A calm play space

When we moved into this home I was 6 months pregnant. After a bit of a search, I was desperate to find a home that upon entering felt like a place I wanted to raise my babies in. Walking into this home for the first time gave me that feeling. The first thing I noticed in the very outdated living room were the shelves that lined the large window. Frosted sliding glass doors covered them and thick plaid woven curtains hung above them. Absolutely not my personal preference, but the before and after was easy to envision. I've always loved open shelves so I knew that by removing the doors I'd have exposed shelves with so much decor potential. What I didn't know was that they'd become toddler toy shelves one year later. This is the best decision I made in our home and one that brings me joy each day as I watch my 13 month old tear them apart and as I put them back together each evening.

The living room is where we spend a good chunk of our morning. I wanted my daughter to have access to her toys without me having to pick for her. I also wanted her to have a safe space for independent play since I knew I was welcoming another child in a few months. Now that he is here, it's been so great that when I'm nursing or soothing him to sleep, she has freedom to explore and play uninterrupted and without needing assistance.

I recently read a post that showed a mess-filled home and asked if seeing it made us feel over-whelmed and if the thought of living in it made us feel over-stimulated. For me, an obvious yes. Then it explained that when our children have rooms or playrooms that look like this, it can be too much for them. I couldn't agree more. The overwhelm leads to a shorter attention span and less engagement with one toy. I wanted my daughter to have a clean and organized space that she could, yes make a mess in, but also where I could easily and effectively clean it with ease. This way she had a clean space to start over fresh in each playtime. A place where she could easily pull out a toy or activity without being overstimulated by "too much."

Before I give you the rundown on how I organized our shelves to make this living space come to life, let me preface with, yes I do care about the aesthetic of my living room. It makes me happy for it to feel calm and underwhelming. My sanity matters to me and an overload of plastic, colorful toys doesn't mesh well with my already busy mind. So yes, I am a huge fan of wooden toys. I tend to lean toward a Montessori approach with my children. Unlike plastic, wooden toys inspire a connection to nature and the real world, while the different textures offer a sensory experience and encourage exploration. In addition to this, once assembled on the shelves, they bring a calm to my soul. Dramatic? Maybe. But if you're new here, I focus on joy and that's what this brings. So come along as I share each shelf and hopefully inspire you to create a play space that both you and your child can love and enjoy for years to come.

Let's begin here in the center shelf.

First up, remove my glass diffuser (so sad about that) and cover up them outlets. Then I found these white, woven baskets at HomeGoods (sorry, no link) and started sorting. I kept these frames because they aren't breakable and I love having photos of our family in eye-view for my children. This is kind of a catch-all shelf. The top center bin has an etch-a-sketch, a busy board, and yes... some plastic toys. I'm not that crazy guys. Under her toaster is a small bin of toaster accessories and under her mixer is a small bin of mixer accessories. Simple & effective to organize. The medium-sized bin on the bottom shelf is for any small teether, rattle, and miscellaneous.

Next, the left shelves. Again, I kept frames. My daughter occasionally drops them to the floor but that got old pretty fast so we've managed to keep them here untouched for the most part. I also kept the wicker basket in the center. This was my grandmother's and used to have dominos in it. Now, it has wooden numbers and alphabet blocks.

This shelf also consists of a blender (she LOVES this), a bin for puzzles, and a bin for blocks. The wooden camera and elephant are just too cute. I recommend balancing the shelves with bins and then placing some cute accessories like these for functional decor. The wooden rainbow is such a visually pleasing toy that my daughter also loves to play with. Lastly, the top shelf center has a puzzle that reveals faces of family members underneath which I just love.

Now for the right shelf.

The big wooden items are the tea set, object permanence box from Lovevery, and roller toys from PlanToys. In the middle bin is a wooden block set. The bottom left bin is her books which is a tad heavy hence why it's on the bottom. In the right bin we have the wooden animal set which is truly the most adorable set, and her current obsession! Last we have a silicone tower up top and a wooden shape sorter on the bottom.

I have to say at the end of a long day home with my 13 month old and 1 month old, I thoroughly enjoy reorganizing our well lived in and loved living room. It's my passion to share intentional living and this has truly been one of my most intentional projects to date. My daughter loves it and it's brought me so much peace as a mother. I know she is in a safe space with freedom to roam and play, and I know that at the end of the day, I can relax and transform our living room back into a clean, cozy oasis for me relax and unwind.

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