The Cupboard of Doom: Taming Kids' Craft and Playroom Clutter

Every home has one: the cupboard stuffed with kids' art supplies nobody dares open. Here's how I turn playroom chaos into a system that lasts.

Jo de Serrano OBE DUniv

6 min read

person holding blue and red paper
person holding blue and red paper

Last Updated: August 2026

Every family seems to have one. It might be a cupboard, a drawer, a corner of the playroom or a collection of storage boxes that nobody really wants to look inside because everyone knows what's waiting. Open the door, and you're taking your chances.

One client described hers as the "cupboard of doom" before I'd even arrived, and I knew exactly what she meant. It was full of years' worth of craft supplies, half-finished projects, pens that may or may not have worked anymore, and enough paper to keep a small primary school going.

The problem wasn't that there was too much... The problem was that nothing had a proper home and everything was piled on top of other things. By the time we finished, everything was sorted into clear categories, labelled and easy to find. We used the vertical space better by adding additional IKEA Variera shelving to create more shelving space, so that things were no longer piled on top of each other. That's the difference between having a tidy cupboard and having a system. A tidy cupboard looks lovely for a few days, but a good system still works after a rainy Saturday, a craft afternoon and a child who's emptied three boxes looking for the glitter.

Key Takeaways

  • Playroom and craft clutter builds up faster than almost anything else in the house, because new items arrive constantly whilst almost nothing leaves on its own.

  • Research from APDO suggests fewer toys actually increases imaginative play, rather than reducing it, which runs against most parents' instinct to keep everything just in case.

  • A properly working system separates 'currently used' from 'archive of memories', because those two categories need completely different storage and completely different rules.

  • Labelling only helps if the categories make sense to the child using them, not just the adult who set them up.

  • Getting children involved in choosing what stays, even in a small way, makes the system far more likely to survive their actual use of the room.

Contents

  1. Why Playrooms and Craft Cupboards Get Out of Control So Quickly

  2. What the Research Says About Toy Clutter and Creativity

  3. The Cupboard of Doom: What Actually Changed

  4. Building a System That Survives Contact With Children

  5. Getting the Whole Family to Keep It That Way

  6. FAQs

Why Playrooms and Craft Cupboards Get Out of Control So Quickly

Children don't create clutter on purpose because they're untidy; they create clutter because they're busy using all of the things.

New colouring books arrive after a birthday, school projects come home at the end of term, grandma buys another craft kit because it looked fun, somebody discovers loom bands, then friendship bracelets, then air-dry clay... and before long the cupboard is full.

And very little leaves... That's why these spaces grow so quickly. Unlike wardrobes, where people naturally have a clear-out now and again, children's craft supplies tend to stay exactly where they are. Every pack of felt tips with two pens left in it, where neither has a lid, every half-used pad of coloured paper, every packet of googly eyes that was bought because somebody needed exactly three. Individually, none of it feels like a big problem, but collectively, it's amazing how quickly it takes over.

I see it all the time... Parents aren't avoiding these cupboards because they don't care. They're avoiding them because they don't know where to start, and when you've got children asking for snacks, homework to supervise and washing to put away, sorting through six tubs of glitter isn't usually top of the list.

Then another birthday comes along, or Christmas, or a new school year. Before you know it, the cupboard has become something you fear opening, where you only open it if necessary.

What The Research Says About Toy Clutter And Creativity

One thing parents often worry about is getting rid of too much - "what if they suddenly want it next week?"

I mean, it's a completely understandable concern. Interestingly, research suggests children often play better when they have fewer toys available at one time. The Association of Professional Declutterers and Organisers (APDO), talks about this in their guidance on helping children develop lifelong organising habits. When children have fewer options in front of them, they're often able to focus for longer, use their imagination more and make decisions more easily.

I see the same thing in clients' homes... A toy box overflowing with everything usually means children pick up the first thing they see before moving quickly onto something else; however, a smaller selection, organised into simple categories, often gets far more use.

The same theory applies to craft cupboards. Children don't need twenty packets of mixed-up paper to enjoy drawing. They just need to be able to find the paper they want without emptying three shelves to get to it.

The Cupboard Of Doom: What Actually Changed

When I arrived, my client's cupboard had become the place where everything ended up. Paper, paint, pens, stickers, pom-poms, pipe cleaners, and ribbon. Even Hobbycraft was jealous.

We started the same way I start every organising project, and everything came out. Every pen was tested, supplies were grouped, duplicates were reduced, and anything that dried up, broke, or was no longer usable was removed.

One thing I always say is that storage should fit what you're keeping, not the other way around.

There's no point having a huge box labelled "Paint" if you've only got six bottles left. Likewise, trying to squeeze fifty colouring books into a basket designed for ten is only going to create frustration every time someone wants to find one.

By the end of the session, everything had a logical place, clearly labelled in a way that made sense for the whole family. That doesn't mean it'll stay perfect forever; children are supposed to play. But putting things away afterwards is much easier when everyone knows where they belong.

Building A System That Children Can Actually Use

One mistake I see quite often is adults creating systems for children. I know that might sound strange, but there's a difference, as adults naturally organise differently from children. If a storage system is too complicated, children won't use it. Not because they don't want to, but because it asks too much of them.

I take guidance from the client on how their children play and how they refer to their craft items, and then I try to keep categories simple:

  • "Drawing."

  • "Painting."

  • "Stickers."

  • "Lego."

  • Not "Mixed media supplies."

Some other useful tips:

  • Storage also needs to be within reach... If children can put something away themselves, they're much more likely to do it.

  • They need to be able to see it to play with it. Hidden toys equal missed fun.

  • Pictures alongside labels can also make a huge difference for younger children, especially before they're confident readers.

  • I'm also a big fan of rotating toys... Keeping some away and swapping them every few weeks makes old favourites feel new again without spending any money.

Getting The Whole Family Involved

One of the easiest ways to help a system last is to involve children from the start, and no, that doesn't mean asking a five-year-old to make every decision. It might be as simple as asking which basket should hold the crayons or where they'd naturally look for the scissors. Those small decisions help children feel ownership over the space.

Another habit I often recommend is a quick reset before bedtime or before bath time. Five minutes each day is much easier than spending an entire Saturday trying to rescue another cupboard of doom. And if you have more than one child, giving each of them a small area that's completely their own often works far better than expecting everything to be shared equally. Children are much more likely to look after something when they know it's their responsibility.

FAQs

Do you declutter with children there, or is it better without them? That depends on the child and the family. Some children love being involved and enjoy helping make decisions about their toys and craft supplies. Others find it easier if I do the main organising first and then introduce them to their new system afterwards. We'll chat about what will work best for your family during your discovery call.

What if we're not ready to part with sentimental artwork or craft projects? That's completely fine; not everything has to be thrown away. I often recommend creating a dedicated memory box so those special pieces are kept safe without taking over the playroom or craft cupboard.

Can you help sort through art supplies as well as toys? Absolutely. We go through everything together, checking what still works, removing anything that's dried up or no longer usable, and organising what's left into simple categories that are easy for the whole family to use.

How long does a playroom or craft cupboard usually take to organise? Every home is different, so it depends on the size of the space and how much has built up over time. A single cupboard might take less than a full session, whereas a whole playroom usually needs longer.

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