Before and After: A $200 IKEA Hack Creates a Cozy Toy Storage Corner

Parents have long been finding creative ways to use part of the living room as a playroom. The latest to add to the list? Laura Barber’s (@lifeatolddenehouse) empty-corner-turned-TROFAST-bench project that creates a cozy setup for her little boys.

“We had nothing in this corner, and toys were starting to creep out of the playroom into the living room,” Laura writes on Instagram. “But it’s nice to spend time together in the main living space rather than just the playroom, so I thought I’d create a little toy storage area in here.” ⁣She spent about $200 on the project.

An IKEA TROFAST makes a great bench base.

Laura started with a six-drawer pine IKEA TROFAST with white containers (but you could also choose gray, orange, pink, or teal). The piece fits snugly in the empty corner. She used a cozy bouclé seat cushion from H&M on top of the bench, and she used wooden labels on the outsides of the bins to match the overall look of the living room and the shelving overhead.

Laura emphasizes that she wanted the addition to “still go with the overall look of the living room rather than look like a playroom.”

Overhead shelving blends the toy corner into the living room.

She selected chunky oak shelving for overhead to incorporate some decor for grown-ups, too. Laura dubs her creation a “play corner” rather than an entire play room. (For another adorable “play corner,” check out this living room makeover and its cute little kid area.)

Laura’s advice? “You don’t need to have a playroom and can make a great play space within another space but still keep it in keeping with your decor,” she says. “[This project] means we can spend time together as a family with easy access to toys for my children, but still keep it as a grown-up space.”

This article originally published on Apartment Therapy. See it there: A $200 IKEA Hack Creates 2x the Storage Space in This Empty Living Room Corner

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