy and fun decor, put your kids artwork on display! Use frames to feature colorful artwork and rotate it as new pieces come in. This is a fun way to repurpose artwork and make them feel pride in it being featured.
What are your favorite ways to organize legos? They are everywhere!
- Create a zone for legos so there’s one place for them. For our big builders, we like a lego table plus get these bins so kids can build and store everything in one spot. Lego is also a fun thing to display, add wall shelves to showcase masterpieces once they’ve been built!
What are some baby proofing tips for a playroom? I have kids of all ages.
- To babyproof a space, make sure all furniture is secured to the wall!
- Cover sharp edges and remove any unnecessary furniture that could be unsafe.
- Add cabinet locks to anything you don’t want baby to get into
- Be mindful of games and toys with small pieces and make sure those are stored out of reach of young children
How often do you recommend purging and organizing your playroom?
Edit and organize your playroom seasonally – the end of a season is a great time to look at what is and isn’t being played with and do an edit. Match pieces, toss broken bits and put things back in their homes. Editing and organizing space regularly will make it feel like a way more manageable project!
What are some of your favorite toy organizers? We have so many trains and cars!
We are huge fans of this system (which we used in Rachel’s playroom!). It’s cost effective, can be stacked to fit any space and is low enough that kids can access toys themselves. Plus the built-in bins come in fun colors and are bigger than you’d think!
How can we create a playroom in a mixed use space?
Establish your playspace with flooring or furniture! Add a fun rug or foam matting to create a break in the space to make it feel separate. Or, add double sided furniture like this which can function as storage, and a room divider. You can also use the ceiling to designate a playspace, with fun garlands, lighting or a canopy.
What are your tips on organizing a playroom in an apartment?
Whenever we’re organizing a playspace in an apartment we try to incorporate toy storage into existing furniture or opt for storage that blends more easily into the aesthetic.This allows you to have a functioning playspace, without your whole living room looking like a daycare. For example, we might add bins to a media cabinet so toys are accessible but can be put away. Or we might add pieces that have storage but also serve another purpose – like a side table. Everything in a small space should be multi-functional! Rotating toys in an apartment can also help reduce clutter and keep things fresh for kids.
Do you recommend organizing toys based on age?
While it’s important to offer toys that are developmentally appropriate (and safe!) younger kids will most likely want the toys their siblings are playing with anyways. Kids also learn at different rates, so even if something says it’s for a 2-year old, your kid might want it at 18-months or 3-years. Create a playspace that lets kids have freedom to pick their own adventure and play with whatever sparks their imagination!
Do you see clients virtually? How can I hire you?!
We service all of New York and New Jersey (and the surrounding area) and will travel for projects. Check out at ofspaceandmind.com for details on how to work with us! We also just launched virtual design services for the playroom. Beyond just the organization – we can provide you with a concept, a layout and a shopping list so you can create yourself a fun and functional playroom space. Follow us on @ofspaceandmind for our expert tips, product recs and before and after content as we transform people’s homes, and lives.
More on playroom organizing here!
