Living in an old Art Deco apartment means we have had to think smart around how we utilise our space. While our home may be big as far as flats go, we don’t have copious amounts of space when it comes to storage, and so finding a place for everything can be a constant challenge. Of course what makes it harder is having three small children in the mix who don’t always share my need for tidiness and structure.

Over the last few years my passion for decor and design has spilled over into creating spaces in our home that are beautiful as well as functional and I have found myself having to think outside of the box when it comes to trendy storage solutions that allow us to keep with the general theme of our home. We have had to adopt an almost European way of thinking when it comes to functionality and design and I have spent many hours sourcing pieces that I think would work well in our current set-up.

When Hunter was born our boys were forced to double up in a room that is no more than 5m squared meaning we really had to be wise with how we utilised the space. With double of everything, we had to find a way to store toys, books, games and clothes more effectively. With Noah in grade one our priority was trying to fit a desk into the room that wouldn’t take up too much extra floor space. An impossible task? Not when you see what we did!

I teamed up with Saskia Wild from Simply Sorted, an organisational and decluttering expert who helps people declutter and implement good systems in their homes. Living in a small space means that clutter is not an option and that we need to be pretty strict about getting rid of things that we don’t need. It took two sessions of sorting through toys and throwing away things that the kids hadn’t used in months to create a system that works and allows my children to play well. I love that her approach to sorting through toys and spring-cleaning is almost ruthless – she believes that if something has no specific use and adds no real value to their playing experience, it needs to go! I am passionate about implementing this mentality when it comes to how my children value their toys and games.

I am a firm believer that less is more and that having a few good quality toys, games and sets of blocks/lego is the way to go. It teaches children to be more intentional with the toys they have, to be more creative and more resourceful. Less toy clutter results in a tidier, neater home, which impacts our mental health too. Since incorporating this system I have noticed how they actually appreciate structure and thrive on the order.

Simply Sorted is an organising service that offers customised, hands-on decluttering and organising for your home or office. Whether you’re a parent juggling children’s schedules, a busy professional, or a combination of both, our expertise can serve you, by helping you to reclaim your space, simplify your life and regain a sense of order and calm.

Saskia believes that when toys are sorted into categories it serves an invitation for them to play. She encourages toys to be stored in clear storage containers to that they are accessible to the child. I cannot tell how much this has helped us because now the boys can see what’s inside their toy drawers without having to unpack everything before they find what it is they are looking for. I also try to encourage a “One toy/game at a time” rule which means they need to pack away a toy before playing with the next thing. This also means it is less likely for toys to get muddled up and pieces of lego and puzzles to get lost.

So here are the three focus pieces of furniture we used to implement a system and help us use our space optimally. 

1. The Aidan Desk from Roca Kids Furniture – this piece of furniture has to be one of the most unique and most brilliantly designed pieces of furniture I have come across in a long time! A compact desk that fits onto the wall and folds out when needed has been the answer to our floor space problem. And the fact that it looks so cool, is just an added bonus! I love the design of this desk so much that it’s something I would use in any room of my home, but it certainly ticked all the boxes for this project! Noah LOVES having an area that is designated for homework and I’m pleased to report that the novelty hasn’t worn off even after a month of having it. Homework time is a pleasure with this beauty!

⇑ The Aidan Desk is compact and beautifully designed to allow your child to store stationary and books, and fold out only when needed. Dimensions: 1150mm L x 250mm W x 510mm H

2. The book storage stand from Simply Child – I hated it when my kids would pull out every single book from a shelf to find the one they were looking for. This is such a brilliant way of allowing children to flip though their books and store them in a fun way. Once again, it encourages children to grab a book and read because of its accessibility and child-friendly functionality.

⇑ We simply love our Book stand made from MDF with a high quality sprayed white finish. Legs are made from pine. Size: Length: 94cm   Width. 32cm  Height: 50cm – perfect for children!

3.Classic Bunk Bed with Underbed Drawers by STOMPA from Nest Designs – it obviously made sense to use bunk beds as apposed to single beds, but what’s amazing about this bunk bed it that they can eventually be used as single beds if we mover into a bigger home. Right now the boys love their bunk bed, which have double functionality with their bottom drawers. These drawers are perfect for storing toys of all sizes and we have used transparent containers for lego, cars, figurines and play doh cutters etc….

⇑ Bunk measures: 198.4cmL x 105.2cmW x 154.0cmH Single bed size: H85.0 for headboard x W98.4 x L198.4cm and H69.0cm for footboard Special features include:

We even went as far as organising their cupboards too, to allow for easier and calmer mornings when it comes to getting ready in the mornings. I finally got round to packing their clothes neatly and Saskia helped by printing labels for each shelf – Ie: Shorts, T-shirts, Track Pants, underwear, pyjamas, dress up, hats etc…. This way they can see where everything is and are able to get dressed with minimal assistance and without pulling out every item of clothing every time they get dressed.

⇑ I bought this plastic drawer/divider from Mumbos and is perfect for all their art and craft supplies and stationary. And perfect to contain the mess by keeping it inside a cupboard!

These pieces of furniture have enabled us to integrate systems that have been real game-changers in how my kids play, do homework, enjoy their books and get dressed in the morning. 

So today I’m offering you the opportunity to get all these products at an amazing discount! Plus the chance to *WIN* a session with Saskia to help you get going on that messy playroom or kids bedroom! 

Here’s what we are offering: 

1.  A 20% off the beautiful book storage stand from Simply Child – Simply use the code themomdiairies at checkout and you will only pay R1264 rather than their normal price of R1580!! Save R316!
2. A 15% off the incredible Aiden desk from Roca Kids Furniture. Simply use the code 15offaiden at check out and you will only pay R2975 rather than their normal price of R3500. That’s a R525 saving!!
3. An automatic 15% off the Classic bunk beds at checkout from Nest designs! (And anything over the value of R7500 on their website!) This means that you will only pay R7225 rather than R8500. You will SAVE     R1275! (There are plenty of other gorgeous bunks to choose from with appropriate discounts applied!)
4. A FREE two hour session with Saskia From Simply Sorted. She will come in and help you get started by sorting through your playroom/bedroom and help implement a system that will see your child’s space utilised better. (*Please note you will have to live in Cape Town to benefit from this service/what’s on offer)

To qualify for the discount code and be put in the draw to win a session with Saskia please ensure you have completed these easy steps: 

1.  Show these incredible brands some love on Facebook – Simply Child , Roca Kids Furniture, Simply Sorted and Nest Designs.
2. Like and share the post of Facebook and tag two mom friends in the comments on Facebook!

*Please note the discount codes are open to everyone for the duration of the promotion. A random draw will select our winner of the *free* session with Simply Sorted. 

TERMS AND CONDITIONS 

• Winner need to follow all required steps in order to qualify for the prize.
• Winner will be chosen via random.org and my decision is final.
• Prize CANNOT be sold or redeemed for cash.
• Promotion will run until Friday 15 June and is open to all readers. Winner of the Simply Sorted session will be announced shortly after.
• Simply Sorted is a cape Town based business and therefore the winner of the session will need to reside in Cape Town.
• The Mom Diaries and brands represented in this post, accept no responsibility for damages and issues of any kind whatsoever pertaining to this promotion/post

Look at the amazing special Nest Designs is running …….

GOOD LUCK!!! ♥♥

Hi I’m Leigh! Did you enjoy reading this post? I really hope so and would love you to stick around a little longer! Please feel free to browse my blog for other articles or to keep up with all the latest news and to be the first to hear about some great competitions, come and find me me on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. You can also email me directly at leeloobaggins@hotmail.com or simply subscribe below and never worry about missing out!