The Easiest Way to Hide Toy Clutter … Is with Cafe Curtains?

The cube shelf storage unit has long been a kids’ bedroom and playroom staple, and for good reason. You can customize a cubby unit, stuff it with bins, even turn it into a dollhouse. One thing I’ve not been able to do with the multiple IKEA KALLAX units in my own kids’ rooms is cleverly and fully conceal the many, many items that they store. Creator Meredith (@TheSouthernSource), however, is stepping in with a solution for cube shelf storage that’s as chic as it is easy: a pair of pleated café curtains and a super-simple adhesive curtain track. 

In an Instagram video with more than 2,400 likes and 1,700 comments, Meredith installs a self adhesive-backed curtain track along the front top edge of a cubby storage unit, pairing it with buffalo plaid café curtains in an understated green. Ta da! Like a magician’s sleight of hand, the toys vanish with a flick of the wrist (or, you know, a pull of one). 

It appears to be a pretty much foolproof setup: The adhesive curtain track doesn’t require drilling, and the length of the curtains Meredith recommends are ideally suited for the height of the creator’s particular cubby shelf (which is just slightly different from the KALLAX). “I used 2 shelves pushed together, 4 café curtains and 9.8 feet of track to cover this area,” Meredith noted in the source list for the project. For the curtains, Meredith used the Olivine colorway, but I also spied a pretty khaki plaid and light-blue stripe, too. 

Feedback for the skirted cubby concept — which uses just a handful of items — was overwhelmingly positive, with many commenters asking for the source list. “Such a cute idea to hide all the things!” wrote one. Another shared a good point about improving upon a similar DIY hack, noting: “Returning to order the adhesive track — a much cleaner look than a similar DIY I did with curtain rods!!” Sometimes, at least when it comes to toy clutter, out of sight really is out of mind.