We have an astounding amount of toys in our house. My absolute dream is for the boys to have a dedicated playroom that can contain everything leaving the rest of our house toy and clutter free. Apparently, playrooms are now a big selling point with home buyers too. This Telegraph article has futher details on why having a play room can help with the process of selling your house.

As children get older, many parents try to contain toy collections to the bedroom but there’s a lot to be said for keeping play spaces and bedrooms separate, not least the fact that it separates sleep and youngsters often need coaxing to stop playing when bedtime comes around. However, the fact remains that we’re not all blessed with room upon room in our homes, so how do you add a devoted play space if you don’t have a room to spare? If you’d like to create a play nook or corner without sacrificing too much square footage, it’s time to make a play area out of a tight spot.

Finding a prime play location

With a little careful planning, you can create a welcoming play nook out of even the tightest of spaces and it needn’t be particularly obvious to guests or visitors either. If you’re not willing to sacrifice the spare bedroom or even more likely, you don’t have a spare bedroom, you can look at carefully siphoning space off from another room. Ideally, you don’t want to make things to look too packed in or the overflowing toy box to become a central feature of your lovingly decorated living space. So, how is that best achieved?

Look around: is there a space behind your sofa that’s going untapped? Could you rearrange your comfy chairs to free up a nook that’s easy to hide when not in use? Is it possible to divide up an area with some bookshelves? With clever placement and the addition of a small chair or bench, the space might resemble a mini library! How about curtaining off an area under your stairs and open it up as a little play nook? How about adding a more permanent physical separation? While dividing up your living-diner with a wall might be out of the question, could you cordon off an area with some bi-fold doors perhaps? Choose a floor-to-ceiling glass option like these from Vufold and you’ll be able to open them up and keep an eye on kids as they play and then seal off any offending mess afterwards. Another advantage of bi-fold style doors is they don’t limit the light flow through your home, which is even more important on really bad weather days when playing outdoors is just not an option.

Making the kids’ area cosy

Whatever area you earmark for play, make the space feel special by laying a play rug which can be rolled up when not in use. This will have the added benefit of making the floor more comfortable for kids whilst protecting your floor covering underneath too. For an extra cute finishing touch, you could hang a little sign that says “playroom open” when it’s in use and even add your child’s name. Clever storage is key to keeping things contained and while you may never be able to achieve that Pinterest worthy minimal look, with some careful tweaks you can make furniture and fittings go a little bit further. Think about using storage boxes that double up as chairs, use the bottom line of shelving to small child-friendly storage baskets and fit hanging basket planters in alcoves to home cuddly toys. Low-level shoe racks can make neat toy shelves too.

Of course, however, organised your approach, a mounting collection of toys can soon spread, which is why many parents choose to follow the one toy in, one old toy out, rule.

Do you and your family carry out regularly clear outs to minimise the mess? If so, do you tend to give toys away or make extra cash at car boot sales?

Share your toy clear out tips and play space interiors inspiration below!

* This is a PR collaboration

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