More storage for the playroom has been on my to do list all year, finally with Christmas approaching I have made a start.   The original inspiration was for a long low cabinet that the tv could sit on (see the post here), but I realised this was never going to deliver enough storage.  
The version below has a lot more storage, taller cabinets with a shelf on top creating space for display, books and instruments.   I think it will be far more practical.  We can still add another shelf or narrow cabinet above the shelf if we find we need even more space.

Next step was to remove the old furniture.  The tv was in a lovely but very deep, impractical oriental cabinet (already gone below), and the old Ikea cabinet as you can see below was literally bursting at the seams.  Note to self, taking apart Ikea cabinets seems to take longer than putting them together.  

Then it was off to Ikea for a very bulky shop: three Besta cabinets (128cm high) and a Besta tv cabinet with drawers and space for all the technology and cables.  
An industrious weekend later and we are looking more organised already!

Of course no DIY is ever accomplished without at least one mistake or set back.  This was the first time I have ever had trouble with Ikea, one of the cabinets was faulty and only went together after a LOT of pushing and pulling and many shavings with my Japanese handsaw.
When that hurdle was finally over I attached the right hand cabinet to the wall, forgetting that we have a pocket door behind that wall.  Hmmm, the result the two neatly drilled holes in the door you can see below.  It could have been worse, I could have screwed it permanently open.

So that's how it's looking right now.  Its been a busy week and I haven't managed to do much more.  I will keep you posted on our progress, can't wait to get it all done.

The playroom is a mess and it drives me crazy!  It probably drives you spare too!!  We just don't have enough storage and at the end of the day toys are crammed into boxes and the single cupboard and the room just can't be properly tidied.  Playroom storage was on my new years to do list and I haven't managed to resolve it yet.  But I may be a step closer, I think I have the final, revised, redesigned, could it really be the final, design at last.
I would love it to look something like the picture below, but really this is not a design for a family with children and all the toys and craft supplies that come with them.  

I like this one too, the TV looks almost decorative but those open shelves would just be too untidy with toys and its a little traditional for our house.

I like the clean and slightly asymmetric lines of this modern version, and the TV is behind doors which is a bonus, but there are books and special objects on display.

I still love this playroom on Weekday Carnival, one of the best Ikea hacks ever (below).  Hard to believe its Ikea kitchen cabinets put together in a giant puzzle. 

And this library style Ikea hack (below) on Apartment Therapy is another favourite.   They are all very simple, very white, and very uncluttered.

So this is what I have come up with at last.  Cupboards will be clean white with no trim or detailing. There is space for books to be on display, a counter top and wall space on the left where we can display art or family photos, and a whole lot of storage, a lot of it out of the reach of Miss J's sticky little fingers.

What do you think?  Could this be the final one?

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