If you have an old chest (or old trunk) it will be easy to recycle it into a pretty toy chest: an essential storage unit that will both add a touch of color to your little ones’ room.
You will need: the recycling box; 4 screw base legs + metal angle to screw them on; a light garland (sold by the meter); a paper lampshade; plywood panel (6mm – to be adapted according to the size of the trunk); matte acrylic paint (pastel colors of your choice); universal underlay; colorless liquid wax; double-sided adhesive roll; carbon paper; ripper; 4 small brackets; small screws; piece of thin cleat.
How to proceed ?
1) Fix the bed base feet under each corner of the box.
2) Adapting the measurements to the size of your chest, cut the board in the plywood that will support the garland (placed on the inside of the trunk). Use a router to cut out a circle about 15 cm in diameter on the front of the safe (front face).
3) Paint the inside of the trunk to your liking.
4) Remove the paper shade from its frame, lay it flat and cut out a circle 18 cm in diameter; stick the paper circle with adhesive tape on the cut made previously (step 2bis).
5) Make patterns on paper and transfer them to the chest using carbon paper. Paint according to your desires (or those of your pitchouns). NB: do not forget to paint the overhang of the lampshade paper.
6) Fix the light garland arranged in a spiral on the large board with jumpers; drill a hole at the bottom of the safe to pass the wire and plug in the socket.
7) Fix the board 10 cm apart from the front face of the box, using the brackets: 2 on the bottom and 2 on the sides. Screw the cleat into the front face. Your trunk is ready to be lit!
Decorate the room
An inventive decoration helps to stimulate the minds of the little ones: the colors help to awaken them as well as any object able to feed their imagination such as paintings, wooden toys or why not, musical instruments and furniture of yesteryear recycled for their soothing side.
We can also think of a blackboard or large slates to bring a playful aspect and that the children can give free rein to their imagination. A playhouse or hut built in the very space of the room offers an intimate corner where the child can feel in his “little world”.
Do not hesitate to multiply the small storage units decorated by you, eg. lined with images taken from children’s books… Don’t forget, the first 5 years of life are essentially devoted to sleep and play.