LAB Work: Mimi

Work Budget:  As needed
Time:  Some shopping time + 1 Friday afternoon
Location:  Oakland, CA

Want to take a seat?
Boy, I do.
At 9 months pregnant, waddling, formerly known as walking, is a chore.
But taking on a new design project?
Umm...SURE!
It's like a craving, I just can't resist when it comes to a LAB transformation.
This is my last one, I promise to cut back.
(For now.)

It's a small & cozy one...68 SF to be exact.
Mimi is one of Zozo's classmates at their bilingual Montessori school. Recently, her parents noticed that M's toys have somehow slowly migrated to take nest in every nook & cranny of their beautiful Oakland home.
Sound familiar?
"We've GOT to do something about this...".
Mimi's mom has always wished for a useful Montessori inspired home space.  Any skills picked up at school is always best when reinforced at home.
Practice means routine.
Routine means freedom.
Freedom to learn, to do, to create, to expand.
So here we are, the LAB is on hand for some much needed help to bring this migration to a screeching halt.

Welcome to "Mimi's Office"...
Mom & Dad each have home offices, so why not Mimi?
The breakfast nook is currently the "random toy storage", which actually serves as a walk way to the kitchen.  So we say "Bye-bye random junk room...Hello new office!"

Here's a quick LAB sketch to plot out the various functions we want:  A reading nook, Arts & Crafts, Self Care Station, Work Area, Snack Prep, Cleaning Station, and Chalkboard.  The LAB came up with an open circulation plan using a toddler table set as the island anchor.  A short "wall partition" shelving unit creates a walkway to the kitchen while providing some privacy to the nook.  Come, let's take a tour around the office!

The Color Inspiration?
The black & white french toile fabric on the existing built-in bench and roman shades.  This is our take off point in setting the pallet in this room:  black, white, and a sprinkle of sage tea green!













The Reading Nook
This beautiful bay window is the highlight of this book nook (See 1st photo above).  The natural sunlight, the view, the bench - all elements that would lure you into this corner to read, think, chat.
But, it was blocked.
A dollhouse was pushed up against the bench wall, making it inaccessible, and worst...invisible.  This focal point needed to be uncovered.  We removed the dollhouse immediately, added a bold stripe blanket, tossed in a tea green pillow, and set a floor lamp with a whimsical floral embroidery for added lighting.  A bookshelf was placed adjacent to the reading lamp for easy access to a rotating book collection.  The set up is now warm & inviting for reflection and reading, alone or with company.

Arts & Crafts Station
If there's one thing kids do, it's art.  And lots of it.  This is one of Mimi's favorite home activities.  We wanted everything accessible for her to retrieve on her own, and of course, PUT BACK on her own.  Let's not forget, this is a Hapa LAB transformation, work is part of the fun!

Top Shelf:  Paper stash & a wood caddy for holding glue, tape, rulers, stapler....etc.
2nd Shelf:  Galvanized metal buckets hold crayons, markers, pencils, brushes, and scissors.
Bottom Shelf:  soft bins to store stationary, stickers, craft ingredients; we used sage green to bring in the color from the toss pillow.

Self Care (Vanity/Grooming)
The original plan had the Reading & Art shelves butting up next to one another.  But there was a glitch.  A 13" wide air vent in the middle of the wall required a back up plan.  In a Montessori space, it's always good to have a Self Grooming Area.  We placed a vanity mirror and a rod with hanging buckets below to hold sunscreen, hair brushes, hair ties and other sundries.  This will help Mimi get herself ready for the day each morning.





Work Area  
Ever try to work at home but you don't have a dedicated seat or desk?  Very inconvenient to say the least.  We threw in 4 chairs and a generous work surface as we expect playmates and large craft projects.  A fun black & white rug anchors this area visually by highlighting it from the wood floor.  This creates a nice circulation to the room, allowing access to the table from 3 sides, getting any supplies needed, and approaching the reading nook.  We hung a roll of art paper and hooks on the back of the dividing shelf, doubling up the function in this small space.

Partition Wall Storage
Our favorite Ikea shelf is back, the Expedite!  In a jiffy, it created a private partition for the office while housing practical life items and providing supply storage below via woven baskets, a soothing natural touch against the white finish.  We added lockable casters so this piece can easily roll to the counter wall when they need to open up during a party.

Chalkboard
In the distance (above photo), we mounted a chalk tray underneath the bar counter.  For $12, you can get a can of brush on latex chalkboard paint and turn a boring drywall into a writable surface!  A good use for a vertical wall surface that would otherwise be wasted.  What kid wouldn't want to draw on walls if they could, right?


Snack Prep
Mom plans on serving some yummy snacks in this office.  They have a wonderful little "snack clock" that shows Mimi when her next snack time is, and better yet, WHAT she will be having!  I got her a note clipper so Mom can better display what's coming on the snack menu.
In the cubbies below, we placed a H2O dispenser, glasses, mugs, plates, bowls, utensils, and left a shelf for placemats and napkins.  Clear placement of snack supplies will help her set the table as well as guide her in putting away clean dishes.

Cleaning Station
What LAB transformation is complete without a Cleaning Station?  We used a narrow 3tier shelf to hold the trash can, hand broom, wipe clothes, spray bottle, and other supplies.













The Nature Tray
Montessori welcomes natural elements.
We finished up this M-inspired space with a Nature Tray so that Mimi can get creative with the Earth.  It's so lovely to have cut flowers, stones, leaves, twigs, or anything a child may find on a morning walk around the neighborhood.  We used a wooden tray and a small glass vase as the base.  Zozie designed this display on his own using some cuttings from the garden as a surprise for Mimi.  This is a nice topping on the partition wall, welcoming guests into this space.

So this is it!
Our last LAB transformation before our new arrival comes.
Who's crazy enough to do a new design project at 9 months pregnant?
The same one who opened a new Lobby Lounge for a LA hotel 5 days before birthing Zozie.
Seems like a trend for me.
Install a project, birth a child.
Easy enough, right?
I give Beanie 14 days...

LAB Work: Mirror Mirror

Work Budget:  Re-used items $0
Time:  15 mins
Location: Our own washroom

So it all started with this little mirror.
It fell out of it's original frame, just a small 5x7 piece, on it's way to the dumpster.  Watching Z one morning, I I saw him tip-toe-ing on his stepping stool in the bathroom, trying to see himself in our vanity mirror.
Yes!  I found it a new home!

In the gap between the faucet and the bottom of our vanity mirror frame,
Zozie's very own vanity station.

I actually wanted to set something up like this for a while but never saw how I could since our bathroom is so small.  We already switched out the faucet handles to be levers vs. knobs so tiny hands can operate the fixture easier.  Also brought in a ducky soap dispenser to replace the messy soap bar.  One of the suggestions of a Montessori environment is to provide a vanity area for the child to self groom.  Sounds cute, could be practical, but where?

The Station
The answer has always been there, right on the counter.  I cleared a mini floating shelf that I used directly on the sink counter.  Placed 3 glass candle cups above, and filled them with various sundries for Zo:  Brushes, combs, lotion, floss, band-aides & Boo-boo cream.  Below it housed 4 small wash clothes for post-wash hand drying.  Everything is within reach for self service.









The Teeth Cup
Right in front of the Station is the Teeth Cup.  A double handles rinse cup with tooth brush and tooth paste inside.  I started to get travel sized toothpaste for Zozie so he could open/close his own tube and dispense freely.

The Stepping Stool
If you haven't already, this is a must in every toddler's bathroom.  A little boost goes a LONG way in self confidence and independence.

The Night Light
We added a Dino night light for night time potty-tunities.  Nothing worst than being woken up to take a toddler potty because they can't see where they are going!












So, in the end, we got a mini makeover in our mini bathroom after all.  Sometimes it just takes a small spark (or a small broken mirror) to get things going.  It's nothing glamorous, and far from fancy, but it works.  Zozie is very happy with his new vanity mirror and station, and mama is ecstatic that she doesn't have to help wipe the toothpaste bubbles from Zo's mouth anymore!  He can see his own messy face now (and fix it)!

LAB Work: Wanna take this OUTSIDE?

Work Budget:  Pocket Change + Free stuff

Time:  2 Short Afternoons

Location:  Our own carport, CA

Finally...A play yard for Zozie!
One man's trash is another's treasure.
Our front neighbors have moved to a new home and left us their play slide as a parting gift.  This wonderful gift has "domino'd" into our latest transformation, this time, outdoors!

Our apartment unit is on top of our carport, a small abode of around 700-ish sq ft.  We have no yard.  Never had.  Wished we had.  So I'm always scheming to get a yard, or a "yardish" feeling around our carport area.
Yes, yardish. 

Before:  A place for our trash cans...and some oil stains.

After:  "My garden park!" ~ Zozie.

Centerpiece
Often times, there's a "spark" to start a transformation.  Something that gets the momentum going.  To squeeze the most out of the 6x6 space outside, I placed the new-old slide as the focal point.  This was the start of our play yard space planning, placing everything around this centerpiece for circulation.  Some foam mats line the floor to give alittle cushion from the scratchy floor.

Seating
If you actually want people to be in a particular space, you need seating.  Nothing pulls people in to a space faster than putting some chairs out.  It's really true.  You should try it.  Just put a chair anywhere, make it a couple, and people will start hanging out there.  So since I wanted the kids to hang out in this play yard, I placed a set of table and 2 chairs next to the slide.  (Garage Sale finds:  $15) Threw in a discounted umbrella from Target to shade and identify the dining area.  And now, we dine Al Fresco @ Zo's Cafe multiple times a week.  Also a perfect "snack buffet" zone when we have playdates.

Garden
For as much as I daydream, this is still a concrete driveway nook.  But green space was on the top of my list for Zozo's home classroom, so flower boxes were in order.  I found some old ones in the shed and planted some herbs and flowers.  Zo & I also potted a red bell pepper plant and a cherry tomato plant.  It's been nice for Zo to have something to water and watch grow.  Our small container garden also acts as a "partition" wall, bringing some green into the playspace.  An old fireplace screen (leftover from our Annual Yard Sale) keeps the plants separated from flying balls!


Storage Bucket
As in our Homeschool Classroom, storage is needed and essential.  Nothing makes a space more confusing than not having a place to return things to.  We used a city recycling bin as a "Catch All" for balls, gloves, bats, roller skates, and all loose toys.

Private Pool
For the summer only, we set up an inflatable kiddie pool for some splashy fun.  This is in our extended concrete area outside our laundry room downstairs.  Glad the kids love this Dino Falls Splash Pool (Again from Target post-summer sale) since I nearly passed out from exhaustion manually blowing this contraption up.  (Cough!)

It's such a blessing to have an extended play space now.  We are proud to say we have our own outdoor play yard, a fun extension to our indoor home classroom.  So ya wanna take this outside too?

LAB Work: Madison

Work Budget:  $300 ish
Total Time:  3.5hrs + a trip to Ikea
Location:  Albany, CA   

Just shy of 3, Maddie is without a doubt, one of the "dolliest" of Zozie's friends.  
Yes, she literally looks like a Japanese animation doll.  Like the one on her shirt.  
Or "Boo" from Monsters Inc... but even cuter.

Maddie has a Beautiful & Cozy Home.  
The front living & dining room space is smaller, like Maddie herself, but just as sweet and full of potential!  We are determined to carve out a dedicated play/work space for Maddie.  Tight spaces really gets the LAB going...there's ALWAYS room for a kid's area, even when there's no room, we make our own!

The Before
Previously, Maddie's play area was fun but limited to the space between the living room sofa set and the dining room table.  Let's see about expanding this alittle to give more function to this multipurpose front room.

The Transformation
We started by shifting the dining buffet off the wall.  
By placing it in the center of the space, it acts as a room divider for the new dining area and Maddie's new playroom.  Since the dining set is typically a traffic "island", people approach dining seating from all sides, the set did not need to be against a wall.  This made it a perfect candidate to "float" in the front room.  The accent mirror moved over to the new dining space, setting the new identity with the buffet as the backdrop.  One of the existing downlights is now about center over the dining table, which could be an easy conversion to a new pendant light later if wanted, further marking the dining area.

The After
So what did we do to Maddie's space?
Shifting the buffet off the wall opened up a whole new Montessori-Inspired Corner in this compact front room.  We set up a toddler sized table and chair set and moved the existing chalk board into the play space for her use.  A new lamp illuminates this new area.  A basket now holds her guitar and a work mat.

 
The Food Station
It was important for Maddie's mom that she have the opportunity to practice her practical life skills at mealtimes.  Three small glasses hold the various cutlery utensils, good for gather at meal times and sorting after dishes are done.  Large & small plates sit on top for easy access.  Freebie wooden wine crates were used to help separate the various dishwares.

The Drink Station
How many times does your toddler ask you to get them a drink?  Giving them the chance to help themselves, helps the parent out, and well, helps themselves!  Very empowering, this pint-size pitcher with lid is perfect for small hands.  Pair that with some Ikea glassware and you're good to go!  At only 3 for $1, no worries if there's a casualty or two along the way...

The Clean Station
Every LAB transformation has to have a Cleaning Area. 
A simple dust pan and broom.  A simple metal flower pot converted to trash can.  Both tug nicely into another freebie wooden wine crate. Kids are naturals at making messes.  They also, unexpectedly, like to clean them up!  We just don't give them as much opportunity to do so.  Just like riding a bike, the more practice, the better!  With a broom readily accessible and a trash can in plain sight, this simple life habit can be easily learned and practiced.  And trust me, this is one habit that WILL reward them over and over again into adulthood...

The Storage
We added a new 2 x 2 cubbie bookcase with 2 wicker baskets.  The cubbies provided display space for new activities and games while the baskets conceal old or new supplies for mommy.  A 3 shelf standard bookcase was also added to provide more display space for larger items.

In Action
You know a space "works" not just because it looks cute, but if your child goes right to it.  Although looking cute is a welcomed bonus, the real test of the space flowing well is that it is a "teacher itself."  Things should look obvious & logical to a toddler so it is self-explanatory:  a road map as to how thing work.  In our LAB experiment, both Mad & Zo were both immediately curious about the new space and gravitated towards the various tools and setups.  The playroom offers 2 work surfaces, one at the table, one on the floor with a work mat.

Stamping at the new table.

Apple Sorting.

Threading on the work mat.

New playroom in full swing.

Maddie's mom continues to add to this set up...the newest addition being a metal magnetic board for the back of the buffet!  Wonderful use of space mama!  Thanks for letting HapaLAB participate in this newest transformation.

LAB Work: The Vaiseys

Today I give you....Rebekah. 

I have a plethora of sisters-in-law.  

Each extremely beautiful and brilliantly vibrant.
But none more spectacularly colorful as the ever-refreshing Rebekah. 

A fine girl with a fine mind...she's a wife, mother, girlfriend, and blogger in her own right....never ceasing to bring the Sunshine, even on the gloomiest of days... my own or hers.

When I started the LAB, I wasn't sure where I was headed with this whole thing.  I knew my old career well, but was charting into new territory as a SAHM.  People would ask me questions about Zo's space, our home classroom set up, our daily routines, and on my thoughts regarding walking away from a "glamorous" (not really) design career just to do house chores all day.  I needed an outlet.  

"HapaLab:  Changing the world, one cabinet at a time..." ~ Bekah. 

And with that quote, she kept me going.

It's not a matter of actually changing the world, but the feeling of being valuable, to oneself.  Exactly who you are, where you are, and nothing more. 

Ah life.  It's all really silly anyways, why not just laugh along the way?

Bek always has a way of squeezing that laugh out of you.

Belly busting gut laughs.  Gut.  Laughs.
Today is Bekah's birthday.
So on her special day, here's a HapaLAB Transformation from the vault!
A labor of love, on last Labor Day.

Work Budget:  As little as possible

Total Cost:  Some muscle & hustle

Location:  Berkeley, CA

This is a most beautiful and busy family of SIX.
It's tough getting them all to look at the camera at the same time let alone much else some days.

Needless to say, anything that would lessen Bek's daily TO DO list is MOST welcomed.  Some serious structure to her toddler room was in order, as much as can be expected in a busy young household.  The "Littles" are 3 and 5 years old.  This is always a challenge...a shared mix gender toddler bedroom.  These two active kids...live hard and play hard.  Bring it on.

HapaLab is willing to take on the challenge.

This bedroom has 3 hats to wear:

1)  Dressing Nook

2)  Play Zone

3)  Bed & Rest Area

The Dressing Nook

Let's face it, these open face bins don't work too well for sorting toys.  They just get junked up, more of an eye sore than an organizer.  Since the kids needed "dressers", these existing bins were a nice option.

We went one step further and label-maker'd (is that a word?) each bin to note what type of clothing went inside.  If you are new to label makers, they are one of the top "Must Haves" in organizing a home.  No pen or paper needed, just type it, print it, stick it.

The open top nature of these dressers allowed the kids to sort their own clean laundry and help themselves get dressed each day. Yes.  It DOES say "SOFT Skorts" and "CRUNCHY Skorts."  Again, kids and dad can help sort the clean laundry.

The Play Zone
Baskets and cubbies, the perfect pairing.  A good initial pass on the books helped to remove any extras that they've outgrown.  This loosened up the bookcases and allowed the remaining toys to be separated and displayed for more frequent use.

The Bed & Rest Area
Having bunk beds really open up this shared room for playing during the day.  A couple of cushions on the floor under the window provides a good reading area for the kids.  A cute train track rug to anchor the play area, dress ups stored below the bed in bins, a laundry basket in the corner, and the room is finished.

 

After the "Bigs" visited the NEW "Littles" space...we overhear this:

"Awww...their room feels SO nice, why can't our room be nice like that too?"

Now why do you have to go and do that? 
Ok fine. 
We'll do the "Bigs" room too. 
Just a quick face lift.

This was a trickier space.
Small room, two older kids, boy & girl shared, and a reptile named Felix.
Bek did fabulously on her color pallet for the room!  Brick red, apple green, dusty blue, and accents of white.  Perfectly fun and gender neutral.  She had turned bedding into curtains by simply clipping them up onto drapery rings.  She then took the shams from the matched set and placed them on each bed to tie in the red to the beds.  The dresser did it's thing in the same apple green and Bek refreshed some cork boards in the dust blue to match.  Bunk beds, again, saved the day in this room.

Most of this room was done already, so what did HapaLab do?
Space planning...or simply, pushed furniture around.

The beds started out on the door wall, leaving the room feeling cluttered and cramped.  The Lab broke the usual rules by pushing the beds up AGAINST the open window.  A typical "No-no" in design.  Then another fault....butting the tall dresser against the window.  Two strikes....in the right direction.

There was SO little space in this bedroom that the heavy casegood sat nicer in the far corner, despite it being infront of the window.  The partial drapery overhang served as a nice "headboard" visual.  Then the apple green dresser was a nice focal point to the room, serving surprisingly well as a near bedside table for the upper bunk.  The sheer scale in height of the bunk beds made the dresser fit in that spot.  This also cleared the walls for two other bookcases which were desperately needed to house all the different books and nick-knacks.  Kids have nick-knacks.  Big time.

So here's to Rebekah...a birthday wish.
May you always find that strength in life to push awkward pieces of furniture against windows...even when it looks utterly wrong, with everyone telling you so, that you know it  feels just perfectly right.

LAB Work: Zo's Closet

Budget:  $0  (All existing items)
Time:  One lazy Sunday.
Presentation:  Hanging Clothes (see below)

 So you got Zo's bedroom tour...Now lets go into his CLOSET.
TRUE Homeschooling...Using home-life to teach life skills.

 2 Words.
LOW.  ROD.

Nothing Fancy.
Just 2 lower hanging rods, JUST PERFECT.

Our apartment closet came with 2 lower bars on either end.   I didn't notice these before.  A standard wood shelf sits on top.  Then the regular hanging rod extends the length of the closet.  The 2 lower rods gave us the kick start to this short HapaLAB transformation.   
It was as if the closet knew the Montessori Method.  
Everything at a child's level.
Zo can now hang his own clothes, and pick out what he wanted to wear.
Alternative:  Use a suspension shower rod for the same effect, bring the rod down to the child's level.   Around 37" A.F.F. (Above Finished Floor).

hummm...what to wear...

Got it.

 

His Dresser.
The white metal-framed fabric drawers (Ikea) housed his folded clothing:
From Top to Bottom:
1)  Shorts/Swim Wear
2)  Pajamas
3)  Undershirts
4)  Underwears/Night Diapers
5)  Socks, belts, accessories
6)  Pants

We placed the frequently accessed item on levels 3, 4, 5.  Those were more Zo-height, so he could get stuff, and more importantly, PUT STUFF AWAY.  Laundry days are SO much easier now.

How to Hang?
We have been hanging for a while now.
Here's a mini-presentation on hanging a shirt:

1)  Lay shirt flat on the floor
2)  Insert hanger at collar, stretch the left side into the shirt.
3)  Repeat with the right side
4)  Shake it out
5)  Hang it up (preferably on a low rod so you don't have to lift the child)

*Seems intuitive, until you have to teach a 2 year old, step by step.  Don't go too fast, or the frustration level will rise for the child.  You can always start with one side already inserted, then have the child finish up the second side.  Early success will motivate more practice.

 Here's a clip on hanging:

This is all on the left side of the closet.

And the right side?

The Dress-Ups... of course!

This kid has lots of garage sale finds in his dress up closet.
We put costumes on the right side of the closet so it is separate from his regular clothes.  We also used color hangers vs. the white ones, again to let him see the costumes go on the red or blue hangers.  
Crazy creative role playing?
Not a problem.