The recent ‘Joy of Storage‘ weekend at IKEA stores up and down the country proved to be a great success!
As part of the IKEA Ideals Festival, which is an event that takes place several times a year, I went along to IKEA Manchester on Sunday 21st February for the ‘Art of Tidying’ workshop, presented by professional organiser, Amanda Manson of Orderly Office and Home.
Attendees gathered before the store opened for the pre-bookable workshop in one of the IKEA living room roomsets which felt really nice and informal!
Amanda, assisted by knowledgeable IKEA co-workers, started by talking about some of the ways we can all get better organised in our living areas. She advised setting a goal – what did we want to achieve? For example, somewhere to sit and relax, without the distraction of clutter. Or to feel able to invite a friend over, perhaps.
Amanda passed round some of her favourite storage baskets and containers and talked about how she uses them. Presenting in front of IKEA’s popular modular BESTA system, we learned how extremely versatile it is and that it can be configured in many ways to suit the size and shape of your room. It is certainly a great way to keep belongings concealed behind those smart doors.
But sometimes we want to display our things and Amanda had some good suggestions. One member of the workshop, for example, had a treasured record collection in the attic, but no record player to play them on. However, she didn’t want to part with them, so Amanda recommended framing her favourites LPs. Another good idea was to rotate treasured items, so always keeping some out on display. It is important to focus on keeping and displaying the things that bring us joy.
We then headed towards the bedroom furniture department next and gathered around a modular PAX wardrobe.
Amanda swears by the SKUBB pack of six soft sided containers that are just £6 from IKEA – I made sure I bought a set before going home. I’m using them in my bedroom now to keep my socks, tights and underwear drawer tidy!
Amanda showed us how to neatly fold and stack t-shirts and jeans upright, almost like a filing system, which saves an amazing amount of space – plus the advantage is that you can see exactly which top or pair of jeans you want to pull out and wear. For scarf lovers like me, the KOMPLEMENT multi-use hanger is an ideal storage solution.
I loved the PAX system and hadn’t really taken a close look at it before. The versatility is amazing; you can create a virtually bespoke solution to suit your home. As more people are starting to have dressing rooms or areas these days, there is an option to go door-less and have your things on show, for easy access. I loved the clear drawer fronts and the ingenious trouser rail that pulls out and can store 20 pairs! 
There were other activities going on around the store including a magic show and a crafting area for the youngsters. Amanda gave some further mini-workshops throughout the day and it was all great fun and informative too. I definitely feel more inspired to tackle our clutter spots at home now!
You can see the highlights of the workshop and be inspired by the #joyofstorage event here.
Make sure you also keep an eye out for future IKEA events to pop along to!
