Market Ready - A Playroom Can Be Kid Friendly and Show Well - NYTimes.com Q. The children's playroom is always the messiest part of our house. How can we make it look better for showings? A. "Walking into a playroom that looks as if you're in the midst of a battle is not a good thing," said Marc Donnenfeld, a real estate agent at Warburg Realty in New York - particularly when a home is being shown to potential buyers. "You're the curator of your home," he said. You want the image of the house to come across in the best light possible. And a playroom that looks like a war zone "clouds the image," sending the wrong message to buyers. Fortunately, cleaning up doesn't necessarily require big or expensive changes, said Mr. Donnenfeld, a former interior designer: "There are lots of creative solutions that will enhance the look of your playroom, as well as solve your storage problems." Melanie Morris, an interior designer in Brookville, N.Y., who frequently designs playrooms and is redesigning the For Kids Only space at the Reebok Sports Club on the Upper West Side, agreed. But there are a few things to keep in mind, she said. When installing any kind of storage system in a playroom, "the most important part is to make sure it's accessible for the children," she said. It doesn't make sense if the kids don't have access to their things. And because it's a room for children, it can be brighter and more cheerful than the rest of the house. "You can add color to make it fun, and it will be both practical and cute," Ms. Morris said. "To me, kids" spaces are all about color. It makes them want to be there. For homeowners who expect to stay put for a while, she often recommends custom millwork or a modular storage system from a company like USM tailored to the family's requirements. But for people who plan to sell, she said, many affordable off-the-shelf options will allow them to add storage space to a playroom quickly and easily. One of her favorite budget systems is Trofast from Ikea, which has polypropylene bins in various sizes that slide and stack in bookcase-like units. If you need to clean up in a hurry, Ms. Morris said, "you can just throw everything in." And the bins come in a variety of colors, which can add a playful note to a room. For something simpler, she recommended the large free-standing Tubtrug or Strapping bins from the Land of Nod, which also come in an array of vivid colors. "It's all about making it easy for the kids," she said, "but also having a place that cleans up quickly when you have showings. You can put away all the toys in a matter of minutes, and it looks neat and tidy.