Clunky Toy Storage

Do you have large toys and no place to put them?  Sometimes if you are lucky you can find pieces of furniture around your house that will accommodate storage.  Because as we all know, children’s toys can quickly take over all our living spaces.

I had bought this console table a couple years ago off craigslist.  It was originally purchased to go into our hallway for mail/paper storage.

It got moved around a couple of times, until it went into the family room to help store toys.  The functionality of the piece was great, but with a really fake veneer/laminate wood look, it wasn’t the best looking piece.

So I thought I could easily paint it in a couple of days and give it a whole new look.  This process started in the beginning of November.  My first mistake was to use the wrong primer.  So after a days work of two coats of primer, I had to scrap everything off and then do a little research on how to paint laminate.

I followed this tutorial from Centsational Girl. and used the oil based primer, which worked great but had a high fume smell.  That meant I had to move the piece into the basement, which also meant I could easily forget about it, hence how it took months to finish.  Then I painted on a custom color I mixed from paint we already owned, followed by a couple of coats of water based polycrylic, because I knew this piece was going to get beat up by the kid’s toys.  And while this easily could have taken a couple days, I dragged it over the course of 3 months. 

Lastly I wanted to update the black legs and drawer pulls, so I brushed on some antique brass acrylic paint I had laying around the house.  I actually dabbed the paint on using my kids Crayola brushes which I stole from them once I figured out they made great brushes to do little craft projects with.

After all my hard work.

I really like how it turned out.  Up close you can really see the stamped antique bronze look of the legs.

I love baskets for small toys, but large toys need a home too.  And the big open bottom shelf of this console is the perfect place for them.

I was trying to quickly organize the toys for pictures before the destructor showed interest.  He made it over to his new toy area and wanted his picture taken.

Then he informed me he really wanted his car rug put into the space.  So we did a little more rearranging and got to this.

Here is how this little toy area looks incorporated between the family room and kitchen.

Notice my other started but nowhere near finished project.  Yes only one chair has a slipcover finished, I have three more to finish up in the near future.  That is going to be my number one sewing priority…after I finish a couple of other projects of course.