Closet Makeover: Turning a Spare-Room Closet into Playroom Storage

The closet in the spare room used to be a catch-all for luggage, wrapping paper, gift bags and other miscellaneous clutter. We needed the room to function as a playroom and Clara’s “big girl” room, so freeing up that space was a priority. The goal was simple: clear the clutter, create useful storage, and make the space feel intentional.

We emptied the closet (we kept the photo albums and yearbooks on the top shelf) and moved most of the items into the guest room closet. Out of sight, out of mind—but also out of the way so the spare room could be used for play and for storing Clara’s things.

The guest closet has been underused since we moved in, so it made sense to repurpose that space for our overflow items. There’s still room on the hanging bar if we need to clear space when hosting visitors, but for day-to-day life keeping gift bags and seasonal items in the guest closet is far more practical. When the door is closed, guests don’t see the storage—so the room still looks tidy and welcoming.

With a few of Clara’s items moved into the closet in her big girl room, the space is now functional and inviting. It stores games, a handful of clothes that she’ll grow into, and a few toys that turn the closet into a cozy little nook. We’ve talked about painting the closet walls a playful color—maybe coral or teal—to make it even more appealing, so that may come later.

We also added a couple of stuffed friends for ambiance—like her monkey who likes to hang out. Small touches like that encourage imaginative play and help the closet feel less like storage and more like a mini play zone.

Adding toys creates a new little discovery spot in the house. Clara already spends a lot of time in her big girl room—between the play kitchen, a small table for stuffed-animal tea parties and naps on the daybed—but this closet gives her another corner to explore and enjoy.

On the floor of the closet are a few items I picked up for the Macklemore Challenge—a $1 chair that had a faded yellow-brown finish and a little wooden cradle that showed burns, scratches and carried a musty smell. Both pieces were inexpensive but full of potential.

After cleaning, priming and fresh paint, they look and smell much better. I used a paint-and-primer-in-one gloss red for the chair and a universal all-surface spray paint in gloss white for the cradle, both of which made the pieces feel new again.

I have a few more ideas for the cradle—design touches that will give it personality—so it won’t stay plain white for long. Even half-finished, these refreshed pieces add character and function to the closet play zone.

Since clearing out the spare-room closet, we’ve found that spreading toys and activities into multiple zones keeps Clara engaged longer. Instead of putting every toy into one basket in the living room, different areas become mini play centers. The variety of scenery holds her attention and reduces the risk of a single giant pile of toys to clean up. Distributing toys into a few focused zones makes daily tidying more manageable: a quick pick-up in several rooms rather than a huge sorting session in one place.

That’s the quick story of our closet overhaul: a small project that freed usable space, created a new play area and made storage more sensible. Do you repurpose guest closets when you don’t have overnight visitors often? How do you balance keeping a spare room presentable while using its storage for everyday needs? We discovered we have only five closets in our four-bedroom house, which made us appreciate each one even more—and prompted this little reorganization that’s already making our daily life simpler.