So I'm heading to Ikea on Wednesday I'm looking to get the 4x4 Expedit bookshelf for my son's playroom. I'm just not sure of the best "tubs" to use? Ikea have the "lekman" plastic boxes in red/blue/clear and the "drona" fabric covered boxes in "assorted colours" (the pic shows black and pink) I know they have baskets too but as it's for toys was going to steer clear of basket type options.
Does anyone have/know of any other options they love? Or have experience with the ikeas ones?
We have 2 of the Expedit 5x5 in the playroom. We have 10 of the Lekman plastic red boxes. I am not sure exactly what you will be putting in them in regards to how heavy they will get. I have split each activity into one i.e. painting, playdoh, sports, music & then there are a few for craft. I honestly wish I had picked up a few of the weaved baskets & once the Ikea opens in Clayton I will pop over as the lekman just don't seem sturdy & every time I pull one out I am worried that the stuff will fall through. If the things you want it for are light then the Lekman are good.
The bookshelves are great it keeps the playroom clean & we've always got somewhere to put my scrap booking as well lol. Have fun at Ikea ;-)
We have the 4x4 and the 2x2 bookcases which I absolutely LOVE as it fits all of their toys. We ended up getting 8 of the clear boxes which actually have a purple tinge and two sliding drawers. The boxes are pretty sturdy and we have some heavy things in them so one has all the kitchen play toys, one has all the cars and trucks and things, another has musical instruments and another has dress ups and most of the others have dolls and soft toys.
Have fun shopping!
When you are putting the Lekman boxes together don't be afraid to give it a good push into place. DH could do lots in the time it took me to do one but I'm happy with them.
We've got a combination of cane baskets and the drona baskets. The cane baskets are actually easier for the kids to get in and out than the dronas are, but I think the dronas actually hold a little more and are heaps cheaper.
We just bought the 2x4 and are using some baskets we already had. I thought the baskets would be better for my toddler as they are a bit softer should she pull one out and drop it on her foot but I loved the look of the purple tinged Lekman boxes. Enjoy your shopping, I knew exactly what I wanted and it didnt stop me being there for over 3 hours lol!
We also have the 4x4 set, but the plastic tubs (same blue, red and clear) can have sharp edges if over time, wear and tear etc get the better of them.
We only have the tubs on the bottom shelf though as I could foresee one of the kids using them as leverage ( if on a higher shelf) which could see the entire unit fall over if not secured to the wall. We rent, we can't attach our unit unfortunately.
But big thumbs up! It's a great unit for kids toys
We have the expedits, 2 2x4 lying down, and they're great for the kids stuff. We didn't bother with the Ikea containers. I have some rather large Tupperware containers that fit perfectly (unfortunately, it was just a promo product for demonstrators which is a pain as I could with some more) and I've also bought the Starmaid containers in Big W, the ones they do in pink and blue. The bigger pink ones fit the shelf and the smaller ones I can fit 2 on a shelf. Bit cheaper than the Ikea ones. Otherwise, if you want the hamper type ones, have you thought of looking at one of the cheapie shops?
I have 3 diff types of baskets that I use - some from Ikea, some from Target and some from a random cheapo shop. I didn't like the look of the plastic ones. I saw the other day that Ikea has some black and some white baskets now! Much nicer than the ones they did have. My fav ones are the Target ones - they are a nice choc brown
We have the 4x4 unit (so 16 shelves) for DD's toys and have 4 of the red (clearish) tubs running on a diagonal. It looks great and works brilliantly.
I keep various things in the 4 tubs - one has her full farm set, another musical interments, another has shape sorters and stacking cups (and other similar toys) and the other is random. Lol!
In the exposed shelves I have a couple filled with books then other toys displayed the remaining shelves. I get comments on it all the time and a few friends have done the same with their kids play area.
We initially looked at getting a more modern basket to use but the woven ones we liked had a really over powering smell and the material ones didn't look 'fun' enough. The plastic ones are great as you can see into them and they fit perfectly. It looks fab in the corner of our lounge at the moment too as we have chocolate furniture (so the unit is chocolate too) with red, brown and orange accessories (earthy tones) so the red fits in well.
Calling Ikea Expedit experts :)
I'm looking to get the 4x4 Expedit bookshelf for my son's playroom. I'm just not sure of the best "tubs" to use? Ikea have the "lekman" plastic boxes in red/blue/clear and the "drona" fabric covered boxes in "assorted colours" (the pic shows black and pink) I know they have baskets too but as it's for toys was going to steer clear of basket type options. 
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