I love Ikea. I fell in love with this furniture super store when I did my internship in New York. I was super excited when they finally came to South Florida a few years back. (and there is a location really close to my house!) I have tons of Ikea stuff in my house, but my favorite is a big photo wall I have in the living room, using all Ikea frames.
I had the opportunity to go to a Bloggin’ Mama’s event at Ikea last night, and I got so many great ideas! The focus of last night was ‘Designing and Maximizing your Children’s Playroom’, something I totally need. Our spare bedroom is currently being used as a playroom, since we don’t really have too many guests who stay the night. (everyone knows our kids don’t sleep, so they usually make the smart decision to stay elsewhere)
The thing with the room, is that we have put ZERO effort into it. We just throw all the toys in it. There is nothing on the walls, no real organization… just toys. I even sent in pictures as an example, and they used them.
The furnishing consultant, Jenny, had some awesome suggestions. I really liked her idea of taking off the closet doors, and painting the inside a bright color. (or even using a chalkboard paint for some of it) She suggested some great storage options, and said maybe a desk set up would be good in there, so my son could do his homework. She also suggested putting a small table in the center of the room, with play areas set up around the room against the walls.
Some other decorating ideas they shared with the group:
- Get furniture that grows with your children (Ikea has tons of furniture options that do this… expandable beds, tables with extendable legs, changing tables that turn into desks… you get the idea!)
- Admit to yourself that, “YES! Children live here!” (I am guilty of trying to hide all kid toys.. I don’t know why even I bother)
- Design without rules! Mix and match colors and patterns, have fun, it is a kids space!
- Storage is important, create a ‘place’ for everything
At the end of the night there was a contest, and a few of the bloggers won gift cards… including me! Woot! Woot! So now I have $100 to get my playroom in order thanks to Ikea and Bloggin’ Mamas!
One more thing, Ikea is partnering up with UNICEF for the holidays, and for every stuffed animal you buy, Ikea will donate $1 to education! How awesome is that? During our Ikea trip a few months back, I got Hudson a stuffed puppy for being such a good boy during our VERY long visit (we were getting Mila a bed) and he still loves it. Maybe Santa will bring some more stuffed goodness, since they have tons of cute ones and its for a great cause!
I love Ikea and all of their storage units. I've been wanting to buy some but am waiting for when we own a home and am done with the Military life!
Yeah I didnt realize they had so many interchangable items! Thanks for stopping by and I hope you are having a great week!
I love IKEA and could use ALL the help I can get in y own playroom! So awesome!!! And congrats on the GC!!!
Thank you! I was so excited to win it! thanks for taking the time to comment! 🙂
What a fun event! I love IKEA and we used to be really close to one. Now that we have moved, it's a bit of a drive. That's so awesome you won a gift card!! Woohoo!!
Hi..my name is Susan, and I'm an IKEA addict. It's a good thing it's not close by or I'd probably be there every day!
on the whole – i do not like ikea… but with that said, they do have some things in there you just can't beat. especially for a play room. i've bought their rugs twice. not bad either. i'm actually slowly becoming a fan and for a playroom – it's awesome! and CHEAP!
I love IKEA. I always tell people I just want to live in one. You can't beat the style and value at that store, and things I've purchased there have held up over the years.
My whole hose is IKEA– Love this..
i love IKEA stuff, I get so excited when I see a store.