I’ve been jonesing for an IKEA fix for way too long (the closest IKEA is a 2-hour drive for me).
As luck would have it, I had the opportunity to make a pilgrimage to the Holy Grail of storage solutions over Labor Day weekend. With my trusty camera in hand, I spent about 3 glorious hours exploring every last corner of the store.
As you might expect, I came across some amazing storage and organizing solutions (both new and old). I thought it would be fun to share some of the highlights of my IKEA tour with you today.
HIGHLIGHTS FROM MY IKEA TOUR
SMALL SPACE STORAGE GENIUS
One can only marvel at the genius that is IKEA storage space maximization. Take for example the Stave mirror, which can be affixed to the wall with hinges. Swing it open to reveal a 5′ length of hidden storage!
Throughout my tour, I spotted countless examples of exquisite use of vertical space.
In the kitchen…
In the closet…
…and in the main living area.
IKEA KITCHENS
I’ve mentioned before that a kitchen renovation is in the works for us in 2016, so of course I was curious to check out all of the kitchen displays throughout the store.
IKEA kitchens are known for their superior organizational features, such as utilizing large, deep drawers in the lower portion of the kitchen in place of cabinets. Imagine how much easier it is to retrieve items locate in the back by simply pulling out a drawer:
These pull-out drawers for dishes would have come in very handy with the 2 little ones (heck, they could have been setting the table themselves all these years!):
I was enthralled with the idea of installing a lazy susan in the UPPER corner cabinet. Now why haven’t I ever thought of that?
And isn’t this pantry just to die for? I’ve helped many a client with narrow deep pantry shelves make their pantry more user friendly via the installation of pull-out drawers. No need to retro-fit with IKEA; those drawers come standard in every pantry!
With their maintenance-free cabinet finishes, primo organizational features and low cost, IKEA kitchens are a winner in my book. Hmmm…I may need to rethink my kitchen redesign.
A NEW SPIN ON OLD FAVORITES
I was devastated when I first learned that Ikea was discontinuing it’s crazy popular Expedit line of storage shelving. Thankfully, they replaced it with the Kallax line, which is almost identical. It was refreshing to see Kallax featured in a variety of cool new colors, including pink:
and my favorite, this smart Kelly Green color:
I was also elated to see that they finally introduced the 25-cube version of Kallax, since this is such a staple for keeping things organized and accessible in home offices, home school classrooms, toy rooms and craft rooms.
IKEA continues to expand their line of coordinating baskets and bins so that you can customize a cube storage system to meet your needs and personal taste.
Trofast, the popular toy organization system, was also sporting a variety of new color options, including the more sophisticated black and color palette:
ENDLESS SHELVING OPTIONS
Of course, we all know how crucial it is to go vertical when maximizing storage space is your mission. There’s no better tool for taking advantage of wall space than shelving. IKEA’s Ekby line is still going strong after all these years.
Of course, adjustable shelving is one of my Top 10 Fave organizing tools, and IKEA’s Algot system doesn’t disappoint. It’s versatility is quite impressive. Here it is making great use of a small bedroom corner:
The Algot system was utilized in this display for bathroom storage. You can imagine all of the possibilities for how it could be used in your own home.
HOOKS GALORE
Hooks are another favorite storage-maximizing tool of professional organizers. They’re just so darned functional. The selection of hooks offered at IKEA is vast. Style-wise, they run the gamut from silly doggy butts (Bastis) to sleek and sophisticated board mounted hooks.
Some “new hooks on the block” include the Tjusig hanger, and the pretty Nipprig hook.
WALL-MOUNTED STORAGE SYSTEMS
Rail and hook systems abound at IKEA. You see them used in just about every room of the home. Popular ones include the Fintorp series:
The Grundtal series:
and the Dignitet system, which is typically used to display children’s art and school projects on high wall space.
THE LITTLE THINGS
We are nearing the end of this lengthy tour, but I’d be remiss not to highlight some of the smaller organizational gems that I came across during my visit, including these colorful Variera drawer organizers.
I’m crushing on the new Tjena storage box collection, especially the pretty green that seems to be the “it” IKEA color in 2015.
My daughter could not get enough of these cute little Rajtan spice jars. She was so excited to buy a set, even though she couldn’t think of anything of hers that could be stored in them. I explained that a cardinal rule of organizing is that we don’t purchase pretty containers without having a need. It creates container clutter!
She did snag one of these cute bedside storage caddies, because I know it will be a useful organizational tool in her bedroom.
Given the length of this post, it’s hard to believe that the solutions that I highlighted here are only the tip of the organizational iceberg of what IKEA has to offer. Thanks for touring with me! By the way, if you don’t have an IKEA store nearby, you can always go on a virtual tour using their awesome IKEA mobile app!
That’s a wrap on my IKEA tour! What are YOUR favorite IKEA organizing solutions? Have an IKEA kitchen? If so, please let me know your experience with it so far!