Well it's been all of five minutes and we have already changed up our newly added-on playroom. However, I'm a firm believer that design in the home setting is a lot of trial and error as there are so many moving parts (such as growing children!) and our previous set-up wasn't quite working for us.
My main issue with the old set up is that it descended into chaos and mess very quickly, and the girls just weren't able to keep things tidy without my input. I want them to be able to take ownership of their space, so it was in the back of my mind that changes might need to be made.
Related: How to Declutter and Organize Kids Toys
For me, practicality is high up on the list for kid spaces, and so I was on the lookout for the right product to solve our playroom problems. Then I saw the new SKÅDIS series at IKEA and I was sold. This pegboard system is sturdy, affordable and minimalist. I cannot recommend it highly enough. (And before you ask—nope, this isn't a sponsored post. I just REALLY love this product!)
S0—WHAT DID WE CHANGE?
Let's start off with my youngest daughter's space. Previously, she had a round table (which kept moving around), stacking bins (which were hard for her to keep organized) and a wire basket on the wall for paper storage (which always overflowed and looked untidy). Of course, this space was tidied up for the photo so it doesn't really show the issues—you'll have to trust me on that one!
I sold the table and chairs and the wire basket, and replaced it with the IKEA FLISAT table and stools. The storage is hidden in the desk which is genius—even if it gets a little untidy inside, it looks nice and neat from the outside. Then we installed a white 30" x 22" SKÅDIS pegboard above it and used a combination of containers, a shelf, and clips to organize all of her art supplies and to display her work. We also mounted a RANARP wall lamp which she absolutely loves.
The result? A fun, practical workspace that a three year old can easily maintain. Sure, I go in every week or so to give it a clean, but on the whole, she takes care of it by herself.
Now onto my five year old's desk. This girl LOVES to color, and also loves to keep all of her drawings. We had a real storage issue on our hands. The wire paper tray would be continually overflowing, as she couldn't manage to pin things up onto the pegboard by herself. We used the FINTORP utensil holders for her markers and pencils, but they would bang against the wall and make marks on it which is annoying since the paint is brand new.
The magazine holders in the shelf area seemed like a good idea, but because she couldn't see what was inside, she never used any of the coloring books in there. Plus they are only cardboard so didn't really hold up to the job.
Because the wall space was larger, we were able to use two of the 30" x 22" SKÅDIS pegboards, and this gave us a nice big space to work with. Along with the containers, shelves and clips, we also added a letter holder for her journals.
Related: How to Declutter, Organize and Style Kids' Books
For the shelving, I purchased a few KUGGIS boxes with lids for our craft supplies. I labelled everything with my trusty label maker.
Related: Ten Creative Ways to Utilize Your Label Maker and Get Organized
For papers and coloring books, I got the KVISSLE letter tray which has shelves that pull out— this means that she can see everything. She also has a box where she keeps "treasures"—A.K.A things from birthday parties and easter egg hunts that I would rather dispose of! By having a designated spot for them, they don't end up all over the house, and once the box is full she knows she needs to make some room for new things.
The result? A workspace that works for her! It's spacious, easy to clean up and she uses it every day.
I'm thrilled with these updates—sometimes it's those minor tweaks that can make the biggest difference to how a room feels. Our playroom is now so much calmer and feels more under control. The girls are learning to take some responsibility for keeping the room clean and they now take pride in their space. Good work IKEA!
APRIL 2020 UPDATE
I'm pleased to say that the IKEA SKÅDIS pegboard and other storage items are still going strong in our playroom almost two years later! Not much has changed there as it's still working perfectly well for our now 5 & 7 year olds, but we have made some other fun updates to the space!
You can check them out below:
Adding Color to Our Playroom with a Modern Landscape Mural
Playroom Reveal
