[Sponsored – this post is IKEA-inspired]
When you have three kids and a really small living space, you got to make the space work very hard for you.
So when we moved into our new flat a few years ago, the bulk of the renovation cost went to carpentry. We fixed up a platform and bunker bed with six huge compartments under for the Kao kids’ toys, and then custom made their wardrobes and study desks.
The kids share one room in our current living space. At least from now till our next move.
With all custom-made things, it has been very difficult to get proper storage solutions to get organised. We can only admire but not buy organisers or beautiful trays like these:
From IKEA: SKUBB Box with compartments
RAGGISAR stackable tray from IKEA
So we very much end up with internal chaos like this…
Ben’s personal drawer – obviously he keeps photos he treasures safe in here, and Kidzos, pouches and knick knacks
this…
Becks’ drawer: of mozzie patches, card collections, hairbands and wigs and all sorts of bags and hair-ties
and this…
Nat’s drawer: the most chaotic of all. Clearly he loves his masks (Spidey & Bumblebee), inflatable globe,s tickers, sketch book, pencil case and toy spider too much as to keep them away from his siblings
My kids have an amazing to hoard, stuff and shove. I don’t know what’s in all their personal drawers but I don’t think the things stuffed all the way in there get any attention at all.
Drawers transformation
I can’t readily find a quick fix to get these drawers organised neatly because they are custom made to fit an existing wall space, but I am so glad I found these from IKEA such that I can put them in good use:
VARIERA Box: 24x17cm
VARIERA Box: 10x12cm
GESSAN Box: 10x10x10cm
GODMORGON Box with led: Set of 5
GLIS Box with lid: 34x21cm
I got a couple of these VARIERA boxes in the above two sizes in colours red, black and green, as well as a couple of GESSAN boxes plus 1 set of GODMORGON.
I also got one GLIS box to see if anyone would opt to use this to try to work their drawer space around.
The instructions for the kids were simple: empty your drawers, take as many of these boxes as they can fit into your drawers and fit them all in as neatly as you can. Then fill the boxes by deciding what you can fit in and what you wish to keep or throw.
This drawer-organisation project took half a day. And this was what the kids came up with:
I like it that these boxes from IKEA lets the kids still keep their drawer personalised but gives them a clear idea about how much space they have to keep their things organised.
Ben’s drawer transformed
Becks’ drawer transformed (love it that now her photoframe that has a picture of me & her plus Cinderella is now in sight!)
Nat’s drawer transformed
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Study desk area transformation
On our last shopping trip at IKEA, Fatherkao was fascinated by this metallic knife rack:
GRUNDTAL Magnetic Knife Rack
I love my husband for the fact that he sees what I cannot see, does what I cannot do, and makes magic happen. This man singlehandedly removed all the random hooks and decals the kids pasted on their study area wall, wall-puttied and painted it to a smooth finish, then installed two of these magnetic racks (who says you can only use it for knives, LOL) – and at eye level somemore! – for the kids so that they could magnetically stick their notes and notices (every so often the school gives us notices which our fridge has no more space for) more systematically and neatly.
He even got the RIMFORSA tablet stands so the kids can use them for their iPads, spelling lists and reference books whenever they sit down at the desk.
I can’t believe this was all conceptualised and done within half a day by their very competent father. I love that their study space has gotten neater as compared to using blutack to stick on notes in the past.
Love it even more that the first reminder that Ben stuck on this new metallic rack was a reality check: school starts soon and it’s time to pack his bag. LOL.
Speaking of bags, they have also been organised neatly, thanks to these which we found at IKEA:
These FIRRA Boxes (we used them without the lids) are great for keeping the kids’ school bags and can be rolled out with their wheels. The plan is to have the kids put the bags in these boxes after school, and roll them out when it’s homework time, tuition time or pack-your-bag-for-the-next-day time.
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In the spirit of getting organised, the kids also helped to think of ways for room improvement, and this was what they came up with, with their LEGO DUPLO blocks:
Love it that they have been inspired to look for solutions all around!
Truly, small things can make a big difference when it comes to getting organised, and I think the Kao kids are ready to start the year right, now that the mess they had once lived with is now put completely away.
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Disclosure: This is the second of three in a series of collaborative work with IKEA. IKEA sponsored all the hacks we’ve used in this post. All ideas here are our own. #IKEASG#ad#sponsored#incollaborationwith #IKEA
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