IKEA Storage

With a one year old running around, our house perpetually looks like a homegoods war zone. B and I can never find the right remote control when we need it. We discover long lost toys underneath furniture almost daily after a quick vacuum of the living room. Laundry is always piled up somewhere and purses and diaper bags have no where to be hung. Because our little E is so curious and adventurous most things that we want to keep track of end up on our beautiful farmhouse table (that B made for the family).

Since IKEA opened a flagship store here in Puerto Rico, B and I have taken full advantage of obtaining plenty of storage for our new home in Guam. We've never lived near an IKEA store before and use to love visiting their store whenever we traveled to VA to see my family. We typically would peruse the aisles dreaming about things that we would buy for our future home.

But no more need to dream. IKEA has decided to grace us with her presence here in the Caribbean. I thought I would share with you guys some of the items we purchased for our new home. I will also post a picture of our table with its usual mess atop it and then an updated photo of it when we get to Guam and show you all how we are using our IKEA storage units.

                                                                           Item #1 

I plan on using this in E's room as low storage. The smaller unit is wall mounted and I plan on hanging it at a level she can reach. I would like to have her room very Montessori learning inspired. One part of implementing that is placing things at her height so that she can access them on her own and at her will.  Another aspect of Montessori is presenting items of play and learning in an appealing way. So thrown in an unmarked basket or scattered on the floor (our current approach) won't work. 

Item #2

This is mama's home learning storage unit. I plan on teaching E while we are at home together (read about it here) and so I bought this to place in her closet. I will store materials and supplies in here. 

Item #3

This will be our new coffee table. We will probably store remotes in the drawer and books for E in the cubby holes.

Item #4

Hopefully we can keep shoes on this rack and not scattered across the house. E loves to pick up our shoes and run around with them. I know she can still access them here, but I like the idea that they have a designated shelf and I can teach her where they go. I think it's harder for a child to understand proper placement of something when an item is just placed on the floor in "this area". An actual shelf is a more tangible concept.

Item #5

Our major defense in the homegoods war. I would like to paint this a bright canary yellow. 

Items #6

We purchased two of these. They will be used as night stands in our bedroom. I like that they are portable; therefore I can clean around and under them easily. 

So, there you have it. Let's see how this storage war ends. I will post photos later of before and afters of our living room. 

We also purchased a rug, lightweight quilt, large full length mirror, bed frame, picture frames, lamp, and hanging seat for E. If you would like for me to post about my other purchases let me know. 

-Anjelica