To not want toys brought into the lounge?

That’s a you thing, though, and as a pp said, you chose to have kids.

I'm sorry, but I don't understand why the 5yo can't tidy up. We've made it clear to our 3yo that she has to tidy up when she's finished. Yes, we have to remind her and encourage her, but that's parenting. You don't back down on some things. Maybe I'm unreasonable here, but a 5yo is more than capable of tidying up. They do it at nursery/school

I don't get why you're not getting much sympathy. It drives me nuts too. I have an 18 month old, and the conservatory is dedicated as a playroom (it has heated flooring). She also obviously has her bedroom. Toys still end up all over the house 😂 I don't care to the point of preventing it lol, but I can't say it doesn't bug me to see toys under the kitchen table, and sitting down to watch the TV only to set off some musical toy with my foot lol.

I tend to pick it all back up once every couple of days and throw it back in the conservatory, then shut the door so I can't see it 😂

I'd always let them play wherever, but as they get a bit older, you can teach them to tidy up, or put a couple of thing away before getting the next toy out.

I don't see how it qualifies as an orangery unless you grow, or plan to grow oranges in it.

I have a conservatory with an excellent old grapevine in it that thrives in the full sun every summer. Should I now call it a Vine House? 😂

I’d love an orangery so I’m envious. But I imagine that it’s still less comfy than the living room and so they prefer to play there?

I think you might need to let this go, the toys everywhere years are fairly short lived in the scheme of things. They just want to be near you.

Meh. My view is that I chose to live with children. Their stuff has as much right to be in communal areas as anyone else's. Was the same when I was growing up- my parents were always letting us run train tracks round the kitchen etc.
The jigsaw/hot wheels era is such a short phase of life in the grand scheme of things.
I also play a lot with my kids and prefer to do that in my favourite rooms rather than shoving them off to a playroom/conservatory/whatever.

😂

My aunt calls her that and it goes onto the patio - which she pronounces "pay-she-O"

Years ago I babysat for a family who had a room they called a fernery. It was just a lounge really, with some large French windows and some potted ferns. I haven't seen them in 30 years but I've always remembered the fernery. 😀

The Orangery? Really?

Who cares what its called ? I would love to see a picture of it though

Because they want to play in the main area of the house where mummy and daddy are, lol.

Turning the orangery into a family/day room and using the living room in the evenings as an "adults" space might work @ohnononofenton ?

So your DS has a choice -
learn to tidy or
not be allowed to play in the lounge

when your DS is an adult, which of these choices would you rather he remember?

i grew up not being allowed to play in the lounge. My parents spent a lot of time in there. It’s a sad childhood feeling unwelcome in the space your parents like to spend their time.

So true, unfortunately. Many of us just miss those days...

I don't think it's reasonable to ban all toys in the main family living space, no. If you asked about your bedroom/study or a similar space I would have a different answer.

But it is fine to have toys that are played with in particular areas (puzzles, crafts and lego are all examples of things that have designated places in our house) and to actively reduce the constant transporting of toys and make cleanups easier.

Give each kid a bit of toy storage in the lounge. I understand this may not be your aesthetic ideal but you're a grown up and can manage those feelings and compromise. Let them have a manageable amount of things to play with in there that can be cleaned up quickly and easily because their storage spot is not off in another room. Allow them to rotate the lounge toys out but not continue to build up more and more - the limited storage space serves as a boundary. Do more frequent cleanups with your DS so that they're short, easy, and less likely to be at a time when he's already tired and getting a lot of to-dos (like bedtime).

Storing items where they're used and in a way that makes them easy to put away is actually one of the most helpful organization skills for those of us that aren't naturally tidy.

You should be glad that they want to spend time in the family area

This. How small is the lounge. Why don't they want to use the orangery as a play room.

I think, as pp said, getting him to tidy up and put everything away is a good idea. Perhaps do it together to start with, and give a reward?
In my experience they cotton on quite quickly and even enjoy the tidying process!

There isn't a problem with that as such, but it's unrealistic to expect it to be the main room of the house when you have small children.

I don't see a problem with OP wanting one tidy room in her home so she can walk through or sit in without lots of small toys bits in it.

It is considered an extension if it has a proper roof with some form of walls combined with the large windows, adding value to your home. We found that out when we were thinking about moving.

Amazed there’s some people on here who haven’t heard of an orangery. It’s called that- OP isn’t being odd- it’s the other way round! Orangery is common - there’s companies that send leaflets out all the time! It’s not a conservatory- it’s different. We have one- it’s a much better use all year round.

How about you let them play with toys in the lounge but not the orangery, it might make life easier.

The orangery at Chatsworth House is mahooosive.
In fact it's the gift shop. It's fantastic.
Stone built, very elegant.