I have to admit it. LEGOs make me crazy. Well, LEGOs themselves don’t make me crazy, but the mess associated with them does. Those of you who have LEGO-crazed children may identify? Or at least you might know what it’s like to step on one of those cute little mini-figures in the middle of the night?
I’m not sure which one hurts most: the pain or the insanity. Oh, how I have racked my brain to come up with a plan for these thousands of LEGOs that litter the floors of our home!
To add to the dilemma, we have a child who is growing into a man. Imagine how ludicrous it looks to have him building LEGOs at a table meant for toddlers. But… we haven’t really known how to approach a bedroom re-design. What if he drops his interest in LEGOs? Or perhaps he really will pursue a career in LEGO design and becomes a genuine Master Builder? In an effort to make a not-so-cute-and-cuddly LEGO room that can grow with him, we opted for a different kind of design.
After I researched and pieced together my ideas (with the help of my fabulous husband!), Stephen ended up with a workshop in his bedroom.
(Now Gary is feeling a bit jealous.)
So, what do we have here? First, two Gladiator Tool Cabinets,* along with a coordinating 8-foot maple workbench and super duper power strip that keeps the LEGOs from sliding behind the workbench.
Inside the cabinets, we have several Sterilite containers to store LEGOs by theme (e.g., Star Wars). Twelve Sterilite Large Clip Box (3.2″ deep) with Blue Aquarium Latches will fit in each cabinet (although there is enough room on each shelf to use a 3.2″ container stacked on top of a deeper 6.2″ container).
Our 11-year-old prefers to sort his LEGOs by theme when he can determine which pieces belong to which sets. When he can’t, we sort them by color with Akro-Mils 30230 Plastic Storage Stacking Hanging Akro Bin, 11-Inch by 5-Inch by 5-Inch, Black, Case of 12, which hangs on two Akro-Mils 30148 48-Inch Steel Rails for Mounting AkroBins.
These are so fantastic! The boys easily lift off the baskets to set on the workbench while they are building a LEGO creation. (And even though it’s just as easy to hang them back up, I can’t say it’s as easy to make it a habit to do so.)
I found these great LEGO blueprint-style posters for a bit of inspiration.
- LEGO POSTER Toy Building Construction Blocks 1961 US Patent Poster Print 18″ x 24″ Chalkboard Reproduction
- LEGO MINIFIGURE Poster Toy Building Construction Blocks 1979 US Patent Poster Print 18″ x 24″ Mini Figure Chalkboard Reproduction
- LEGO MINIFIGURE Poster Toy Building Construction Blocks 1979 Patent Poster Print 18″ x 24″ MiniFig Blackboard Isometric Drawing Reproduction
And a set of metal barstools for sitting at the new LEGO workstation.
He also enjoys his K’nex motorized creations, like this Giant 6′ Double Ferris Wheel he built for the county fair this year. Fortunately, K’nex building supplies are much easier to sort than LEGOs.
The K’nex pieces are set up in his “chest of drawers,” which is a Craftsman tool chest that we bought each of the boys a few years ago instead of investing in regular furniture.
So what does the rest of his room look like?
His formerly ocean-themed room still includes a Titanic that looms over his new study area.
We kept the bunk bed so the boys can still use the top bunk to climb up and fiddle with the model train that circles through their rooms.
Well, maybe it doesn’t look quite like this anymore. But this is what it would look like if he actually cleaned up his room. Evidently, a bedroom redesign doesn’t fix that problem!
Nevertheless… finally, we have a storage solution that works for all of us!
…and the minifigures lived happily ever after.
For reference, here’s what we used in this LEGO room makeover:
List of Items Used
Akro-Mils 30230 Plastic Storage Stacking Hanging Akro Bin, 11-Inch by 5-Inch by 5-Inch, Black, Case of 12
Akro-Mils 30148 48-Inch Steel Rail for Mounting AkroBins, Grey
Gladiator GAGB28FDYG Full Door Gear Box EZ RTA*
Gladiator GAWB08MTZG 8-Feet Adjustable Height Maple Work Bench
Gladiator GAAC68PSXG Powerstrip for 6-Feet or 8-Feet Work Bench
Metal Bar Stools Set of 2 Vintage Antique Style Counter Bar Stool French Black
LEGO POSTER Toy Building Construction Blocks 1961 US Patent Poster Print 18″ x 24″ Legos Gift Chalkboard Reproduction The Lego Movie
LEGO MINIFIGURE Poster Toy Building Construction Blocks 1979 US Patent Poster Print 18″ x 24″ Mini Figure Gift Chalkboard Reproduction The Lego Movie
LEGO MINIFIGURE Poster Toy Building Construction Blocks 1979 Patent Poster Print 18″ x 24″ MiniFig Gift Blackboard Isometric Drawing Reproduction The Lego Movie
*There are two negative reviews for these cabinets on Amazon, but this exact same model is rated highly rated on HomeDepot.com. We encountered no problems during assembly. The cabinets are not flimsy and will hold more than just shop towels (but we have not tested their durability with heavy equipment).
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