My recent interview with Natacha had felt like the jackpot of interviews (in my experience). As I have expected, many (if not most) of my previous reasonings have been overthrown, but nevertheless it was still a gold mine of valuable information. Natacha had been so helpful that I ended up dedicating a entire section in my design brief to this particular interview:

In an interview with Natacha V. Beim, founder and C.E.O. of Cefa Systems for preschool education and a mother of 2 boys, she explains that teaching children the responsibility of tidiness does not have to rely on tactics, punishments or briberies. “ What really works is a system that is easy to understand and efficient to use for children”, says Beim, “if your furniture is too heavy to be moved around or your system is too hard to understand, they get discouraged at the thought of cleaning up, so they don’t”.

According to Beim, there are several rules one should consider when putting together a storage set for their children:

1) Labels of words or pictures that your child can easily understand or recognize.

2) Transparent storage containers allow children to see what is inside the container and reminds them that there are toys for them to play with.

3) Light and removable drawers, trays or containers on casters gives children the freedom to move their playthings to their desired play area, (wherever it might be on that particular day). Beim explains that one of the reasons why toys may always litter the floor is because children are not allowed to pick their play areas. Kids often like to follow their parents around in the house, but if their designated play area is isolated from the more trafficked areas of the home, they end up leaving a trail of toys from their playrooms to the kitchen (for example). So an easily transportable drawer or container allows children to easily carry their toys or crayons to anywhere they desire.

4) Smaller module containers also allow easier mobility, but as well it can store smaller things or toys that the child may like to play more often. Children may also be discouraged to retrieve or replace their toys if the container used is too big, often they can’t find the desired toy because it is buried too deep in the bottom.

Beim reveals that small modules are particularly important because one can add on to their collection as time passes. “It promotes the longevity of you furniture, which is a great money saving and sustainable method”, says Beim, “I have been building mine for nine years now and have not thrown away a single one”.

Because Beim has been an abed user of plastic drawers and Rubber Maid containers, she comments that “they are durable and easy to clean, but they are very ugly looking. I’d like to have a storage system in my living room so my kids can play beside me while I work, but I can’t deny that these drawers just don’t look very good.”