LAB Work: Evan

Work Budget:  $300
Total cost?  $265
Location:  Brea, CA  

Evan...is our 3.5 year old nephew.
Both his parents are busy, busy, busy lawyers.

They have recently moved into a beautiful new 4 bedroom home.
They have also recently enrolled Evan in a full time Montessori Academy.
This is alot of change for a little guy...

HapaLab was asked to come carve out some "E" space in their new house.
They wanted Evan to feel at home and to feel self-reliant and confident with his growing abilities and expanding skill sets.
HapaLab had just the perfect ideas to help Evan.

We started in his room...

This is where Evan spends alot of time when at home.
We divided his spacious room into 4 basic working areas:
1)  Entry Foyer
2)  Reading Corner
3)  Bed & Rest Area
4)  Play Zone

Evan's Entry Foyer

Never forget an Entry FOYER...
This is a very important feature for a child.
Having a place for bags and hats is functional AND educational.
They'll know where their things go/are so it's less "pick up" for you!
We also added the clock above to help him tell time and to keep him on track for different tasks...
Spent:  $0 (re-used existing items)

Reading Corner!

Kids love books...and love BOOK NOOKS!
We set up a comfy chair for a grown-up to read to Evan, some forward facing book BASKETS on shelves close by, a cozy lamp, and a small reading desk for when he's on his own.
Spent:  $0 (re-used existing items) 

Bed & Rest Area

A comfy bed & rest area is essential in a bedroom!  We added some fun and colorful "Vehicle" bedding as that's an E-Love!  Also, as this is a Trundle bed, we added 4 industrial casters to his bedside Bookcase so we can easily wheel it away when a friend (or mommy) is staying over.  His favorite animals are close by, as well as a "keep it all neat" white trash can, neatly tucked away, yet very accessible.
Spent:  $100 (Bookcase $40, Baskets $15, Casters $30, Bedding $15)

The Play Zone:  Welcome!

And last, his PLAY ZONE!
This is a high "traffic" area and is one that required the most consideration with storage.  As Evan has alot of different toys, it was nice to use this "Cubby" bookcase (previously his nursery dresser), and have all his toys sorted neatly.  He now knows where things go when it's clean up time, and knows where to find toys that he is interested in.  The new play rug helps identify where the Play Zone is visually and creates a nice "anchor" for this corner of the room.
Spent:  $20 (Play Rug)

The LAB Work continued into the new home's common spaces.

We wanted the same accessibility throughout the rest of his grand home.

Evan's Work Area...

Wanting to support the Montessori methods presented in Evan's school, a dedicated "Work Area" was started in the Kitchen & Dining Area.  We shortened this original espresso breakfast set to accommodate Evan's little work bench.  We also bought 2 kid chairs and 2 kid stools that can double as adult "helper chairs" when working on crafts.  For visual uniformity, we are planning to stain the natural wood legs to match the espresso finish on the grown-up dining set.  You can see the new art cabinet beyond the tables.
Spent:  $110 (Table $50, Chairs $40, Stools $20) 

New Art Cabinet!

Here it is...
Evan's new ART Cabinet!
Evan has such a wonderful work area now, we wanted him to have full access to project supplies that strike his fancy...
Using the excess kitchen cabinets nearest the work bench, we created a storage for art supplies. 
Paints, glues, markers, crayons, papers of all sorts...go at it Evan!
Spent:  $25 (Supplies) 

Self-Serve Dishes & CLEAN Bucket

As you know, HapaLab is HUGE into Self-Serve Dishes and place settings!
So what is a LAB Transformation without this?
TA-DA!
4 of each:  Plates, bowls, glasses, chopsticks, knives, spoons, and forks.
This was strategically placed in the lower cabinet closest to the Dishwasher.  This is so Evan can easily help empty the clean dishes back to their storage places.
Also present:  a pitcher, tray, and stack of paper napkins.
Most importantly, a "CLEAN BUCKET".
Dust pan & broom, sponge, spray bottle, and a rag.
Spent:  $10 (Supplies) 

Extra Toy Storage

Ok, we couldn't help ourselves...
There were just too many open cabinets to pass up in this fabulous kitchen!
So for kicks, here is an extra TOY storage we added to gather the loose toys left in the general family room area.  Bucket of Play-Doh, of course!

Area "In Use"...

As you can see, Evan is already starting to enjoy his work bench...

A Thomas book, a plate of snacks, a few drink cups, and a tray of markers.  

He's right at HOME...which is just what we wanted:)

A First HapaLab Transformation...Done.