Playroom Refresh with Of Space and Mind

Since we have moved into our home we have had some big life changes. We had Siena and both had changes within our careers. Our space has been constantly changing since we moved in almost 6 years ago. As Siena ages she goes through different play stages. In the beginning our world was the family room rug. As she became a toddler she acquired more mobility, not to mention bigger toys. We moved Brian out of his first floor office, into the basement to make space for her playroom.

Both Brian and I are now working from home a lot more. Siena is now at an age where she can play independently away from us. Our basement is open to the first floor, so we moved her down there, and Brian back upstairs. However, our basement, which is finished, has been catch all. I had many ideas for organization but often became too overwhelmed. Our basement serves as our mudroom, her play space and we were trying to fit in other things like workout bikes, and couches. It was a constant game of chess.

Enter Ashley, with of Space and Mind. She is so patient and knowledgeable. Really taking time to help you visualize different options. She gave us different options, let me talk out all of my anxiety, haha! She also worked with our budget and was really sensitive with that piece. As we executed our plan situations happened where furniture pieces were missing, or didn’t come in on time. Where I would have gave up or stalled the project she did all the troubleshooting. Her and her team worked diligently to get it done and on time.

Below I am sharing some of the products that have worked really well in this space. As well as what some of my takeaways were from this experience.

Organizational Products

I never shy away from buying bins, cubes, pods or whatever else is out there. I am guilty of buying all different containers at different times from Homegoods or TJ MAXX. Not that there is anything wrong with that but I realize the problem it poses. Often times you are buying something that is not a complete set. Or you find two months later you need another one of the same piece of storage. The problem is you will most likely be unable to find the match. Having mismatched storage products results in more chaos. Also, some storage bins are made to compliment or fit one another. When you buy them piece by piece you can miss out on that. In long run I found myself spending a lot of money on bins, shuffling them around and discarding them. It had only made my clutter problem worse in the long run. In choosing to work with Ashely and her team I committed to investing in organization systems and pieces that will serve me for years to come.

Sort Joy- The flex bins are amazing! What I love most about them is you can fold the top down to fit into whatever piece of furniture you have. If in the future you change the location of these cubes you do not have to worry that they will suddenly be the wrong size. Being they are flexible they also hold their shape better. The other standard cubes I had were less durable and became mishapened over time.

Container Store- Obviously the container store has EVERYTHING you need, in every size! The drawer organizers have been a game changer. I love just taking out the section with the crayons when she wants to color. Instead of grabbing a handful of crayons, I just take the section out. There are no longer loose markers rolling around the drawer, or stickers getting lost. The best is the playdoh drawer!

Ikea- Ikea is great for closets, hardware, or shelving. The best part, Ashley’s team takes care of sourcing, picking up and assembling the items!

Favorite Things

On of my favorite parts of the room is her little dress up corner. Getting the dresses off the floor, and out of a box made them so much more accessible. Their was some odd negative space next to the built in shelves that housed this little station perfectly. Installing a little clothing bar to hang her dresses on then gave me space to house her accessories and shoes underneath.

On of the other surprising favorites are the games that were condensed into individual bags. No more am I trying to hunt for missing pieces or using countless plastic baggies to contain them. Furthermore, the games travel so much better! I am more confident bringing them on a long trip or car ride because they are so much more compact.

Takeaway

What I am realizing now is that having this system is more than just asthetics. When it comes to cleaning up I am finding myself executing this task quicker. This is because I am not trying to figure out where to put things. Nor am I going into a frenzy rearranging unsettled areas. I am simply putting everything back in its rightful and labeled place!

Ashley consistently mentioned making sure you make choices that you can grow with. There is an element of change that will always be taking place in a play area. Your kids are growing, their interests are changing, the toys are changing. We made sure that we had space leftover for what is to come. As well as choosing furniture that will be functional as Siena gets older!

Do not skip the editing! So many times I go through Siena’s things or a closet with the intention of editing. I am not someone who likes to hang to things we truly do not use. However, I was surprised how much we donated or got rid of through the process. The only way to do it is to truly take the time to lay out or empty every bin, or drawer to truly see what you have.

The investment of working with a team such as Of Space and Mind is long term. These are systems I will keep in place. It has allowed Siena to not only play more independently but help clean up as well. It also helps foster more creativity when you can see what you have or it is easily accessible. I am now going closet by closet, room by room implementing the same actions. Having my focus finally off of the basement has allowed me to see other areas of the home with new perspective.

If you are interested in working with Ashley and her team you can find more information here: https://www.ofspaceandmind.com/