IKEA Expedit in the Playroom


Thanks for all your feedback on our Ikea haul this past Monday!  Never have I felt more encouraged for my shopping/spending habits...so thank you!  ;)

I told you I would reveal how I put my great finds to work.  As I've mentioned before, our dining room has become a makeshift playroom.  It works out pretty well because we don't use the dining room that often and it's really the only "extra" space we have available in our house.  We had to get rid of our bar cart anyway, and we are in desperate need of more storage, so the Expedit shelf was the perfect solution.  

And I have to say...I'm loving it!


We bought bins for the bottom shelves and use the middle two shelves for books and toy storage.  The top row of shelves are still housing "adult" decor...we'll see how long that lasts!




Notice a little friend?



And here's a little snapshot of how the shelf works into the room.  I think it actually opens up the room, don't you?

Do you own the Expedit?  How do you style it?

xo natasha

33 comments :

  1. we have two! is that overkill? probably. both are used as room dividers. one in our living-esque room to make a little hallway behind the couch and in our bedroom to divide the couch from the bed. love them!

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  2. It looks like the perfect little space for playtime! I think we just all have to accept that for several years, baby toys/swings/pack and plays/etc will overtake the house. It's ok with me:)

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  3. Looks fantastic! It definitely opens up the room and that wall looks like the perfect place for it. It's so fun to see how our homes change when children arrive :) We have a white expedit in my sons room and styled it similar to yours. I have a painting and some frames on the top with bins, toys, and books throughout. Happy Wednesday!

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  4. Looks great Natasha! I find that small one we have the play room never stays tidy. I put things back away at night, but things are constantly changing location since she just pulls it all out every day. The biggest change I've had to make to both the one in her room and the playroom is keeping heavier items on the bottom. She loves to pull everything off and I'm afraid stuff crashing down on her little feet... babies!

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  5. It looks great! I may have to look into that - we have a smaller shelf with only 8 spaces and it is majorly overflowing!! And we have that floor mirror you posted about too - it's my fave!

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  6. Love it! I just did a whole post on my Expedit shelving that I use as an entertainment center! http://lifeintheklaaslane.blogspot.com/2013/03/i-hate-cords-so-i-hid-them.html?m=1

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  7. An Expedit is something I would like to one some day. It is such a versatile piece of furniture and looks good in any setting. I hope Ikea moves closer to me.

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  8. I Love it ,it is very functional and it looks very pretty in your living room.
    A real house ;)
    lots of love
    Lulu

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  9. This looks wonderful!! Great use of space :)

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  10. Looks so great! Now I need to purchase it :)

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  11. I think it looks great! Perfect little play space.

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  12. I love this hun! Great job! Funny you say you got rid of your bar cart... i posted on wanting one when Ava was a few months old and another mom talked me out of it lol

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  13. Awww fun! We have one to in our place and it's seriously a life saver for organization. I got some wicker baskets from ikea too. The ones where the whole is a shape of a triangle.

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  14. I just love seeing all of the little toys! I think it does open the room up a bit. Looks great! And isn't it great to have friends that help encourage you to buy?! :)

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  15. Ah I love it! It's a perfect solution for organizing toys! We have a large/wall IKEA bookshelf, which we love...they have some great things for good prices!

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  16. I love it!! It fits in perfectly! I can't wait to make some IKEA trips when our house is built!

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  17. Looks great! Where is that mirror from? It's gorgeous!

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  18. ahhh it looks better than i even imagined...loving all the styled spaces and it is such a fun space to accommodate all those toys and books!! don't be surprised if you see one of these in my home VERY soon my friend ;)

    you're so great at design!

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  19. Ahhh! I love it. And it is the perfect way to organize all those toys...not to mention it can easily grow with your family.

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  20. OH yeah! I love it girl! E has so many toys already!!!

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  21. Love it! I want to get that same shelving unit for all of our records. We have wayyyy too many. Luckily, our kid is 9, so there aren't a lot of toys strewn about anymore.

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  22. I love it! It looks great and is perfect for all of Ethan's toys! I'm starting to think once I have kids there is no way I can live without an Expedit!

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  23. We have something similar that is half the size and lays on it's side, so it's 4 cubbies long and two high. It's really not "styled" as all the cubbies are full of books and bins holding toys. I try to decorate the top of it, but O is able to reach some of the things. Ugh. I do love that it hides the toy clutter!

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  24. love this ikea unit!!

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  25. AWESOME!! I think I'm going to do something similar in our basement for Mac's toys. I was even thinking of painting the backside of the cubes different colors or something to add some color. Love the way yours turned out!

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  26. I think it looks awesome!! I like that all the toys are shoved in a box, because they are easy access :) But they are all so nicely put on there!!

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  27. I'm jealous!! I never thought I would want an extra room in my house just for a playroom...but that is SO cute! Ikea always has the best finds!

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  28. Love it! We have one in our office which houses books and my craft stuff. I think it's such a great storage unit that you can do so many different things with.

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  29. I am not sure if this has already been mentioned, but make sure to attach the unit to the wall. Kids love to climb, and the unit could tip over. But the expedits are lifesavers!

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