Toy Storage Ideas To Tuck Away The Toys

The best solutions for storing toys in your living room hide the clutter, keep the calm, and look like they were always meant to be there - whether that’s a woven toy storage basket by the sofa or a slim sideboard that swallows a sea of bricks.

In This Article

• Woven Toy Storage Baskets That Look Like Décor
• Chests of Drawers: Close the Drawer, Clear the View
• Sideboards and Cabinets: Big-Toy Camouflage with Design Cred
• TV Units with Hidden Storage: Clear Cables, Hide Clutter
• Shelving Units: Style Like a Bookcase; Stash Like a Cupboard
• Ottomans and Storage Pouffes: Feet Up, Toys Away
• Coffee Tables with Storage: Clear Surface, Calmer Mind
• Storage Benches: The Hallway Hero That Suits the Lounge
• Mix and Match for Your Scheme: Texture, Tone and Balance
• The Takeaway: A Calmer Living Room, Every Night

It’s 7pm, your tea’s going cold and your foot has just found the last bit of Lego. If you’re hunting for toy storage ideas for the living room that look good (as well as work hard), you’re in the right place. 

Try a woven toy storage basket you can scoop and carry, a sideboard that swallows the clutter, an ottoman that hides the rest. These are grown up storage pieces for real family life - calm by evening, play-ready by morning. 

Below, you’ll find toy storage ideas for your living room that blend in effortlessly with the rest of your décor, lift your style and give you your lounge back.

9 Toy Storage Ideas For A Clutter-Free Living room

1) Woven Toy Storage Baskets That Look Like Décor

In the living room, baskets are the calm after the storm. They corral cars, bricks and teddies in seconds; they add natural texture that softens boxy furniture; they move wherever play happens. Keep a pair beside the sofa so you can clear the floor before the credits roll; park another by the TV for controllers and craft kits. It’s the quickest route to a room that feels like a lounge again.

If you like a clean, contemporary look, the Harvey Set of 2 Woven Storage Baskets brings subtle contrast stripes and sturdy carry handles; one sweep and everything’s off the rug. 

For a gentle hint of colour, the Mathilda Set of 3 Hand Crafted Storage Baskets layers an olive accent that still reads neutral against timber and linen.

Prefer a larger, rustic weave for chunky toys and dress-up capes? Try the Owen Set of 2 Wicker Storage Baskets; when playtime passes, they style nicely as plant covers.

For cosy, country charm, the William Set of 3 Willow Storage Baskets adds warmth to pale schemes, while the Erin Set of 3 Decorative Storage Baskets brings a graphic black-on-seagrass pattern when you want texture with a little edge.

Each is a living-room-friendly toy storage basket you’ll be happy to keep on show - décor-friendly on the outside, instant tidy up on the inside. Keep the lower baskets at kid height to build tidy habits and independence, so five-minute resets become second nature.

2) Chests Of Drawers: Close The Drawer, Clear The View

If the sight of scattered bricks keeps your brain buzzing, a solid chest of drawers are your ally. In a living room they act like a console, styled with a lamp and a frame - while quietly teaching children where things live. Sort by type, with puzzles here, dolls there and craft kits up top, away from tiny hands. You get visual calm without resorting to “playroom furniture”, and by bedtime you can switch the room back to “adult mode”.

The Eden Wooden 6-Drawer Chest in Oak delivers clean modern lines and family-sized capacity; under artwork it reads like part of the scheme, not a stash point. 

For New England poise, the Boston Wooden Chest of Drawers in Anthracite brings a painted depth that flatters soft neutrals and coastal palettes.

If you favour real timber, the Oslo Solid Wood 3-Drawer Chest in Oak warms the room with natural grain and curved edges; toys hide in plain sight inside a crafted piece you’ll keep long after the play phases.

Want lighter country style? The Harrogate Painted 6-Drawer Chest in White keeps toy storage bright yet grounded.

Drawers reduce visual noise, keep floors clear for safer walkways and quicker hoovering, and grow with the family from Duplo to board-game nights.

3) Sideboards And Cabinets: Big-Toy Camouflage

Some things, train sets, board games, the entire dressing-up department, need proper storage capacity. A sideboard anchors a living room wall, gives you a surface for lamps and flowers, and hides the kid chaos behind doors. Choose a finish that complements your sofa and rug so it feels designed-in, not “brought in for the toys”. In open-plan living rooms, a sideboard also helps define a subtle play zone without adding dividers.

For sleek lines and strong toy storage, the Copenhagen Wooden Sideboard in Oak slides shut to a calm façade; inside, deep shelves take bulky boxes. 

Craving texture and warmth? The Taunton Wooden & Rattan Sideboard in Oak tucks toys behind woven fronts that breathe and look relaxed; the Taunton - Black version adds contrast against pale walls.

Need serious space? The Coniston Large Painted Sideboard in Prairie (also in Meteor grey) stretches storage across three doors; by evening it reads as modern farmhouse elegance, by morning it’s quietly holding a small toy shop.

Prefer a statement piece? The Flynn Wooden Fluted Sideboard in Black makes tidying your living room feel like design theatre. If you want real-oak longevity, the Oslo Solid Wood Sideboard in Oak is a forever buy that ties in beautifully with wooden coffee tables and TV units.

4) TV Units With Hidden Storage: Clear Cables, Hide Clutter

The media zone is a magnet for small bits, remotes, controllers, card decks, and it sits in your eyeline every evening. Pick a TV unit for your living room with a mix of open shelves (for devices) and closed cupboards (for everything else) so the screen stays the star and the living room feels grown-up again. Keeping puzzles and games handy here also nudges play over screen time on rainy afternoons.

The Harrogate Painted TV Stand in White balances a bright painted frame with a warm top; cupboards swallow controllers and cases while the open shelf keeps the box in view. 

For a breezier, boho note, the Taunton Wooden & Rattan TV Unit in Oak blends natural rattan with a light finish; the Taunton – Black version brings drama and contrast to neutral schemes. 

Prefer a minimal profile? The Copenhagen Wooden TV Stand in Oak slides shut to hide the lot. Love the warmth of solid wood? The Oslo Solid Wood TV Unit in Oak pairs drawers for bits and bobs with shelves for consoles; it’s tidy by design, not by chance.

Balanced storage keeps tech neat, toys accessible, and helps you supervise play while you relax nearby.

5) Shelving Units: Style Like A Bookcase; Stash Like A Cupboard

Open shelves stop a living room feeling like a wall of doors, yet they work just as hard when you add baskets down low and keep display pieces at eye level. The balance is the point: personality where you see it; practicality where you need it. Use the upper shelves to curate display-worthy builds (show the Lego spaceship), and the lower baskets to hide the overflow bricks.

The Taunton Wooden & Rattan Bookcase in Oak gives you airy shelves with closed lower doors for the not-so-pretty things; the Taunton - Black version frames pale walls and colourful spines beautifully. 

If you want a graphic moment, the asymmetric cubbies of the Greenwich Abstract Wooden Bookshelf in Black create rhythm along a wall; dot woven baskets through the lower shelves so toy tidy-ups take seconds.

Kid-height baskets and doors encourage independence; easy access means they can fetch and put back toys without help.

6) Ottomans And Storage Pouffes: Feet up, Toys away

When the day’s done, it’s nice if the room looks done too. A storage ottoman earns its keep in a living room: it hides soft toys and throws; it offers a perch for story time; it looks intentional under a window or at the end of a sofa. Swapping hard coffee tables for cushioned tops also reduces knocks and dings during rough-and-tumble play.

Give each child their own storage ottoman and toy tidying suddenly becomes “their job” - it builds ownership and makes clean-up time easier.

The Lilly Bouclé Storage Ottoman in Ivory lifts to reveal a roomy compartment beneath a soft, textured seat - giving you boutique-hotel looks with family-home practicality. 

If you prefer painted wood that can double as a coffee perch as well as toy storage, the Harrogate Painted Ottoman in White brings classic curves and a durable top; add a tray and you’ve a neat place for mugs while the toys stay out of sight.

Living-room win: multi-purpose now (toys and blankets), future-proof later (games and spare bedding) - no need to rebuy as they grow.

Storage ottomans are brilliant for softening the room and swallowing toys fast. If your living room also doubles as a play zone, just layer in a firm surface so play is kinder on grown-up knees and backs: add a large tray on top for puzzles and colouring; keep a slim nesting table or lift-top coffee table within reach; tuck a couple of little stools under the table so nobody’s lying on the floor. That way you keep the cosy look and still give everyone a comfortable worktop, with hidden compartments organising toys in the living room right where play happens - less sprawl, quicker resets, calmer evenings.

7) Coffee Tables With Storage: Clear Surface, Calmer Mind

The living room workhorse does better when it hides things. A drawer for dice, crayons and remotes; a lower shelf for picture books and baskets; a top that stays clear for tea and board games. That’s the formula - and it’s safer for little ones when surfaces stay uncluttered.

The Harrogate Painted Coffee Table in White keeps the room bright while its discreet drawer swallows the small stuff that clutters a surface. 

Prefer the warmth of real wood? The Oslo Solid Wood Coffee Table in Oak hides toys in a deep drawer and leaves a shelf for displays; together they make the living room feel calmer because everything has a home.

Living-room win: quick “whisk-away” clean-ups before guests arrive; calmer evenings with nothing left under elbows or feet.

8) Storage Benches: The Hallway Hero That Suits The Lounge

Benches aren’t just for porches. Tuck one behind the sofa or by the patio doors and you’ve got instant seating with a generous cavity beneath; lids lift, toys drop, room resets. 

The Harrogate Painted Storage Bench in White looks bright and tailored for living room toy storage; it swallows bulky sets and spare cushions in one move, then plays host to a throw and a tray when you’re entertaining.

9) Mix And Match For Your Scheme: Texture, Tone And Balance

The most successful toy storage ideas for your living room blend in with your existing aesthetic rather than compete. Pair rattan or seagrass baskets with oak or painted cabinetry for a layered, relaxed feel; let a fluted sideboard hold the visual weight on the longest wall; keep your TV unit low and streamlined so the room reads wider. If symmetry calms you, mirror two baskets either side of the hearth; if you love a collected look, vary basket sizes and woods but echo a common tone. The psychology is simple: when storage has a place, and looks like it belongs, children learn the routine, and you get your evening back without the nightly negotiation.

The Takeaway: A Calmer Living Room, Every Night

Good toy storage isn’t about hiding childhood; it’s about protecting family downtime. Start with the spot that stresses you most, usually the living room, and choose one solution that suits your style: a woven toy storage basket by the sofa, a sideboard that tucks everything away, a coffee table with a secret drawer. 

Each will help your modern living room breathe again. When you’re ready to build on that calm, explore the full range at MFI - pieces you’ll love now, and long after the Lego years.