How IKEA Made Our Life Better

It’s a bold statement, but I can honestly say the title sums it up brilliantly. Just a few weekends ago, the team from Ikea overtook my house and created something utterly amazing that has made all of our lives better.

I have always tried to be quite organised, but with four children it is not always easy. We moved to this property a few months ago, previously the boys had a small bedroom and there just wasn’t room for wardrobes, so with space saving in mind, we used IKEA Expedit units to house all their clothes. It worked well short term, but clothes were not easy to access and things would easily get forgotten about in the bottom of the drawers. I love a good toy box, and I like everything to have a home, but the boys room just lacked organisation and I had no idea where to start or what do with it.

IKEA then came to our rescue, and sent a designer around to look at the problem and see if she could come up with something. Her visit was great, she listened to our lifestyle, finding out that the room is actually used by all four children. With the age gap being large, with my eldest being 11, and youngest just 1, we needed to be able to have access to toys at all different levels. My one year old obviously cannot have LEGO that the older ones adore, and LEGO is one of my sons massive obsessions. My eldest son has Autism and ADHD, he has great skill in drawing and it’s one of his big passions, along with LEGO. It was essential that he needed to be able to put his LEGO out of reach of the small ones.

I had no idea what the designer was thinking, but the room really was a blank canvas as I was happy for her to work her magic. Here are the before shots.

Now the after shots, taken on the same sides of the room as the pictures above, so you can see the difference.

What a difference hey?! It’s amazing, so functional and it does so much more than I could of ever dreamed of.  Let me talk you through each picture. Norddal bunkbeds were put in, which are solid and sturdy, so much more than any others I have ever seen. The boys each have a shelf for their nightlights and books. My eldest son has a shelving unit on the wall above his bed, which is for his LEGO  models that he doesn’t want the children to get hold of. It’s so perfect, I cannot express how it has changed his life, there is so many less Autistic meltdowns.

 

Alongside it is Stuva which is an amazing furniture combination which can be made up to your specifications to provide just the right storage for your life. These have doors for wardrobe, with a shelf above. It then has four drawers underneath, including some excellent drawer inserts to organise your smalls, amazing.

The doors have a soft closing hinges, meaning little fingers don’t get stuck in them. I love the Stuva system, as you really can personalise it for your specific child, meaning they can access their clothes at their height.

Next is the entertainment zone, as you can see there is more Stuva.

This time with shelves inside, and larger drawers at the bottom. This is home to plastic boxes with lids, yes perfect LEGO storage. It is also fits these baskets in brilliantly too.

Then there is the other side too, there is so much storage here which is all useful space. Nothing is wasted, with the tall boxes being for my eldest who even has his very own stool to reach it easily.

In between both units is a large toy chest filled with the younger ones toys, so they can access them. Above that is shelves for DVD’s and above that shelves for the all important family pictures, which they love.

On the floor is a large rug, which feels lush. There is a gaming chair for Jordan to play his XBOX, as well as cushions and a ladybird for the others. It’s the perfect place for the children to all snuggle and watch films.

Finally, and by no means least….here is something so special, so well thought out….

A special desk, created for all four children to use. With storage galore, there is cannisters on the walls which are easy to reach for little people. They are filled with all the essentials. Above this is more storage, a great place for keeping scissors and glue out of the way of the smaller ones. Above that is a huge clock, great for teaching the children the time. To the side is a paper roll, which stretches the paper across the whole desk, meaning all the children can draw at the same time, amazing hey?!

This area is the most used area in the house, everyday all of the children use it. Emma uses it for drawing at least once a day, same with Marky who has learnt to write his name since this has been here. Jordan and Brooke both use it for their homework, and Jordan’s passion of drawing is more comfortable as he has the perfect place to do it. Even the adjustable lighting adds a great touch and important lighting for reading and working. The paper storage at the side is so handy.

As you can see, IKEA has changed not only my life, but my children’s lives too. We are so much more organised, and it’s become the hub of the home for all of us. I love spending time with the children in here, and even when they are out I still find myself working at their desk! I cannot thank IKEA enough, they have made something so special, but something so usable in our everyday life. Remember, you can recreate this in your own house, all products and furniture are available in IKEA stores and online.

A massive thank you to IKEA Coventry for making this all possible, I honestly cannot thank the IKEA team enough.

We were provided with the makeover for the purpose of the review, all thoughts and images are my own.