If you’re like me and have kids, the daily accumulation of ‘stuff’ can send shivers down your spine. I’m sure you’ve heard it before: “Kids bring so much joy into a home!” And they do—but all that joy can quickly turn into clutter if we don’t take care of it.

Aesthetic storage is all about making the functional beautiful with clever solutions and interesting materials. These solutions not only make it easier to find what you need when you need it, but they also add style and function to any room in your house.

Hidden storage is key.

Hidden storage is a great way to keep things tidy and out of sight. If you have a home with an open floor plan, consider investing in furniture that has hidden compartments for storing items like toys, games and books. You can also use this method if you have smaller rooms but still want to keep things tidy: simply purchase drawers or cabinets that allow access from the front but conceal their contents when closed.

A great example of this approach is the antique chest we used in the entryway of our Dallas Georgian project.

Make use of built-in cabinetry.

Built-in cabinets are a great way to store things in your home. They can be customized to fit your space and needs, which means they’re perfect for young families who need to tuck storage into pretty much every space.

You could use built-in cabinets for storing toys, books and other items that don’t have a designated place in your home yet (or ever). And, if you’re working with a clever designer, you can design built-ins that are multi-functional and will adapt to the changing needs of your family over time.

Add baskets and trays.

I can’t think of a single room in our house that doesn’t currently have a basket of toys in it. Some designers like to say that all kids items can be contained to a single playroom, but as a mom of three this has just never proved to be true. In my experience, kids want to be where their grownups are. If you’re cooking, they want to play in the kitchen. If you’re working, they’re trying to sneak legos in under the door. So, rather than fight it, we’ve leaned in and just accepted that, for now, there will be toys in every room of the house.

Our solution is baskets. In every room we have a basket that we can chuck toys into and tidy up in no time flat. I also like baskets for kids’ laundry, since they’re prettier than most laundry bins and just as lightweight.

Conclusion

We hope that this article has given you some ideas for how to keep your home tidy and organized. If you’re feeling overwhelmed by the mess, start with one small area of your house and work from there! If all else fails, remember that it’s okay not to be perfect – nobody ever is. And if you need some ideas, we’ve got plenty of pretty baskets and boxes in the Accessories board of our Pinterest.