This client wanted a simple solution; one that the kids could manage mostly by themselves. First, I removed most of the items from the closet. Yup, there were a lot of scattered parts.  I put the ones that I couldn’t identify aside in a separate box (where are the children when I need them?!). I decided that the kids could sort them out later, with her help.

As I removed the stuff from the closet, I made piles to separate the different game and toy pieces.  She had purchased some nice plastic drawer units, and I put them along the sides of the closet.  I gathered up the piles, one by one, and put all of the pieces into separate drawers by category.  There were a lot of train tracks, so I put them all in one big drawer.

Arts & craft supplies went together in the units on the left side. The dollhouse was very large, so it went on the floor in the back.  By moving the play table aside, her grandchildren have good access to it.

I sorted the toys in a way that the kids could understand: people and animals in one drawer; cars, trucks, and planes in another.  There was a drawer for the dollhouse parts (my, they are well furnished!); a drawer for the building toy parts (looks like fun); and two drawer for the tea sets.
Baby toys (mostly blocks) have a drawer of their own too.

Yay! I found a missing part to the Mousetrap game! (gotta have that)

Remember that toy farm you had when you were a kid? Yup, there is a place for that too.  I re-purposed a small basket for the farm pieces.  The space next to it functions well as a bookshelf. (picture)

Her grandchildren don’t have access to the upper shelf, so I left it for storing grown-up stuff. This space also stores her mother’s vintage hat boxes.

So there it is, all nice and tidy and ready for playtime. She said she  may even get a dry erase board to put on the back wall for the kids to write on and to display their artwork.

Now, onward to play-time!

Project by Tina in Austin