We love kids, but all those action figures, craft supplies and books have a tendency to overwhelm a room like ivy does a lawn! Though the toy takeover is inevitable, it doesn’t mean you have to let your home’s style fall by the wayside. All that’s needed to return your rooms to their chic glory are clever ways to integrate and stash your kids’ stuff.

The following are five real-life tested and designer-approved toy containment tips:

Bring on the Baskets

You want your kids to be able to play in the great room, yet there will be times you’d rather it didn’t look like a playroom. Use two or three large baskets or decorative boxes to hold favorite toys. The lidded kind works best, because once you’ve deposited all the Legos, Minecraft and Pokemon action figures, it’s anyone’s guess what could be inside. Place your baskets beneath a side table or arrange them attractively beside the fireplace and they’ll blend right in.

A Place of Their Own

Debating what to do with a bonus room? Create a playroom! Using your new home’s extra space for a designated area for kids to let loose solves a few challenges. There will always be somewhere spacious to corral toys, and, because there will be a spot for just about everything, there will be less spillover into the rest of the house. A special kids-only space also reduces toys in the bedroom, which results in less playing when they should be sleeping.

Designate Drawers

Nurturing your child’s creative streak through all the crayons, markers, glitter, clay, pipe cleaners and other art supplies is a good thing. Not being able to use your kitchen island or dining room table until they enter high school? Not so much. When planning your new home’s kitchen or home office built-ins, talk to your builder about creating deep drawers with resizable dividers to organize everything. Make sure to go through periodically and throw away used-up items. Otherwise, there will be a day when the drawers won’t close!

Create a Toy Depot

Board games, cars, dinosaurs, plastic horses, blocks…your kids still love playing with them, so it’s not time to pass them on. But what do you do with all those things when not in use? Create an accessible, organized storage space in your garage, basement, or laundry room using a shelving unit. Label large, clear bins and stack games on their own shelf. A good way to keep things organized is to separate items by bin. For example, the toy train is in its own container, as are any horses, be they Breyer, My Little Pony or American Girl.

Kids’ Reading Nook

Reading is wonderful. So is spending quiet time together. Achieve both by including a reading nook in your entertainment or living room. Your own books and magazines are often already in those spaces, which makes adding a little one’s library a natural fit. Place low-profile book shelves, child-sized chairs and a table in a corner that is still very much a part of the room. Arrange a selection of books to display, as well as a few toys. Regularly cycle new titles and playthings into the nook to keep things fresh.

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