Kids’ Learning Center Reveal

I am so excited to reveal our Kids’ Learning Center as “Part 1” of my Basement Office/Kids’ Learning Center/Craft Station Makeover.  As some of  you may recall, the gals at 11 Magnolia Lane listed out our 2012 Home Goals earlier this year and I am thrilled to mark this off the list.   I guess I cannot mark it completely off my list, at I am still working through the details on My Office (Part 2) and the Craft Station (Part 3) but that just gives us something to look forward to :).  We really have come so far, check out what our basement used to look like (you can see more here).

My husband and I couldn’t be happier with how the built-in desks and shelving turned out.  Our contractor went above and beyond our expectations with the fancy sliding drawers that even close on their own.  What a treat to have such quiet (and distraction-free) cabinetry.

Both of our children have their own desk space for homework and projects.  I personalized their space with their initials, photos and artwork.  I love using their art to decorate my home.  I think it is so important for kids to see their creative works on display, plus it  adds some much needed color in this particular space.

We were on a serious budget with our remodel as we have two other expensive projects that we are trying to finalize prior to 2013 (check out our 2012 goals here).  One of the main reasons we decided to do open shelving was to save money, with the hope of upgrading to cabinets next year.  I have to say, I LOVE the open shelving and I cannot imagine changing them out now.  These were custom-made by our contractor and I adore the style and design.

My hubby’s main concern with open shelving was organization and clutter, which I can understand.  It is hard to keep open shelving looking tidy without the proper storage containers and bins.   I had to be very budget conscious with the project, so IKEA was my first stop, and I was lucky enough to have Amy shopping by my side for all my decorating dilemmas 🙂

The chairs and the storage boxes are all from IKEA.  I am loving the chairs, even though it is not the dreamy designer chair I initially wanted.  These are functional, adjustable, reasonably priced at $39 per chair, and simply perfect for our space.  The storage boxes are also reasonable in cost, but they do take a bit of time to assemble.  Once I figured out the instructions, it went pretty quickly.  I love the black and white color scheme and IKEA really had lot of storage pieces to choose from.  The black boxes are my favorite as they are heavy duty and have a fabric-like texture.  I definitely feel so organized and tidy in our new space, which gives me such peace of mind.

I loved the idea of having a message board for each station so I found these great pieces of art from the local Salvation Army.  I simply covered up the shoe & purse design with chalkboard paint and I love the final result–especially the green chalk initial.   I ended up loving the black and white newspaper border and decided to keep as I thought it made the overall design more interesting.

Here is the final product…

This is my favorite picture because my boys really love their new learning center.  My youngest is heading to kindergarten next year, which is breaking my heart, but look at him work–I think he will be ready, don’t you?

     Lastly, I want to thank everyone for your sweet comments about my son’s 7th camping themed birthday celebration.