I’ve lived in my new small town for about 9 months but only recently had the opportunity to visit the Ikea that is just 2 hours away. My girlfriend and I went into the city a couple of weeks ago and got to enjoy a number of unhurried hours there just checking things out. I didn’t buy very much because well something MUST BE SERIOUSLY WRONG WITH ME! 🙂 I thoroughly enjoyed the eye candy though let me tell you and had fun taking all sorts of pictures that is for sure. I only wish I had also remembered to take a nerdy video of how excited I was. Like a kid in a candy shop as they say!
One of the things I did buy and have been eyeing up for awhile (I kept seeing them all over blogland) is the oh so cute white bucket type holders. They probably have a proper name, but white bucket type holders has such a nice ring to it, don’t you think? 🙂 I like to keep my desk as bare as possible so I needed some space to store some stuff to keep it off my desk. Look how fun:
I put them up just under the window right beside my desk. One holds my pens and scissors and the other my Flip camera. Then in the middle on a S hook is where I keep my handy dandy clipboard. I really do love it!!
While there I wanted to get some ideas for our garage which is indeed a wreck in need of a massive makeover. The budget however is not massive to match so Ikea seems like an excellent option for some inexpensive solutions.
For instance, I really liked these wood shelves for $24.99:
And I thought the add on baskets were adorable perfect for smaller items and maximizing the shelving unit to it’s fullest. Only $3.99 each:
And clear bins of course are always a good idea so you can see exactly what you are storing:
I took a picture of their picture with it all pulled together:
I liked these shelves below for the garage as well. They are the same price as the one above but they are metal rather than wood so might be a little more resilient, not sure.
Hubby will get the final say since well it’s his space after all 🙂 Hopefully it won’t take us all summer to do it!
Have any of you used either of those shelves in your garage? What do you think of them?
I got so many more household storage solutions and ideas to share with you. So be sure to come on back tomorrow for Part Two of this Ikea picture show.
Melisa says
Oh, don’t tempt me with your ikea photos! I’ve been seeing those Asker containers too. I wanted a few but they don’t sell them on the website and we don’t have an ikea in our entire state. How primitive is that?
Kristin says
Ahh, I wish I had an IKEA near me! I have been struggling with what to do with our utility room in the basement, and some of those shelves look awesome! Way better than the metal ones from Lowe’s we have TRIED but failed more than once to put together in our garage…
Jenn L @ Peas and Crayons says
I love those ikea asker containers! <3 I have a bunch and cant wait to decorate and organize with them! <3
Rache says
we have the wooden ones in our garage and pantry, and my parents have a wall of them in their garage/utility room over the washer. I like how they are adaptable and you can make a wider wall of them with just a few extra shelves and another pair of uprights. we have moved twice and they have been taken down and redone each time and are still in great condition. the only issue with the wood being out in the garage is if there is a chance of flooding they could be damaged, but they do have little platic shoes/feet to go on the bottom of the legs that would protect them, and save your flooring from damage from the raw edges if used indoors.
Tracey says
We also have several Gorm shelves in our garage. They’ve been through two floods – 3 feet and 6 feet deep O_o – and have survived unswollen. 🙂 Though if the bottoms aren’t dried, such that they’re sitting on damp for a long time, that could be nasty.
Mary says
Ikea should pay you for this, because I just added most of these things to my shopping list! We are building a new house and I want to get some of these organization things right from the start. Thanks!
Kate says
I actually have the gorm in my house because I wanted sturdy shelves that can hold a lot of weight for a good price. I have a tall one being used as a book shelf, and then bought some of the extensions and some extra shelves to make a shoe rack. Both are painted so that they look a bit more like they belong in the house rather than the garage. We sit on the shoe rack regularly while putting on our shoes – it’s quite strong.
Frugal Living says
I think that these things definitely help keep your garage more organized
IkeaQueen says
Go the Gorm! Much more adaptable. You can adjust the shelving to any height and they are really sturdy – we had one in our boys room for a while before getting an Expedit to replace it.
A little off topic but – the metal ones are used SO much at markets here for display shelving.
Kailey says
We have the shelves on the last picture, they are sturdy but we found they can easily get jarred back and forth from the sides; not so great if you have anything expensive on them. Would be best to lean those shelves against something to keep any rocking to a minimum. 🙂 Otherwise we love them.
Becky@Organizing Made Fun says
Ikea IS wonderful! I live just three and a half blocks away!!! I just love so many of their inexpensive organizing things, too! You really have to get there again soon!
Becky B.
http://www.organizingmadefun.com
Organizing Made Fun
Jutta@Organized Living Solutions says
I just love these adorable 🙂 baskets! Ikea is one of the things I miss most living in Africa. Although we do have a lot of cheapish hand-made baskets on sale in the streets here… Still, everytime I visit my parents (and Ikea) I have to pay for excess luggage on the way back
Bekki says
LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, the Gorm shelving. It is so easy to work with and very sturdy. I currently have it in my basement for pantry and decorative storage. I have never worried about my canned good falling off the shelves, even when my children bump into it.
http://littleredhen4.blogspot.com/search/label/organizing
Lisa Walters says
I’m curious as to what kind of rack you used to hang the white baskets on — it fits so close to the wall. that’s great! is it some kind of curtain rod?
Laura says
Yes it’s a curtain rod. I just needed something small and was happy to find one small enough and it was only like $5.00 or something like that. Whoot!
April says
I love clear tubs because you know what is in them. My problem is finding tubs or totes that actually can fit on the shelves or shelves that will fit more than one tote on a shelf. I love your little white holder thingys.
Erin says
I have the metal one. i use it in my laundry room for the stain remover, detergent, mesh bags , etc… It has held up well for almost two years!
Isabel says
I LOVE Ikea! I was just there on Monday buying my daughter a new HUGE desk. I didn’t see the bucket holders that you put up. I’m trying to mount several holders to her wall so her desk does not become as cluttered as mine. I ended up finding several wall organizers at greatusefulstuff.com that can hold paper, pens AND (I love this) has a power strip for you to plug in your devices!
Laura says
Oh that sounds terrific!
Debar says
Good for you that you were able to find the Asker containers. They discontinued them so not all stores sell them, and the store near my house does not….grrr….the one by my parents does so hopefully I can convince my mom to make an Ikea trip next time I visit.
Kris says
Great ideas but you’re missing one of the most important organizational items for a garage…a 30 gallon trash can. Seriously and maybe more than one! The other day I got spent about 15 minutes looking through the garage and filled a 30 gallon trash can.
Laura says
Isn’t that the truth!
Chocoholic says
I didn’t have IKEA ones, but I used to have similar wooden shelves in my craft space. I found that with the wide pieces of wood on the front/back instead of the sides, the ends of the shelf were not very accessible, and a lot of shelf space was wasted. It might be different with containers, but that was my frustration with them. Good luck with your project!
Sue from Livin In Duckville says
So jealous….. *sigh*….. some day I’ll get to visit an Ikea store & drool too….. In the mean time, I’ll work with what we have….. Walmart, Big Lots & Dollar Stores…… Our storage shed is getting a big makeover this summer…. I’m planning on a Yard Sale….. and have been gathering & gathering & gathering & decluttering and storing them in there…. Once the boxes & piles are gone we’ll be able to organize tons more….. I know that it will be alot of work…. King T said that once we have this one yard sale I don’t ever have to do one again…. Our dilemma was if we’d get more for itemizing & donating or selling directly…. Our tax-lady said sell directly since we only do the short form & we e-file our taxes…. But after this yard sale…… all other decluttered stuff will go directly to goodwill…. no stopping at the shed before passing GOod-bye…… lol
Dodie says
I have GORM shelves in my basement for kids’ toy storage. They’re also fully adjustable, so you can change the shelf height, however you need. Not sure if the metal ones do that.
Kristina Carter says
We actually use the metal shelf from IKEA in our garage as a shoe holder right near the door leading into the house. We love it!