ᐅ Creating a Playmobil Landscape Using Kallax Shelving in a Child’s Room – Is It Possible?

Hello everyone,
I have been considering for some time whether the Kallax shelving system from Ikea is practical and suitable for use as a Playmobil play landscape in a child’s room. Here’s what I have in mind: the individual cubes of the Kallax shelf would serve as flexible backdrops or small sections of different Playmobil worlds, which can be customized with elements such as roads, buildings, or landscape parts and changed according to the play situation.

My questions are: Is the Kallax system suitable for this in terms of size, stability, and accessibility? What are your experiences using it for such creative play landscapes? What drawbacks or issues might arise when using the cubes as a play surface or diorama? And are there any clever ideas for playful use that particularly support the system?

It is important to me that it not only looks good but is also practical for everyday use by children—meaning that items are easy to reach, nothing has to be constantly put away, and the children enjoy changing the landscape themselves.

I look forward to your opinions and advice!

Hello Peleon,

I think your idea of using a Kallax shelf as a Playmobil landscape is generally very good and, above all, practical. The size of each Kallax cube is about 33x33x39 cm (13x13x15 inches), which fits well for Playmobil scenes since most figures and sets fit within these dimensions. The stability is sufficient for normal use as long as the shelf is properly secured—especially with younger children, attaching it to the wall is recommended.

The cubes are very accessible because the open front allows quick access. Some parents even use the Kallax with baskets or boxes, but for Playmobil landscapes, I would suggest leaving the surface or interior free to keep the scene visible and playable.

One possible drawback is that the cube dimensions are fixed, so for larger play areas you’ll need to combine several shelves. Also, keep in mind that children may quickly dismantle the setups. It can help to build the landscape on sturdy boards or secure it with interlocking systems to prevent everything from falling over during play.

In short: the Kallax system is suitable and quite flexible for Playmobil play. Children often enjoy creating and rearranging the individual sections themselves. For everyday practicality, I recommend maintaining a clear structure: fixed spots for specific play areas or themes to avoid too much mess.

If you like, I can also send you examples and craft tips on how to enhance landscape parts with simple materials.

Kinbu schrieb:
The size of each individual Kallax cube is approximately 33x33x39 cm (13x13x15 inches), which fits well for Playmobil scenes

To add: The internal dimensions are about 33x33 cm (13x13 inches), with a depth of nearly 39 cm (15 inches), which is sufficient to accommodate almost all common Playmobil models. The shelving unit is also solidly constructed and can be connected to or stacked with additional units, providing good spatial flexibility.

However, it should be noted that the open front may cause building sets to fall out during play if children are a bit rougher or faster. To address this, magnetic or flexible covers are recommended, which should not overly restrict free play.

An important point is cleaning: Since Playmobil is often used in children’s rooms, dust and small parts tend to accumulate in the compartments. Removable liners that are easy to clean are a practical solution here.

In practice, the Kallax system works well as a multifunctional solution for toys—especially when it comes to displaying different themed worlds in a small space and changing them modularly. However, it has its limits with very large or complex Playmobil sets.

In conclusion, when deciding, consider the available space, the size of the Playmobil sets, and the child’s play behavior. Due to its flexibility, using the Kallax system as a Playmobil landscape is a recommendable option.

Peleon schrieb:
Is the Kallax system even suitable in terms of size, stability, and accessibility?

In short: Yes, it is suitable! And beyond the functional benefits, it’s really fun to play with. The great thing is that the cubes are manageable in size and basically create small stages that you can quickly rearrange for different Playmobil themes – a bit like Lego, but with fixed shelf levels.

I also find that the open structure makes it easy to keep track of what’s happening in the play area. Additionally, you can customize the cubes with homemade scenery pieces – for example, small cardboard hills, some moss for decoration, and so on. This brings the play landscape to life and encourages imagination.

A tip from me: use the lower cubes for storage or extra toys and the ones at eye level for favorite scenes – this way everything stays organized and your child can decide independently how to play.

So: Kallax + Playmobil = a pretty cool dream team! 🙂