PORTLAND — Everyone wants to encourage children to create anything they can imagine, which is one of the missions of the family-owned company that makes LEGOs, those plastic, interlocking bricks in primary colors.
The problem is, those little construction pieces scatter and even before they do, having to dismantle a creation to clear the table or floor can crush a budding architect or engineer’s spirit.
One solution: IKEA has partnered with the LEGO Group to offer boxes with a LEGO building plate on the lid and an opening to look inside the box that not only display kids’ finished inventions but also stores unfinished ones.
The collection, named BYGGLEK, will be available in all IKEA U.S. stores and online starting Oct. 1.
The BYGGLEK boxes come in different sizes and can be linked: A box 3 inches long by 10 inches wide and 4 inches high is $14.99 and a box that is 10 inches long by 6 inches wide and 4 inches high is $12.99.
A set of BYGGLEK boxes with lids has one box that is 7 inches wide by 5 inches deep and 2 inches high and two boxes that are 5 inches wide by 3 inches deep and 2 inches high ($9.99 for a set of three).
To fill the boxes, IKEA will also sell a 201-piece LEGO set for $14.99 .
Until the highly anticipated BYGGLEK collection is released, there are other ways to store small pieces used to create buildings, modes of transportation and ideas of the future.
Here’s what’s available to store LEGOs now:
Bed, Bath & Beyond has LEGO brick-shaped storage drawers ($22.99-$33.99) that are 10 inches long by 10 inches wide and 7 inches high as well a three-drawer storage rack for $40.99. Receive 20 percent off any single item by entering your email address.
The Container Store has a three-tier organizer with a LEGO baseplate on the top and three slide-out drawers. The organizer is 13 inches by 13 inches and 15 inches high ($39.99).
Home Depot has kids’ storage boxes, bins and benches, and ClosetMaid fabric bins, toy chests and wood display cases, as well as a stackable box that looks like a LEGO brick.
Kohl’s has a storage box that look like a giant LEGO brick ($29.99). The different colored boxes are 20 inches by 10 inches by 7 inches and can be stacked, just like the bricks.
Staples has what it calls the Really Useful Box with a snap lid in assorted colors. The small, transparent bin is 1 1/2 inches by 1 1/2 inches by 21/4 inches and each box is $1.99 with a $1 instant savings.
