Operation Reverse Pandora: Phase One

Phase One = Living Room

No, sorry, this is just the plan. You have to wait until next week for the finished (really hope so, anyway) product.

In case you’re wondering what the dickens* I’m talking about, you can read about my crazy storage-sorting mission here.

I have now worked out what I’m going to do with the living room and have ordered all (well, most of) the bits and pieces I need to do so. I have measured, re-measured (they should really make measuring tapes with just centimetres on – it would be much less confusing), sketched rough plans…

…thought, thought again, decided and then changed my mind (when I discovered that the Ikea units I had decided would solve everything – yes, probably including world poverty – were not available to buy online**) and finally come up with something which should work and actually will, I think, look a lot nicer than the Ikea units I originally wanted.

I have ordered the wood (from the local builder’s merchant) and brackets (from Screwfix Direct) to put the shelves up in the far corner and on the far wall.

The armchair will be pulled out, to go back to its previous position (where it used to be in prime position for Rosemary to watch the now banished TV) and the new Tidy Books bookcase, which the people from Tidy Books sent me as a gift after the previous Operation Reverse Pandora post will go in that corner***, possibly along with the easel, which really does need a home that’s not just the middle of the room. That’s mostly what’s happening in that corner, though obviously things will go on the shelves – my dad’s old hifi, finally, for example, and hopefully a few boxes of books will be able to get unpacked.

The most problematic corner, though, is that toy storage corner, which I’d like to show you isn’t always as bad as it looked in the picture in the last post. Honest, gov.

However, it still doesn’t function as it should, as was evidenced yesterday when a friend of Rosemary’s came to play and I was trying to get out the cars (because Rosemary said he likes to play with the cars a lot at school). They were in a box at the very bottom of the last pile I looked in and it was like something from the Krypton Factor trying to get it out.

So, what have I gone for? I’ve actually gone for a mixture of different storage items, rather than just two lots of Ikea units, and I’ve gone for some really very nice-looking stuff from Vertbaudet – I had no idea they did furniture as well as (gorgeous) clothes****.

First of all, a cupboard to go in the bay window – hopefully high enough for the dog not to break the window every time the postman comes to the door and into which will (probably – I reserve the right to completely change my mind about what goes where) go some of the larger items like the Happyland house and barn and some of Eleanor’s shape sorter type things.

Next, a cube unit to go under the shelves (though the unit itself is not in stock, so it will just be the boxes in it at first) into which will go animals, cars and Happyland people (maybe).

A chest to go at the end of the sofa (or possibly under the shelves, if I’ve got my calculations wrong, which wouldn’t be hugely surprising) and into which will go the soft toys and other big dolls and animals that survive the big cull.

A rather funky (I think) shelf on wheels that’s going to go at the end of the sofa (well, more at the end of the footstool – you’ll see) and is going to contain things like the toy laptops, magnetic drawing board and other largish items that never find a proper place.

A taller cube unit, that’s going to go next to the bay window, where there’s currently an overflowing magazine box (it’s a tall unit so has to be fixed to the wall) and which will house other bits from one of the many boxes (I’m thinking the cooking and food stuff, but might change my mind).

A hat stand, which is hopefully going to harbour most of the dressing-up clothes and will be kind of at the side of the bay window and a bit in front of the shelves.

Some brilliantly-thought-out storage stools which will contain something or other (OK, I’m getting tired, but there will definitely be something to go in them!).

And some nice basket storage cubes, which will go wherever there’s any space left (or somewhere else in the house if there isn’t!).

OK, yes, I got a little bit vague towards the end there, but I have thought it out well. Really, I have. And if it turns out I haven’t that will be part of the learning curve for the rest of Operation Reverse Pandora – and we’ll be able to make use of any items that won’t go in the living room elsewhere in the house. But what am I talking about? It will work. It really will.

And I’ve booked Friday and Monday off (and will hopefully be able to keep them free), so that I can put up all the shelves, build all the self-assembly furniture and put everything into/onto/under/behind their new homes ready to show you on Monday evening. (Or a couple of days later, if I find I’ve forgotten how much bloody hard work sawing and sanding wood and working out flat-pack instructions are.)

EDIT ON 3 FEBRUARY 2011: The bits from Vertbaudet won’t be arriving for probably a fortnight, because Barclays thought someone must have stolen my debit card and was having a splurge, so refused the payment. Also, I hadn’t checked how long delivery takes and it’s a fair while because it has to come all the way France. I’ll be doing the book corner this weekend, but the toy corner will have to wait until the end of February.

So, what do you think? Look OK? Completely overdone it? Do you want to go and spend a small fortune in Vertbaudet, too?

* Sorry, we’re trying to get Rosemary to cut down on saying ‘What the hell’ and have been suggesting alternatives – do feel free to add some of your own, if you have any.

** I asked the people at Ikea about so many things not being available online and they pointed out that most stores will arrange a same/next day delivery service for a reasonable charge. This would be wonderful if we had an Ikea round the corner, but it would take us the best part of a day to get to the nearest one and back by public transport. They also said that they’re planning to increase the number of products available online in Sprint 2011 by around 500, meaning there will then be over 4000 products available online.

*** I was completely blown over by this gesture – and am looking forward to showing you pictures of it next week with the makeover post, and I might even do a full on review post, because I think their bookcases are so brilliant.

**** No, they haven’t sent me anything – I just really like it all.