The closet next to our front door was an obvious place for our coat closet when we first moved in. But since our definition of “coat closet” seems to include random stuff like cleaning supplies (vacuum, dust buster, etc) as well as miscellaneous files and bags, we quickly realized that it was smarter for us to use the deeper closet under the stairs for that stuff instead. It’s slightly closer to the garage anyways, so it’s actually a more convenient spot for daily coat access (not that I’m ready to admit summer’s over yet).
But that left this lonely guy next to the door without a job to do. And what’s the opposite of having a job? Playing with toys. That’s what.
Well, not so much playing with them as storing them. I’ll get to the “why?” of this toy closet in a moment, but let me start with the “how?” since it was kind of lacking in the shelving department. We considered building some more shelves like the existing one up top (i.e. nailing wood braces to the wall and resting a board on top). But we decided we wanted something with more flexibility (so that we could alter the shelf spacing over time). So after perusing the options at a couple of stores, we landed on this Rubbermaid option at Home Depot (but with wood shelves, not wire ones).
Installation was pretty straightforward. Pun intended, since you do have to be careful about keeping your tracks straight and level when hanging them so your shelves don’t look all wonky. I used my laser level to help me mark my drill spots so they lined up and the shelves would be nice and straight.
Rubbermaid sells a hardware pack that comes with anchors and screws, so it was kind of a no brainer. I just drilled a hole in the wall at each spot, tapped in the anchor, and then screwed the track securely in place.
When placing the second track I again wanted to make sure it was level with the first. Don’t mind the green slime on my yardstick. It was a victim of this paint spill in the garage.
Once both tracks were in place, I clipped in the brackets and rested the shelves right on top of them. Our closet was just an inch-ish narrower than the 36″ stock white shelf they sold, so it did require a quick cut on the table saw for each one.
Certainly not the sexiest shelving unit I’ve ever laid eyes on, but considering it took me about an hour to install and it’ll be behind a closed door most of the time, we’re satisfied customers. Especially since it made this closet approximately 89.542% more functional, and we can move the shelves to be closer together or further apart, depending on what we’re storing. Here’s the cost breakdown:
- Four 12″ x 36″ shelves: $14
- Eight 12″ brackets: $28
- Two 48″ twin tracks: $13
- Two hardware packs: $4
- TOTAL: $59
With “construction” done, Sherry gave the existing blue shelf and baseboard a couple coats of white primer and paint and then loaded in the toys after everything dried.
We know some of you might be scratching your head at this. A toy closet in the foyer? And with things she can’t even reach? Plus, where can I get one of those panda hats? Well hang on to your bear-less heads, for I will explain…
Clara’s at an age where it’s tough for more than a few favorite toys (like her play kitchen or her dolls) to keep her interest for more than a minute or two. So she can be that typical three-year-old tornado that burns through an entire jumbled basket of cars, balls, puzzles, and games in five minutes. We also have a few things that we don’t keep readily accessible to her since they’re supervised activities, like painting, markers, play-doh, etc. So that’s where the idea for this toy closet, er, toy library comes in. We figured we could still keep a basket of her favorite toys out in a few rooms where she plays (along with larger things like her dollhouse and play kitchen) but the rest of those easily-dumped-and-ditched items might feel more special and exciting to her if they’re not always jumbled up in a basket that’s right under her nose.
We call it a “library” because it’s meant to have the same effect that library books have on her versus the books that we have around all the time. Library books seem special and new, keeping her excited and attentive longer. So we’ve taken a bunch of her existing toys and activities out of the everyday access spots and organized them in this closet (which is centrally located, so it’s actually a convenient spot). Here’s how it works:
- Clara often plays with a few favorite toys that are still out in baskets, but if she decides she’d like something from the closet, she just asks us and we help her get the item that she wants
- She can only “check one thing out” at a time, so one thing must be returned before another is taken out (this is already really inspiring her to clean things up before asking for something else)
- We hope this will work for us long-term (growing up Sherry and I both had a closet with shelves full of board games and movies, so we think even for older kids this could come in handy – especially since we can adjust the shelf spacing).
We debated organizing with cute image or photo labels (since Clara can’t read the words yet) but since it’s a grown-up guided activity (meaning we’ll be the ones getting things off most of the shelves for a long time since they’re out of her reach anyway), we stuck with text labels for now. Sherry even repurposed a frame to make a little “menu” of what’s inside so she can quickly offer up some suggestions to Clara without digging through all the baskets and bins to remember what’s in there.
The toy library closet has actually been in use for a couple of weeks now (we wanted to wait to report on how it’s working for us – just in case it was a huge bust and we decided it was a better tool closet or something), and so far it’s working even better than expected. I sort of anticipated this being one of those “a 3 year old won’t bend to your need for systems and order, Petersik!” moments but Clara actually loves it. It seems to be helping with her attention span and how long she plays with things (we’ve had a couple marathon marker coloring sessions lately) – and it’s definitely helping her better grasp the concept of cleaning up one mess before making another.
So yes, we may be the weirdos who greet our guests with a basket of finger paints and an over-sized dinosaur puzzle, but the former library employee in me is quite proud of our little closet. Ooooh, maybe we should make library cards?! Too far, Petersik. Too far.
If you’re In the mood to peruse more shelf projects and ideas, this post has a collection of 16 DIY shelving ideas.
Psst- Wanna know where we got something in our house or what paint color we used? Just click on this button:
Meggan says
Love this idea. We have done this in a slightly different way. We have four boys and I got so sick of cleaning up and separating the Duplos and the train tracks and the toy food and the matchbox cars, etc. etc. that I put all their toys in the attic, and now they are allowed to have one construction toy (usually Duplos, they can play with those things for hours) and one other toy out. I like the idea of the closet better though, because I think it would be easier to rotate their toys out. I think with more kids we would need some kind of system like library cards to know who has what toys out. No matter what, I love the concept of not overwhelming kids with all their toys at one time.
Stephanie @ The Simplebees says
We had a toy library in a previous house and we just adored it!
Stephanie @ The House on Hillbrook says
Great Idea! So I took my kids toys away and somehow they still manage to create giant messes with random bits and bobs they find. So maybe if I create a closet like this one I can keep the chaos a little less chaotic.
Danielle Ferretti in Miami says
Be still my little heart…. I see the cutest Super Hero cape hanging in this closet..! :)))) I was wondering the other day if she still plays with it !
Best time I have ever spent on the sewing machine then, hands down ! :)
You guys just never cease to amaze me. I just spent the last long weekend trying to figure out how to manage and control my 4 yo Zoe’s toys, to NO conclusion… Her playroom is the smaller leg of our L shaped family room, and the toys are all visible and end up spilling into the rest of our entire house… Maybe you can come visit me here in South Florida and go crazy with your magical organizational skillz – I promise I will even watch Clara for you ! ;)
Love the closet !
YoungHouseLove says
Oh Danielle, she still loves her cape so much! I wish we could come visit right now and organize your Zoe toys within an inch of their life! Haha!
xo
s
Andi (@estellasrevenge) says
Great work! These little super-tailored things you guys put into place in the new house are my fave updates to read. They get my mind churning about what I can do in my own home that may not be mainstream and expected, but that work great for my family. :D
Laurie says
Hey, it’s your house, you get to use it for however works best for you. I’m sure not everyone has an entire room dedicated to yarn but that’s what I needed so that’s what I have.
Besides, I think that closet will age with Clara nicely. Eventually it will be a great spot for board games and the baskets can hold mittens, hats, and scarves.
I think it looks great!
Aimee says
We do this too! We love it.
GreenInOC says
Love it!
Larita says
Yes! I’ve done this with my kids’ toys for about a year and a half now. They’re two and three, and it is SO nice to have them pick up toys on their own. Or when I have to pick up after them, it’s just a little bit instead of EVERYTHING. I’m very jealous of your “extra” closet though – no such thing exists in my house.
Kay says
Genius parenting, Petersiks! I’m a children’s librarian and we use the toy-swap-out method at the library with great success. (I too think you should create library cards :D)
I also love that you let Clara decide which toys to use. Giving her a choice between toys empowers her to make decisions, which is a lifelong skill! And because you’ve pre-approved her choices, you’re not setting her up for failure. (By any chance have you read Parenting with Love and Logic? It focuses on helping children making decisions. It’s a favorite in the library.)
YoungHouseLove says
Sounds like a great book! I’ll have to check it out! I finished Simplicity Parenting last month and this month I have How To Talk So Kids Listen and Listen So Your Kids Talk. So good!
xo
s
Kay says
My two favorite parenting books are the love and logic books and the How to Talk to Kids Listen books! There’s also the teen version to that book which has been really helpful to a lot of library parents! Our library doesn’t have Simplicity Parenting though–I’ll have to check it out! (No pun intended :))
Joan Klein says
Love the closet! If anyone wants a Panda hat they can get one anywhere they sell S.F. Giants stuff like sweatshirts and hats. The fans Pablo Sandoval, aka The Panda, wear Panda hats just like Clara’s. They are available online for all the little pandas!
YoungHouseLove says
Great tip!
xo
s
Jodi says
this is brilliant! now, if only i had a spare closet in my brooklyn apartment …
ShellySinAZ says
I did the same thing when we had 5 boys age 5 and under! (We have 7 kids now!) Even living in the freezing cold upper Midwest, the front coat closet was better used storing toys! I know a lot of people thought I was strange for doing that, so I wanted to give you my full support! :)
YoungHouseLove says
Woah! You’re my hero Shelly!
xo
s
KayGray says
When we lived abroad in NZ, community toy librarys were very popular. For $60 a year we could take 5 toys home at a time and keep them as long as a month or return and get new ones. And they had the big toys like kitchens and play mowers and racetracks that kids love for a short time and then you are stuck with them. BEST. idea. ever. I wish it would catch on here. There is a netflix-style service but it is expensive and all that packaging and shipping seems wasteful. So we rotate toys as well. LOVE the organized closet for it all :)
Kathryn says
That’s an amazing concept! All the toys you could want with no burn out, disappointments, and essentially an annual cap on expenditure? Fantastic!
Joanna Banana says
Wow, this is really cool! You should start one!
Paula Herlinger says
Yes – here in Australia most public libraries also lend toys – for free if you live in the local area – from dolls, to puzzles to strollers – whatever – and if the kid really, really likes something and can’t live without it, then you can buy one and KNOW they’ll love it.
Karen says
We did the same exact thing a year and a half ago and let me tell you, it has made a world of difference with our 4 and 6 year old! We actually had to put a lock up top as a certain little one kept climbing the shelves to get what she wanted. We live in sunny California, so our coat closet just didn’t get much use and was a waste of space for us when we could just put our one coat each in our closets. Our foyer closet now houses all the arts and crafts supplies, the homework box, all of our games and the inside back of the door has one of those nifty gift wrap storage systems attached to it. We have gotten daily use out of a closet that use to only see a few days use out of a whole year- such a small change that made such a big impact on our daily living!
jackie sousa says
This is so awesome! I have a 3 yo and we have an armoire in our tight space that is filled with all her arts & crafts, puzzles, etc…her kitchen, dollhouse, and dolls are all at reach but these types of things are better suited for a place that require adult permission I think : ) Great job and I’m totally stealing your toy menu, well done as usual!
Cindy says
We did something very similar with our boys and really loved it. Our system was slightly different: instead of “checking out” a toy, they traded for something they wanted to put away for awhile. One toy in, one toy out. It was awesome. We didn’t have all the toys out in the open to take over the house. The best part, though, was that getting out an old toy they hadn’t seen in awhile was like getting a brand new toy. A side bonus was that we got to find out which toys were their favorites and which they wanted to let go (for awhile). It was fascinating.
Good work!
Happy says
Love this! We did exactly the same thing in our front hall closet after the birthday barage of presents last year. It has worked really well for us – kiddo is learning to pace himself and clean up and we find ourselves more involved in play time – a reminder I need regularly. The toys in the closet are definitely more “special” than anything that’s left out, and it helps us keep the enormity of toyville in check since we can see what we have (and what is no longer needed) so much more easily. We also have an art cupboard in the kitchen which has been going strong for about 2 years now.
Liz says
BRILLIANT idea! Our daughter is Clara’s age and we are struggling with the same challenge of understanding “clean up” and battling the daily tornado that comes from play time. We’ll see if we can work this one in somehow. Thanks!
Andrea says
Love, love, love this post! As a former college library employee I love the idea of not only the organization factor, but there are so many possibilities for a bit of fun: a sign out sheet, library cards, a fake scanner,a check out table, oh my the possibilities are endless! Thanks for the organizational inspiration!
Jean (notsupermum) says
Aha, nice to see the inside of it after asking you what you were using it for last week? Thanks, great idea for the toy library btw. I used to do a similar thing for my two girls (now teens) to avoid them being overwhelmed with things to play with. Every so often, I also used to declutter their toys I didn’t think they used (children get so much!)- I’d put them away somewhere they couldn’t see them and they hadn’t asked for them within 3 months they were donated to a children’s charity.
kim says
I think it’s a great idea! I turned our downstairs hall closet into a “Batcave” for my son (his playroom is superhero themed so I continued the trend). My husband wasn’t thrilled, but my argument of who needs a coat closet when you live in Texas won him over – that and the fact I cleared out the closet and painted the wall with chalkboard paint while he was away on business. :)
YoungHouseLove says
So much fun!!
xo
s
Michele from IL says
LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the idea of a “toy library” where only one thing can be checked out at a time!!!!!!! BRILLIANT! :)
Kim L. says
Where did you get the little white bins that you used in the closet? I have been looking for something like that for a church nursery organizing project I am doing.
YoungHouseLove says
Those were from Target a while back, but I think they still sell them!
xo
s
Shelley @ Green Eggs and Hamlet says
Kim L., they also have a similar basket at The Container Store (I just saw them recently in their catalog). Maybe not as affordable as Target but just in case: http://www.containerstore.com/shop?productId=10032374&N
Pat S says
I could really stand to do this for my grown up toys!!
Joanna Banana says
This is an EXCELLENT idea. I am a behavior specialist and have also taught in preschool. Rotating children’s toys and keeping access limited, and not having toys thrown all over the house or play room teaches SOOOO many functional play and daily living skills. Of which you’ve mentioned…increase attention to task, requesting from adults, increasing interest in toys, organizational skills. The list goes on! LOVE IT! (Too bad when I request restricted toy access, parents don’t listen! I will use this post as an example!)
YoungHouseLove says
So interesting Joanna!
xo
s
Jess says
We had a toy closet in the first house I was in as a kid. We all missed it in the second house! But ours was not as awesomely organized as yours. And dude, the former library employee in ME is saying “Library cards? That would be AWESOME!”
Mary | Lemon Grove Blog says
Hey – whatever works for you, right! It seems perfect, since your office is right off to the side there. :)
Renee says
Library Cards is Not Too Far! Oh a mini card catalog or those little envelopes in the back of books with a stamped piece of paper. I swoon.
Lauren@FilingJointly says
No children yet (though there’s one particularly thumpy one due in January) but this has made me consider implementing a similar system for my husband and his technological thingies. At the end of the night our living room is always littered with his iPhone, iPad, Kindle, Computer, various hard drives and a number of remote controls. Plus all the chargers for those gadgets.
I think it would be lovely to say, “Yes darling you may have your hard drive upon which you have stored all of the episodes of Breaking Bad including Director’s Commentary as soon as you have handed over that one remote. No not that one, the other silver one. The one that controls the microwave for no good reason.”
I’m totally making a library card for him if I do it.
YoungHouseLove says
Hahaha! DO IT. And then write one of your hilarious posts about how it works out.
xo
s
Andrea says
best idea ever :D need to do this for my nerdy boyfriend
Rosalie @Ditto DIY says
Two track shelving systems are all the rage. I ditto’d almostmakesperfect’s idea in my family room http://www.dittodiy.com/shelving-ditto-diy/ and Love! it.
YoungHouseLove says
So smart!
xo
s
Sara S. says
Love this idea. What are the paint colors you used for your walls and trim? and what about the door?
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks Sara! It’s Blue Lake on the front door and Simply White on the closet doors and trim and Edgecomb Gray on the walls (all by Benjamin Moore). Hope it helps!
xo
s
Kate says
Neat idea! I’ll definitely have to keep it in mind. I think it’s an awesome use of the built in gun cabinet in our basement (which currently houses a random stack of board games).
Off topic question… how does she like the wood car ramp toy? I got one for my niece after seeing it on your site a while back in a Christmas post or something, and it’s on my list of “wants” for my baby once she’s old enough for it (next summer/fall). I love that it’s wood and it looks fun, but does Clara enjoy playing with it?
YoungHouseLove says
She seems to like it for a good 10 minutes or so, so it won’t keep her busy all day, but she likes dragging it out occasionally, and when her friends are over it’s a good two-three kid activity like her train board, play kitchen, and dollhouse.
xo
s
Elizabeth Bennett says
Shelves in the closet – happy thought indeed!
Shelley @ Green Eggs and Hamlet says
Toy library, what a cute idea! You guys are always saying to decorate your house so that it’s truly YOU so I think if your coat closet is full of toys rather than coats or skeletons, go with it. Let your freak, er toy, flag fly!
Ashley says
You guys are rocking my world lately…We just bought a new house that is actually really similar to your new house (hello three shell sinks in the bathrooms…and we are currently midway through laying new oak hardwoods in the upstairs), and I keep showing my husband almost every new project you guys have completed.
We actually have a giant bonus room that has been converted already (you know…like your future media room) that we plan to use as a playroom/rec room for our son and any future siblings. And it has a closet that has the rubbermaid system installed (but with the wire shelves…I do not love the wire shelves..they gotta go), but this would be the perfect use for that. You are right–toy overload results in a whole lot of toys that rarely get used. Thank you guys–I love this!
Katie W says
LOVE this idea! As a speech pathologist for kiddos Clara’s age, I am constantly recommending families to do this. Not only does it decrease clutter in the house, but it also tends to increase attention to a few items for longer amounts of time! I’ll be showing my clients this, thanks! :)
Lisa says
OK, so you have appealed to me on so many different levels with this post. For one, I am a librarian and the idea of a toy library just makes me beam with joy. I am also the mother of a nearly-3 year old and I completely get what you are saying about attention span and not having an overwhelming amount of toys that are just out all the time. Finally, we just moved into our first home and have a closet in our dining room that is kind of being used for coats and kind of being used for cleaning products and kind of being used for random other stuff. It makes me furl my brow every time I open it because it doesn’t serve a real purpose, but NOW it will! I am totally putting this on our weekend project list. We even have that same Rubbermaid shelving leftover from our old apartment. Thank you so much for this post! I feel like it was written just for me!!
Lisa says
I LOVE this idea. My 18-month-old twins are a little too young for it, but I’ll definitely keep it in mind to control the chaos in a year or two.
We’re actively searching for a house, and I was thinking of you guys over the weekend: many houses we’ve seen seem to have “formal” areas and “kid” areas (that’s also how I grew up) and I love that Clara seems to have little spaces throughout your home(s). My question to you is: how do you make it work, but still keep the house looking “grown up?” By the end of each day, our Brooklyn apartment looks like the aftermath of a toy tornado. Any tips?
YoungHouseLove says
I think we just try to work her stuff into the house so it’s sort of organically woven in there which seems functional too since she can play in multiple rooms (her chalkboard and play kitchen in the office, her dollhouse in her room, a basket of favorite toys in the living room, etc). Maybe just try to make or buy kids things that you like the look of (ex: make a bookcase into a dollhouse or a night stand into a cool play kitchen instead of grabbing something plastic that you think may be an eyesore?). Hope it helps!
xo
s
Andrea says
Something like this maybe? ^^
http://www.solebich.de/sites/solebich.xlcontent.de/files/imagecache/scale495/content/15332/images/p1070020.jpg
YoungHouseLove says
So cute!
xo
s
Emily M says
This post was a total lightbulb moment for me (or maybe more like a slap-on-the-forehead “duh!” moment!). We have three kids under four, and I have long rotated their toys in and out of “hiding.” I love doing this, for many of the reasons you mentioned and more, but our “hidden” toys are jumbled deep in the back of a closet in the ten-month-old’s room and such a pain to get to. Your converted closet space and “library system” (I’m always trying to rush and rotate toys during naptimes to prevent begging and big messes) is the perfect solution to what is a good but not well executed practice in our house. Now I’m eyeballing all our closets….;)
christina @ homemade ocean says
So CUTE! And so, so, so very organized.
Erin port says
We had a coat closet turned toy closet in our last house in an effort to store away the bulkier toys with no dedicated toy room and it was one of the first DIY projects in our new home!
Lauren says
So smart!! I wish I had an extra closet in our foyer for this purpose. Glad to hear Clara’s enjoying the new system, too.
And this might be weird to say since I don’t really “know” you, but I really hope this is your forever house. I’ve been reading your blog since you were in your first house, and while I’ve always enjoyed reading your posts, you both seem to be so passionate about this house. Something is different :) It’s a joy to read everyday!
YoungHouseLove says
You will have to pry this house out of my cold dead hands. Haha! I’m never leaving!
xo
s
Emily @ Life on Food says
I love it. I am highly organized and anything like this makes me so happy.
aaroohii says
Where do u plan on putting your guests coats and shoes and bags when they arrive??
YoungHouseLove says
The other coat closet near the kitchen works for those since it’s twice as deep so there’s lots of room for that stuff.
xo
s
Wendy says
I love the idea of making it a “library”! Last year, I moved all our big kid toys off the main floor & put them in the linen closet between my older kids’ rooms. I love that it keeps the mess off the main floor & prevents our baby from eating tiny Legos & Polly Pocket clothes!
http://designedtodwell.blogspot.com/2012/09/toy-troubles.html
YoungHouseLove says
Smart!
xo
s
katie { deranchification } says
That is awesome. We definitely need to have a toy check-out system around here — our little guy loves to dump baskets of cars and MegaBlocks…
Also, what laser level are you using in those pics? Ours only does horizontal lines and one that also works vertically would be life-changing!
YoungHouseLove says
It’s by Black and Decker, from Target I think! It pivots to any angle, so it’s awesome.
xo
s
Molly says
Do you know if the Rubbermaid shelving system works for plaster walls or just for dry wall? We live in an old 1920s house with all plaster walls, but I was hoping to do something like this in the master closet.
Thanks!
YoungHouseLove says
Our first house had plaster walls and we still had luck with anchors and screws for holding things up, so I would give those a try. That’s the method that’s recommended with Rubbermaid shelves, so I think it hopefully will be great!
xo
s
Nancy says
I had a much less fancy version of this when my kids were little and the mass of toys got out of control. I bought four or five large hard plastic rectangular laundry baskets and divided up all but a handful of their toys, putting an assortment in each basket. Then I put each (full!) basket into a black plastic garbage bag and stacked them in the garage. “New toy basket” day (which occurred very irregularly, but now I think I’d be more systematic…) was huge excitement and of course the existing toy basket had to first be packed up. Best thing I ever did toy-wise.
I didn’t have a spare closet and I think it worked well for us to have the toys completely “out of sight out of mind.” I like the ‘library’ system too. And Clara would likely LOVE library cards! That’d be cute! Over the top perhaps, but still cute.
MJB says
We have had a craft/toy closet for years. Although my kids are now teens, we still use it for markers, poster paper, extra school supplies, glue sticks, and toys for the younger cousins. It was a sanity saver when my kids were Clara’s age (and beyond.)