To ask for toy storage ideas for my lounge

[Whitecandle]

I know this isn't an AIBU thread but posting for traffic...

My DS is 8 months and with Christmas coming up I'm looking into toy storage for the living room. I have no idea what to go for. Ideally want something easily accessible. Seen a few pics as below but want something to look half decent!!

What have you got?

Ikea kallax, the boxes are big enough to hold lots of annoying shaped toys and then you can't see them which is even better

I think ours is called expedite from IKEA, it is a white unit with black pull out boxes and doors.

GLTC have lovely modular storage

Kallax!

The storage cubes from b & q are good. Ive then put toys on top of the cube too.

I think I would like something that isn't a box preferably. I'd like something with an open front like the pics I've posted.

Not 100% sure though.

We have an old metal and wood trunk and a few belly baskets. I have kallax in DDs bedroom but it would look awful in our lounge as most of our furniture is antique dark wood.

I had ikea trofast in the playroom, but wouldn't had had it if it was my main living room.. And kallax everywhere else. I think kallax is more versatile.

Ikea Kallax. We have a mix of things out on the shelves and in boxes but I like to have as much stuff hidden as possible so we don't look like a branch of toys r us!

Kallax here too, had been nice and versatile as the size/shape/quantity of toys has changed as they get older!

That's my problem. I don't have a playroom so stuck for space really.

I guess I do need something where I can hide the toys away actually. At least the lounge can look half decent some of the time then.

I kind of need something slim. Wide and high is ok but depth wise I'm pretty limited due to the shape of my room.

Kallax will be too deep - I have one already for storage under my stairs and tried it in the lounge 😔

Tbh, if Kallax is too deep you might struggle depending on what toys you want to store. If my memory serves me well, toddler toys can be pretty bulky. We had a wooden toy box and put some smaller stuff on the bottom shelves of some existing book shelves. It never looked amazing. Can you put boxes behind the sofa or chairs?

Following this with no advice but I’m gonna need to steal idea as when DD is born we’re going to need to keep thing in our very narrow but long lounge and I can’t for the life of me find something that won’t be in the way or look stupid

If you don't have another outside space like a shed to store the majority of stuff then my TOP TIP is to get a kallax type unit that is easy ish to manouvere. Then you can be in charge of how much gets tipped out. As he gets older he can choose one of the storage boxes and you can keep the rest hidden in your back to front unit.

Oh that’s a shame re the kallax not fitting. I haven’t been to a house in recent years that doesn’t have one somewhere for toy storage. The B&Q version is smaller I think. We also have had our normal furniture taken over by toys. If you’re going to hit first Christmas and first birthday soon, the number of toys you’ve got will explode.

I have a couple of the open boxes on shelves in your first pic op. I wouldn’t buy them again for this age - my kids (2 and 10m) just tip everything out all the time because it’s in sight. My youngest uses it as a climbing frame so the boxes are always off the rails and you can’t fit anything remotely bulky in them without it being a nightmare to get it in or out. Plus even after you’ve tidied it all away it still looks messy. I have an old chest in the sitting room that I keep some stuff in and I’m looking to get something else (probably kallax) to go with it.

We got a dresser, and use it as a tv stand but has toys in the cupboards underneath.

My grandad also blocked up under the stairs (its a terrace) so coats, shoes, jumperoo, slide, ball pit etc live under there. At night all goes away

As with many other pp I also have to suggest the kallax. Just now buying more drawers so that we can hide LOs toys away when not using them

I have a colour ful version of your first picture and I hate it..the toys always look so messy!
We have the b and q version of IKEA kallax and it's brilliant and looks much tidier.

I have a whole load similar to your second picture but tbh everything gets lost in them and looks a mess. I'm considering repurposing them for shoe storage. I also have a kallax style unit which is fab.

We have GLTC Northcote, which they’ve largely discontinued. We also have a IKEA Stuva storage bench on casters, which is great. Stuva could work for you, it isn’t just bedroom furniture. Lots of options in terms of doors, no doors, types of handles etc.

Would Ikea Billy bookcases be too shallow for you?

We also have the Barbican toy storage boxes from GLTC which stack. Dc use them for small things like trains, cars, happyland/Playmobil people, hexbugs etc.

I have open shelves, nothing behind doors here. Unless things are in boxes like board games or whatever, we have plastic crates so that everything looks less messy. It also helps contain toys eg a crate of musical toys, crate of balls etc.

Ikea kallax, buy some drawers, Chuck it in there at the end of the day, can’t see it all and looks tidy

Why do you want toys on display in your living room? We've got a nice wooden toy box with a seat on top downstairs, the rest goes back up to DSs room, there's also no need for a baby to have hundreds of toys.