May 9, 2020
Updated January 2021
A great DIY project for toy storage using a repurposed armoire. You won’t believe the space you’ll save. Easy modifications customize it to your exact needs.
Armoire Shelves DIY Toy Storage.
This is just one more of my determined efforts to tackle the toy storage issue.
The reason this one is so great: Cost. It was SOOO cheap.
I purchased a used armoire from my local Habitat Restore. If you have one near you, get in the habit of stopping by to check the inventory. We’ve picked up some amazing things for unbelievable prices, and we are helping out our community at the same time.
You want to hear the price of this piece of furniture? $40. Yes. I’ll give you a minute to sigh.
And now, more about my project, DIY Toy Storage with Armoire:
And before we go any further, don’t be intimidated by the fancy word.
Armoire (aarm-waar) sounds a lot like Aardvark. But the similarity ends there. Kinda glad about that.
HOW I DID IT:
Getting it home was a project. It’s big. We are in Georgia, so of course we have a pickup truck. 😄
In hindsight I might have had a better day if we had paid the fee to have them deliver it. (Just so you know.) It’s really heavy, and I think that may have been mentioned once or twice around here.
Happily, a screwdriver may be the only tool you need for this whole project.
Once we got it placed, it got a thorough cleaning. Wiped down every reachable surface. Then it was time to remove the pull-out turntable which was used for a television. This was a pretty heavy-duty glide track assembly with a wood swivel shelf. We just took out all the screws and removed that completely. We were left with a fixed shelf at the bottom of the upper compartment.
Now we had plenty of lower shelves, but the upper compartment was wide open. If we were storing something really big that would be fine. But we really weren’t. So we needed shelves that would fit, with space left for tall things if needed.
Now it was time to outfit it!
This is exactly what I was born for! I come from a long line of fix-it women. Just a little thinking, a little hardware, and a trip to Walmart, and we’re rocking and rolling.
With the addition of two small shelf units, we had exactly what we needed. Shelves for plenty of items, and a tall space in the middle.
Take a look at the picture. They are secured to the bottom fixed shelf with screws. The space between them is open. So the units don’t completely fill the space.
Here’s what we used:
Look at this 3-cube shelf organizer from Amazon.
THE DETAILS:
After removing the slide-out turntable, we assembled both of the two new cube/shelf units. These are so sturdy. We’ve used them in a number of places. I’ll show you that soon.
Each fully assembled, we placed them in the upper compartment and pushed them close to the back. When we had the location right, we simply inserted screws right into the bottom shelf. Now we can be sure they won’t topple over. In our unit there’s kind of a “dead space” you can’t access underneath that lowest shelf, so we didn’t worry about the length of the screws.
One nice thing about this unit: The upper doors slide back inside the cabinet on tracks. (The lower doors don’t.) So, if you’ve got a long play day ahead, you can open those top doors and recess them, and they’re out of the way. The reason it is mentioned here is this: When you’re getting ready to place those cube shelf units, take plenty of time to consider all the structural issues so they don’t get in the way of anything.
Remember I told you I’d show you where we stored all those Melissa and Doug toys? It’s here!
(Soon I’ll have to do another toy roundup, to show you some of the others.)
Here’s the thing: Like all my other vertical storage ideas, this takes up a small amount of floor space. Tucked in a corner, really.
But all those toys are out of sight. For the “company room” that’s a huge win, mom.
We did it!
This was a very satisfying project. And I can see so many other possibilities.
For instance: There’s a power cord that comes out the back of the cabinet. Inside, there are several outlets on a strip. Of course this was to accommodate all the components of an entertainment system. But I can see it being utilized for a great charging station, since you can plug several things in right inside the cabinet. We do have several toys that have to be plugged in, so it works great for that.
I hope you enjoyed our Armoire Shelves DIY Toy Storage project.
There’s something really satisfying about repurposiing an old piece of furniture that just needs some love.
Thanks for being here! I’m loving the company.
What’s really important is this:
We’re all working to be homemakers, making life at home better by providing solutions to family frustration. A lot of this happens in our heads.
Make sure you stay tuned for more encouragement in this area.
If you’re interested in more toy storage ideas, here are more projects that are even easier: Each topic actually has a couple of extra storage ideas!
Thank you! At GFP company is always welcome!
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-Grammye
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