How we used our Ikea BEKVÄM spice rack, KALLAX storage unit and LATT table in our children’s rooms:

You may have realised from my YouTube videos of the tour of Ava and Rafe’s playroom part 1, 2 and 3, that I LOVE Ikea. Their storage solutions are great and very affordable. Much to Geoff’s horror, a quick trip to Ikea often turns into a day out. But he gets meatballs so he soon stops complaining! Even better, there’s a whole phenomenon of the IKEA HACK. This is either using Ikea items as something they are not meant for but work as a great solution in your home, or changing an item to better suit your home, such as through painting it. Here are some ideas for Ikea hacks from our Pinterest page (please subscribe) and some we already have in our home.

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Ikea BEKVÄM spice rack

• These Ikea BEKVÄM spice racks are so cheap and by using them as book shelves, the children can see their books far easier than if their spines were on show. They are also easy to paint for when we change decor.

Ikea KALLAX storage unit

• I’m so passionate about having a role play area (check out out YouTube video, blog post coming soon). Kallax storage units can be changed into anything, we’re using ours as shop.

Ikea LATT table

• These Ikea Latt tables are great. We’ve added floral material to the seats and we’re going to paint ours with chalkboard paint. Check out our Pinterest board for more ideas.

More Ikea hack ideas

• When space is tight, having 2 art areas in 1 is a great idea. The children can use the paper by rolling it down using the Ikea kitchen / bathroom rails and pinning it under the elastic, or the can roll it up to use the chalkboard.
• These cheap and cheerful curtains can easily be changed to match any decor, including dying them. We’ve added rainbow bunting,

9 Inspired by the Ikea hack:

We also have lots of items in our home that are not from Ikea but we were INSPIRED BY THE IKEA HACK . Here are some ideas for inspired by the Ikea hacks on our Pinterest page (please subscribe) and some we already have in our home.

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• This dressing table is easily paintable to suit any decor. And the coffee table turned stool can be pained to match.
• This chair was all that dark pink colour, but with watered down chalk paint you can paint anything!
• Ava is obsessed with fancy dress but we couldn’t afford a proper rail so my dad made this one from an old computer desk he already had.
• These drawers were left in the loft by the people who used to live here so we painted them to match Rafe’s decor and added new bird handles from Zara Home.
• I originally bought this as a towel cabinet but it soon turned into a drinks cabinet because wine!
• We wanted to keep the cats’ things out of the way of Ava so decided to put them under the stairs. It works so well.
• This desk can be painted to suit any decor.
• We originally had this as a dresser that we were gifted 2nd hand. We chopped the top off and made it into a TV cabinet and storage. It also used to be brown with glass doors so all change.
• We were also gifted the TV cabinet 2nd hand, and when we realised just how expensive changing tables were we set about making this into one. It just needed some wood round the top so Ava couldn’t fall out and a paint job to match the decor.

12 Mum hacks:

Finally, the MUM HACK! I’m a HUGE fan of a mum hack – anything that makes life easier, better and saves time and money! What more could you ask for! I’ll be doing a dedicated mum hack blog post soon as there are so many good ones, but here are some ideas for mum hacks on our Pinterest page (please subscribe), blog posts I have already written, and some we already have in our home.

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• Radox do several different character toiletries so even reluctant washers are more motivated to do so. Ava loves Frozen so we buy the same one over and over again, and if the shop has ran out or it ever gets discontinued, we will just have to refill it, she will never know!
• These are meant to be cupboard tidies but work well for bath toy organisers. They have holes in so let the water out and are large enough to fit all of the children’s toys in. Ava is also motivated to tidy away herself, which is a huge bonus!
• This is my favourite mum hack. I love all things wooden, especially Grimm’s wooden toys like their rainbow stacker, but being on maternity, it just isn’t affordable. So what’s the next best thing – this hamster toy rainbow stacker from Pets and Home of course!
• Ava brings so much artwork home from nursery that Iike to display some of the pieces in her art area. These empty frames allow for interchangeable art with Blue Tac.
• When we moved in to this house, Rafe’s room already had the pretty tree wall paper, so to save money and time on decorating, we bought bird stickers that can easily be removed when we change decor. We also got some to brighten up the plain wardrobe and to add to the bird theme, we got a tree sticker too. It adds a lovely, quirky feel to the room.
• Ava doesn’t have a central light in her room so I thought I’d make a focal point. The hot air balloon is made from a paper lampshade, ribbon and a basket. Ava loves it.
• I would love to get Ava some woodland art but until we can afford it, I had a go myself. They’re not that bad!
• I couldn’t find a ‘dress up’ sign I liked so I made one from picture frames from The Range and glitter.
• This mum hack is a bit of a cheat as obviously I didn’t event it (if I did I’d be sitting on a island sunning myself somewhere exotic) but it does make my life far easier, is very time saving, and is clearly invented by a parent. See our full review here and our YouTube demonstration here or here within our blog.
• {Advert / collaboration} Again, this is another genius invention that I wish I’d thought of but alas I did not. These bottles are bottles and sippy cups in 1 with the change of a lid, so no need to fill your cupboards with numerous drink holders. Also, no need to fill your cupboards at all – they collapse to the size of a hockey puck! They fit easily in pockets, nappy bags and toddler backpacks – amazing! Perfect for on the go parents (and children!). Side note: my favourite tag line ever – portable, storable and oh so adorable! Ahh, so cute! Makes me want to sing it! Hopefully watch this space for a full review coming soon. Vote for this to win the Fedex Small Business Grant Contest here.

What Ikea hacks, inspired by Ikea hacks and mum hacks do you have in your home? Let me know in the comments. I will feature the best ones.

Our other blog posts

If you want to read more of our product, service and destination reviews, see our other posts:

https://doubletrouble1114.com/2019/03/16/product-review-real-life-parent-review-tommee-tippee-perfect-prep-machine/ and

https://doubletrouble1114.com/2019/05/09/bumps-babies-and-beyond-baby-and-toddler-show-our-review-of-the-peterborough-east-of-england-event/

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