- So much can be done with build yourself furniture. And bonus, the price tag is much lower. I love the idea of taking a simple side table and turning it into a children’s art space. A few coats of chalkboard paint later and your little Picasso can keep creating masterpieces. Checkout this IKEA Chalk Table on Apartment Therapy.
- Fast forward a few years and that same table can be transformed to a Lego lover’s dream play spot. Plus every thing’s confined to the tabletop so no more tripping on little pieces in the middle of the night. See how Angry Julie Monday hacked an IKEA table and turned it into the ultimate LEGO play surface.
- Modular or cube furniture is perfect for any room. There are so many ways to coordinate the pieces and fit your needs. Create a wall unit like this one featured on Project Nursery or a bench that can last from infancy to college and beyond. Accent with custom art, fabric or paint.
We love books in our house, especially children’s books. Our house is littered with them. Most are contained to the bookshelf or a few cubes throughout the family room, but I’m always looking for ways to contain those books we are currently reading.
The next two bookshelf solutions can be picked up at your local hardware or home store for just a few bucks.
- Checkout these cute book displays created with a spice rack on Bluebird Kisses. I found some at IKEA for just $3.99. So for just $4 a shelf and the cost of paint or stain you have a simple solution. Wouldn’t this be a great book or magazine rack for the bathroom too?
- I actually stumbled across this next one years ago when visiting a classroom. I kept seeing them pop up in classrooms around Tucson. Can you guess what they are? Rain gutters! I haven’t priced them out yet, but can’t imagine the plastic or even metal variety are much more than the spice rack above. This is another one that could be used for any age. Teenagers can store their notebooks, textbooks, magazines, etc. above their desk or create a reading nook for your little ones. Designer Trapped featured one way she’s used them to store books.
Finding functional and appealing toy storage can be a challenge. I’m loving these ideas for organizing the clutter while maintaining some style.
- The Country Chic Cottage uses storage cubes to keep the clutter down in her kid’s rooms. This is actually how all our kids toys are organized we have a wall filled covered in a 6 cube by 6 cube configuration. The lower 4 “shelves” are reserved for the the toys while the upper half contains a myriad of household stuff like: photo albums, cookbooks, and the need to ask permission toys like playdough.
- How about rolling storage for easy cleanup. I love the idea of these DIY rolling crates from The Kim Six Fix.
What kinds of furniture repurposing have you done?
