Handy space savers for more light sabres
Getting inventive and ‘‘going up’’ creates space in the smallest of children’s rooms, writes Lee-Anne Duncan.
My daughter has turned 12. While she’s far from passing on her multitudes of Lego Friends, and her soft toys bewilderingly continue to multiply, she hankers after a teenager’s trappings.
She’d love a desk, a closet, a bigger set of drawers. But the unvarnished truth is her room has no room. Then there’s clutter, all those tiny objects and precious pieces of paper so many children love to collect. There are big-ticket fixes that generally involve a cabinetmaker and a generous budget. However, thankfully many more involve little more than a trip to the hardware store.
And it’s easier with a little forward planning. ‘‘If you’re lucky enough to be planning your kids’ rooms when building or renovating, make sure you’re thinking 10 years ahead,’’ advises home stylist Francesca Storey, from Showroom, an accessories store and in-home styling service.
‘‘Don’t just think about how the room works for a baby. Think about it for an older child and a teenager, including how you can adapt the room for sleepovers.’’
Beds
The bed can be a great help, or an immoveable hindrance. Loft beds seem the obvious space-saving solution, and there are hundreds of ways to lift a bed off the floor.
They may be built into a mezzanine floor or a wall niche. They could be suspended from a sloping ceiling, or built freestanding. The sides of the steps can be used as bookshelves, or even drawers, while the underneath is often used for a desk. However, Storey warns a loft bed has some drawbacks. She says vital storage space under the bed is lost (also an argument against trundle beds) and kids outgrow loft beds quite quickly.
‘‘But if the loft bed is the best thing for your space, opt for a wider one. This allows more room for teenagers to lounge in their room, which is hard to do on a single mattress up high!’’
Fran’s top tip for accommodating extra bodies easily and cheaply is a simple stretcher. ‘‘Slide a collapsible camp bed and a bag of linen under your child’s bed and a cosy sleeping space can be created in a jiffy. And you can take it camping – multi use is good!’’
Manrobe
A little-used piece of furniture these days, Storey loves man robes for younger kids’ rooms. ‘‘Small rooms can become claustrophobic with a floor-to-ceiling wardrobe, but a man robe gives closed storage without taking up too much space.
What’s a man robe? It’s a half-height wardrobe with a small set of drawers, which were very popular through the first half of the 20th century.
‘‘You can still use the top for baskets, plus children can easily reach the drawers and rails so can tidy up after themselves. You would probably have to buy one second-hand, but a quick weekend reno can turn it into something funky and contemporary.’’
Going up
Then there’s simply going vertical. ‘‘The more ‘upping’ you can do around the house the better. It keeps a space-savvy person sane,’’ says Storey.
That could mean installing a floating shelf and wall lights instead of a bedside table. ‘‘The lights could be functional or funky, with wall-screwed lamps or pendants and bulbs hung besides the bedhead.
‘‘Also think about ambient, character light from festoon, neon or fairy lights. They could be strung across a wall or punched through a canvas to spell out a word or depict a character. Use LED lights so don’t they get hot.’’
Mounted shallow shelves are also great for displaying books or kids’ bits and pieces. ‘‘They don’t hold as many books or ornaments as a normal bookshelf, but they don’t eat into room space,’’ says Storey.
Wall straps
Elastic or rubber straps, such as those used on boats, are another fantastic way to make use of vertical space.
‘‘Boaties have great spacesaving ideas. Elastic straps are extra good for slanted ceilings and crannies, and you can stretch them out to fit pretty much anything,’’ says Storey.
‘‘You can buy the proper boating ones, or DIY by putting hooks or screws in a zigzag pattern, then looping elastic to create a kind of mesh storage hammock.’’ Erecting a line of twine or bunting with colourful pegs or bulldog clips, or getting busy with washi-tape, creates many other ways for children to hang art or precious finds without taking up space.
Hooks
Storey is never afraid of screwing in a hook. ‘‘If it can take a storage basket, a shelf or a hook, it’s a workable space.
‘‘Don’t forget about the back of the bedroom door or down the side of a chest of drawers. Hooks hung at different levels can organise heaps of things – hair bands, necklaces, bags, even shoes.
‘‘I install hooks inside my cupboards and wardrobes to hang clothes or equipment. There’s so much space inside a wardrobe or other everyday surfaces we don’t generally use. There are some areas you will want to keep free of clutter but if it will make family life easier, I’m all for screwing in a hook.’’
Be quake safe
Going up is great but Storey warns to keep safety in mind. ‘‘Always think about what’s going to rock and roll in an earthquake.
‘‘Don’t put heavy objects – including prints or paintings – above beds. Unframed prints held up with washi-tape are safer for a child’s room, or try contemporary canvases or design tea-towels that can be taped over card and hung on bulldog clips. And use quake wax or putty under anything you don’t want to fall down.’’
As for getting your child on board with managing clutter, Storey says sometimes it’s about choosing the right phrasing.
‘‘With all these DIY shows on TV now, kids are really aware of styling. I find asking my two young daughters to ‘style your room’ is more effective that ‘tidy up your room’. They don’t see ‘styling’ as a chore’’