As you know, a few weeks ago, TV3 Weekend show ran a competition with Organised Chaos to makeover and organise a viewer’s room. That winner was the lovely Bríd de Bhial from Mullingar who needed to get her living room organised.
Over the last couple of weeks we’ve been busy filming and organising this room. If you missed the show last Sunday, here’s a short round up of what I did and I’ve linked the feature just below if you want to check it out!
Bríd and her partner were frustrated with the living room because it was being taken over by the children’s toys. They wanted to get the toys organised and create a little play area for their eldest, Fiadh, to make it easy to tidy up the toys at the end of the day and to have a cosy living space for relaxation.
This is quite a normal situation for homes up and down the country. Many of us have outgrown our homes, and rooms have more than one function to them, which can make it difficult to keep them organised.
And of course, when children come along, there is so much baby paraphenalia, clothes and toys!
I’ve met many parents, who, once the children go to sleep at night and they have time to relax, feel like they’re sitting in a playroom.
I was so excited to get started and sort out the room!
We started with a declutter first, and got rid of some toys. The toys that were staying were divided up between those that were for this room, and those that really should be up in the bedrooms. Of the toys remaining here, I first started with the large toys and lined them up against the wall to see how much space they were taking up. Once I saw what fit, they were assigned that home.
Next I focussed on the shelving unit. This unit is great, but it was holding jigsaws and books that were too big for the bins. Jigsaws and books by their strong nature can usually hold their own anyway and don’t necessarily need storage.
So instead these bins were given over to smaller toys. The kind of toys that once out of their packaging can become unruly. Items such as lego, bricks, tea sets, doctors & nurses sets etc are ideal for these containers.
I placed photo labels on the outside. Labels are really important when you’re organising to remind you of the new homes. However, children at this age can’t read so images of their toys make great labels. Photo labels mean the child knows where the toys are. And more importantly should make it easier for them to learn how to tidy up.
Photo labels mean the child knows where the toys are. And more importantly should make it easier for them to learn how to tidy up. Sarah
Bríd also won a voucher from Howard’s Storage World and we got some gorgeous storage for this room. We got LEGO containers for the building bricks, a container by Kis for the colouring and crayons, and fab rolling toy bins from Bigso for the books and jigsaws. I particularly love the rolling toy bins because they can be rolled out into the middle of the room & an item picked out and played with. By being able to move the storage around with the toy, it’s more likely things will get put away again.
For the remainder of the living room, I brought the couches in at an angle which created a clear zone between the play area and the relaxing area. Having the couches like this facing towards the focal points of the fire and TV, makes it a cosier space.
Furthermore, when the toys are tidied away at the end of the day, Mam & Dad won’t even be able to see them hidden behind the couch.
Finally, we also tidied up the TV unit and placed wires and media into a tackle box container and put a label on the outside.
And that completed the transformation. A lovely play nook for the girls and a clear living space for Bríd and Declan to relax in.
It was so lovely to meet Bríd, Declan, Fiadh and Saorla. A great job to work on and such an experience with TV3!
If you missed the slot, you can watch it right HERE!
TV3 Saturday AM Room Makeover
Happy Organising!
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