I think a lot has to do with how old our own kids are. When my kids were little their house was for them and I didn't care what adults that came over thought. We decorated "the house" inside mostly for the seasons and special days. In other words we put up seasonal stuff rather than more daycarish stuff if that makes sense. That doesn't mean we didn't have the alphabet or shape or farm displays available but they were in the basement playroom. The kitchen had food displays.

We never used the diningroom so that is our upstairs playroom. Our dining table is at the one end of the family room which works well since we can sit there and watch the evening news while we eat supper.

Once my own kids were out of the house I have gradually been able to cut back on the toys and things I do have based on the ages I now take into care so that has limited what needs to be stored - and I have my own kids rooms to put a few boxes of trade out stuff in.

Suggestions I have seen over the years are the fold open shelves. Take any two low shelves and hinge them on one side and put castors on the bottom. Then in the morning you open the shelves and the toys are inside and the nice thing is that that "L" shape makes a natural play centre. At the end of the day, close the shelf up with all the toys inside and place a nice doily or cloth on the top and that vase of flowers you put up out of reach during the day and it looks like a credenza for evenings and weekends. People could come over and never know what is inside.

If you use your livingroom for a playroom consider taking out the coffee table during the day and putting down an area rug for to make a large play, circletime area. At the end of the day roll up the rug and put behind the couch and move the table back.

Playpens for naps can be taken down and store in very little space. What I have found over the time though is that I know I am a daycare provider and so does my family. Having a playpen up in my bedroom doesn't detract from anything else I need to do in my room so the hassles of taking it up and down is just a time waster. Once nap is done for the day I don't have to worry about that playpen again it just sits there. Don't make extra work for yourself if you don't need to.

While you won't be able to eliminate all of the toys you can stack a rubbermaid bin in the corner of the room to pull out during the week but at least evenings and weekends you are not staring at the toys even though they are there in bins. As long as you don't have a totally separate playroom with it's own bathroom and kitchen and entrance you will just have to face the reality that your house is your place of employment and that you do in fact live in a daycare centre,lol. But the good news is all your friends already know that too and they still like you so don't fret the extra decor.