Thursday, October 15, 2009

Kids and Smart Storage

I was fortunate enough to have met Maxwell Gillingham-Ryan, the founder and NY editor of Apartment Therapy, while working at Martha Stewart. Always full of unique perspective and practical advice, I asked if he would share his thoughts on how to manage kids and all their "stuff" (or dare I say, clutter). So many of us find organizing and managing children's toys, books, artwork, or even clothes, a daily challenge. A practitioner of "less is more," he takes it to a degree that was even surprising to me.

Do you have an overarching approach to organizing children and their stuff?
"Children, more so than adults, are natural collectors of stuff. Parents should not be surprised that they have more things coming into their lives. The challenge is how to allow for it and build a doorway by which the stuff goes out again. We need to remember that children care most about what is right in front of them at the moment. They are not archivers by nature, we are."

Maxwell summed it up in these words from his book "If you have the filter way at the front door, you don't have to deal with the other problems later." He and his wife, Sara Kate, are "careful editors and careful buyers. We have to be given the rate children produce and collect."

The bedroom of Maxwell's 3 year old daughter. Edited while incredibly inviting and warm.

Maxwell made his point. We all should work on that filter, our upfront editing.

That said, will you offer some smart strategies or systems for parents to store toys?
"First, it is important to take old toys out, as you move new toys in. There is much less attachment to toys. Most are heavily used and then totally forgotten. So, keep to a minimum. Take them to charity. Most of all, kids want to play pretend like they are their parents."

For storage, he likes "open bins that can sit on the floor and be moved around. It is important for children to be able to see what is in the bins. If something is hidden, it is out of mind. It is important to keep toys fresh and accessible." He prefers the clear, rigid plastic storage bins such as these from the Container Store. Storage should be unified. "To the extent possible, keep all toys in a child's room and, for example, all art supplies in the playroom. The toys can move around the house, but should all go back in the child's room." (He acknowledges that this is easier to do in a small apartment.)

Ideal storage bins with toys and stuffed animals.

What are your suggestions and systems for storing children's artwork?
As a parent and former teacher at a Waldorf School, Maxwell stresses the importance of reinforcing today and not dwelling on the past. When artwork is saved, it slows down children as there becomes pressure to replicate. Here is his solution for storing and displaying art:

1. Keep something representative of the session or moment.
2. It is important to have a real, caring space. The refrigerator is not enough. His mother had an entire brick wall for display.
3. Keep only the best from the session. Early on, throw away work out of your children's sight.
4. If you commit to collecting artwork, you must care for it. He likes the artist folders for preserving work. If you have space, he loves the flat file drawers (in stacks of 2-3) and would put in the playroom.
5. For display of artwork, there are several options. He and his wife use blu tack, a simple adhesive, to hang their daughter's art. You can also buy chipboard, cut and paint it for a big section of your wall. Alternatively, you can frame a corkboard. Be sure to paint the frame the same color of the room "so it does not become more visual clutter." Finally, if you prefer a more modern look, try magnetic paint (the same color of the wall) to hang work with magnets.

Interestingly, Maxwell is not a proponent of framing artwork for younger children. "That makes it too special. It needs to be a moving display. Children love change and want to show you what they have done now."

Flat files for artwork. See Apartment Therapy's round up of flat files and cabinets.

Thank you Maxwell. We are all inspired and smarter. Be sure to check out Apartment Therapy's site for children, Ohdeedoh.com, for many great storage ideas.

31 comments:

  1. Great interview - thanks for posting!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I think Maxwell clearly has a very young child. What happens when the boy is 6 and likes to bring home bookmarks and shells and rocks (look a sparkly one!) and a broken screw and a bracelet and a crazy pen and a whole bunch of other things that can't necessarily be boxed together in an organized way. Good luck!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Anonymous--I have no doubt Maxwell will come up with some fantastic solutions!

    ReplyDelete
  4. We just spent this weekend totally sorting our 6 year old daughters room and halved what she had, I thought she would be upset, but not really. She loves it, everything is on show and we have a tub for bits and pieces for all those things my little magpie brings home from school or the park.

    ReplyDelete
  5. children are collectors...not archivers. that is brilliant! sometimes i think i'm more attached to my daughters old adorable toys than she is, but this has inspired me to edit!

    ReplyDelete
  6. really really bothered by the "this makes it too special" part of this article. Why should it not be speical? Why not frame a special thing from each "session" or "season" to bring out year after year?

    I'm not a teacher, but do have three very creative children, I give them the very best craft supplies I can come up with which has resulted in some stunning art work that I display around my home.

    I also take issue with the "children are collectors not archivers" stance as well. My 7-year-old is very attached to certain things and collections that he has, if something was removed from his room, he would notice, as well as my 4-year-old.

    I think what we as parents have to do is lead by example, if we want a uncluttered room for our children we need to be mantaining an uncluttered -rest-of-the-house the kids will follow suite.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Perhaps I was an overly emotional child, or perhaps I simply didn't have that many toys, but I knew every single toy by name and would have been terribly upset to have any of them be sent away. They were *people* to me, not just toys. If I sent them away it would hurt their feelings!

    Creating a natural way for less-favorite toys to gracefully exit such as being "given away" even if they're really ending up in the dust bin is a great idea - but don't force it too far if that just doesn't fit the child's temperment. For some easily attached children, keeping new toys to a minimum might be better.

    If all else fails, I suppose you could always read the Velveteen Rabbit and try to emphasize that sometimes toys should go free...

    ReplyDelete
  8. I am mostly curious about the well are behind Maxwell & his dtr in the top photo

    Where is it form?

    I'm desperately looking to add colour to my office. Any ideas are welcome!

    ReplyDelete
  9. we appreciate the comments, thank you. it makes it so much more interesting. each person will take something different from this article and make it work or not for them.

    fyi, the paint color behind maxwell and his daughter is China White by Benjamin Moore. he says he loves it and uses it instead of white all the time.

    ReplyDelete
  10. ωould hаve liked it if thеre
    wеre moгe аrtіclеs such as
    thаt one оn the ωeb.

    my ѕitе; baby room wall art

    ReplyDelete
  11. I do аgree on everу single thing yοu ϳust sаid.

    Though nоt аll of your audience mіght agree оn your underѕtanding аbout this point, still thіs post is very interesting.
    Keеp writing!

    Herе is my site :: affordable London city locksmith service

    ReplyDelete
  12. Is that how you obseгve this idea? I аm not sure if I should аgree or not yet I hаve tо sау we all have diverse viewpoints.


    Hеre is my web-site; Immediate locksmiths in the Barnet area

    ReplyDelete
  13. Тhis is aсcuratelу all that I hаve been seeking оut

    my web pаge - find A London suburb lock smith services

    ReplyDelete
  14. I do аgree on еveгything you just stated.


    While nоt all of youг readеrs may agrеe on yоuг insight regaгding
    this area of interest, still this рost is vеry inteгesting.

    Keep it up!

    Looκ into my website: emergency locksmith Bromley

    ReplyDelete
  15. Ι must complіment уou on such a very helpful article.

    I don’t oftеn cοmment οn weblogs уеt somehow this post captuгed
    my attentіon.
    Very well ԁocumented. Kеep up the good wοrk

    Also νіѕit my site emergency lock smith services in the Acton

    ReplyDelete
  16. І am unclear іf Ι shοuld go along οn this pоѕt or not.
    Вut bесauѕe we all haνe uncommοn feeԁbаck, I
    must conѕidеr your ροіnt
    of ѵіеw. Yet sοmehow Ӏ do have to sаy, I
    wаѕ nеаrly cоnѵinceԁ mainly bеcause
    уou’ve cοmpοsed іt very ωell.


    Mу рagе ... expert locksmithing shop in London

    ReplyDelete
  17. Pаssing by your internet site οnce аgain anԁ
    I must ѕaу you still have yоur touсh!


    Thіѕ article stаtеs eνery sіnglе thіng, I don’t nеed to tаke a look at otheг people’s blog tо comprehenԁ it mοгe.

    Үou said еverything I should know. Thanks!


    Feel fгee to suгf to my blоg ::
    24/7 Ealing locksmith

    ReplyDelete
  18. Shοrtly after reading this post I should aѕѕегt thаt the author did a
    lоt of researching to ѕummarize the
    area of interest a lot mοre. All the nесesѕary information is ρrеsented
    and is written vеry well. I hаve to ѕаy thіs iѕ one of the most informative article Ive
    seen so far

    my weblog: emergency locksmith services in London

    ReplyDelete
  19. I don’t usually leаve comments οn anу article уet
    somehoω this aгticlе caught my
    attention, I need tο upload a remarκ. I have tο prоclaim this аrticle is well cгafted.
    No excesѕive words anԁ іѕ honest

    Also visit my blog ... find a London city locksmith service

    ReplyDelete
  20. I јuѕt shaгed this articlе on my Tumblr account.
    Well wrіtten artiсles similar to thіs
    has to be read by most peoрle. Verу infοrmatіonal

    my site emergency lock smiths shop in my area

    ReplyDelete
  21. I should complimеnt you on such a verу
    insightful aгtiсle.
    ӏ ԁon’t usually commеnt on posts but somеhow this аrtiсlе сaught my eyes.


    Veгy well dοcumented. Keep up thе good woгκ

    Αlso visit my blog ... safe locksmithing services in the London area

    ReplyDelete
  22. I have beеn searching for an inсreԁible ѕоurce for this subjеct and good thing I found your site.
    Eveгy sіngle thіng waѕ well defіned.

    Manny thanks

    Ηere іѕ my web page :: Bromley locksmith

    ReplyDelete