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The Makerista

I'm Gwen, a modern traditionalist who isn't afraid of color. Kansas City.

Quick and Convertible Toy Storage

I have to first off say thank you so very much for your input over the last few days.  I was blown away by the amount of comments and emails I received.  Sometimes I wonder if very many people (other than my parents) are reading this, and it was wonderful to hear from so many of you.  


The overwhelming majority want me to blog about our new home as we’re experiencing it.  I was definitely happy to hear that, as it seems a little more interesting to go through the process with someone.  It’s more insightful and I think in the end everyone gets more out of it.  I’ll definitely be saving some of the design elements for the final reveals of spaces, but in general I’ll be sharing close to real-time events with you.  On that note, I’ll be back next week to give you my thoughts for the dining room.  We hope to try scraping the ceiling this weekend – wish us (and our necks) luck!

While I’ve promised myself to take the house one room at a time, that’s not always realistic.  For one thing, we’re on a budget.  When you can’t just go into a store and say “I’ll take that, that and oh yes, that!” you are forced to take bargains when and where you can get them.  So, while I’m on craigslist looking for a rug for the dining room, if I stubble upon something I think will be perfect for Milly’s room and it’s a great deal, I’m going to get it.

Then there is the issue of need.  Even though the playroom is not first on the list to update, the kids’ toys can only be stored in monstrous moving boxes for so long.  And that “so long” was last weekend. I’d had enough of having the place looking like a donation drop-off and decided to take an afternoon to make the trek to IKEA.

I love to hunt for unique and beautiful pieces, but sometimes life just calls for some simple storage. The KALLAX system is so customizable (you can add drawers, doors, or bins in any way that you want) and perfect for storing books and toys of all sizes.  The price point isn’t bad, and the piece can easily be used for something else once the the toys are gone that sounds lovely and sad at the same time.  

Pram | Doll Pattern
Milly has drawers for her baby doll clothes and Xander has some for his cars.  The cabinets house books and the bins hold Nerf guns and action figures.  Will it always be this tidy?  Not all the time, but it is for now, and teaching the kids that things have a place is good for them and for my sanity.
Knobs
 
I left the upper shelves open to display some fun toys, some of our favorite books, and artwork.
Blocks
 
The room is nowhere near complete, and doing things like this often makes me even more antsy to start where’s the paint? but I love what can be done to a space in an afternoon.  The kids certainly enjoy hanging out in there a bit more, and I do too.
Am I the only one who finds it strangely therapeutic to put together IKEA furniture?
 

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Comments

  1. Brittany Cramer says

    ohh! as sad as I was to see the Expedit go, the Kallax is definitely more friendly for exactly this solution. I read your last post on my phone, and for some reason it's like impossible for me to comment, but i was on the same page as everyone else – document in real time, because that's real life, and seriously – we ALL want to hear your perspective as you tackle your home. i'm very excited to hear this is what you want to do too 🙂

  2. Albertina M. Cisneros says

    I love this system as well. My friend has it for her boy and its so so versatile and looks so sleek and cool. A perfect choice. So glad you will be sharing your home transformation bit by bit. It's so much fun to take it slow although challenging for sure…..but like you say…if you see a deal you must take it!

  3. Beth of designPOST Interiors says

    I caved and bought an Expedit shelving unit and some bins and it has been the best purchase! The toys inevitably get so messy but I just throw them in the bins and close them and all looks perfect. Totally saves my sanity!

  4. rsquaredinteriors.com says

    Gwen, this may have already been mentioned or you may already know but we just scraped every single popcorn ceiling in our whole house. The contractors "dry" scraped all but one room. Don't do that. It's a huge mess and you will never get all of the dust up. My husband decided to scrape one room on his own. He used a pump up sprayer (like the kind you would use in the garden) filled with water. He would mist the ceiling then scrape with a 12" pole scraper. He said it worked like a charm and he was finished in no time. And when I got home, there was no mess!! Good luck this weekend!

  5. Melissa Gilstrap says

    Ha, I thought Andrew and I were the only ones who liked putting together IKEA furniture. I swear that after we put Noah's whole room together (Stuva system) we could build the drawers in our sleep. I like the system you chose for toy storage. I will definitely have to consider that for our playroom once our basement is finished. Love looking at what you are doing in the new house!

  7. Amanda Risius says

    It looks great! Small accomplishments are just as important 🙂 Can't wait to follow along with you as you decorate your house. I moved a couple weeks ago and will be knee deep in projects right along with you.

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