Creative Playroom Hacks

If your children's playroom is also the guest room or family room or office, you need lots of organization to keep all its uses available at a moment's notice. But busting your budget for fancy boxes and bins is entirely out of the question. A quick trip to the dollar store offers up a trove of options to fit your needs.• Use shower caddies to hold toys and craft items.

• Plastic bins work great to organize blocks, Legos, and other building pieces.
• Small bins separate pens, pencils, crayons, glue sticks, and brushes from other supplies.
• Over-the-door shoe holders hold action figures, fashion dolls or dolls’ dresses.
• Large tubs make great homes for stuffed animals.
• Square cubby bins hold dress-up clothes and costumes.
• Plastic crates make an excellent home for play kitchen sets and dishes. Hang smaller containers on removable hooks alongside the play kitchen.
• Place a hanging organizer in the closet and fill it with games.
• Keep color books or comic books in magazine boxes.

Often, baskets and bins come in matching or contrasting color groups. If they are visible in the room, mix and match the larger items artfully on shelving or along the wall, under a table that doubles as a desk or in a closet. Stack lidded bins to keep them organized and label them to make putting items away easier. All these containers are easy grab-and-go items when you need to switch your room's use.

If you’re setting up a play place for grandchildren, fill the baskets and bins with a variety of color books, crayons, and games. Keep a stock of small toys and make each visit special by offering up a new surprise. Then, when the grandchildren are away, whisk the bins into a cabinet or under a bed and, voila, you have your office or guest room back. 

As children mature and move on to crafts and hobbies, add a magnetic spice rack to hold beads and baubles, model parts, and other small objects. Place a clear strip of tape on each container and write on it with a permanent marker, so you know what's in it. If you change out the contents, peel off the tape and add a new piece with the new label.

When they reach the age they no longer need a playroom, re-purpose the bins into a homework station to hold pens, tape, paper, and notebooks.

If you’ve always wanted a dedicated playroom in your home, your realtor can show you homes that fill the bill.