Storage solutions: Higdond
Posted by Huw,
To kick-off our series on storage, display and sorting, we feature Deborah, aka Higdond, in Ottawa, Canada:
I use Ikea for all the shelving units/desk, bins, etc. and a Canadian company, Gracious Living, for the white drawer towers. Within most drawers I have tray compartments from the local dollar store, in configurations of 1x1, 1x2, 1x3, 1x4, 2x3 - these attach to each other, so I can lift a half a drawer's tray out if necessary. The photos were taken a few years ago after I made the complete renovation, and now there are towers almost to the ceiling, and under the build table.
I sort by piece type, 2 towers for tiles, a tower for doors/windows, a tower for plate, etc - then I sort by colour, and within each colour drawer, by size of part. Where I don't have enough parts of the same colour, I'll mix those in one tray compartment. The pieces I use and cherish the most are kept closest to the build table, the converse applies. Minifigs (which I very seldom use) are thrown in a blue bin, under the build table.
I have no models on display, I don't build sets, and my MOCs, which tend to be a largish size are kept in bins, wrapped for transport to shows. They're stored in the basement and take up a great deal of space. This is the only time my spouse complains about the hobby - and asks why I can't take some models apart - I'm doing that less and less now, as I'm too fond of certain models.
This is a 3rd bedroom and was always my combined office/hobby space so no complaints from my spouse. I retired in 2012, got rid of everything related to work (education) and turned it into my lego studio. I only get certain smaller models out and display them in the house at Christmas time.
I don't collect LEGO gear but I have received some as gifts, and they stay in the LEGO room. I don't consider myself a true fan - LEGO is the medium that I love but I don't want all things LEGO, just every piece in every colour.
I spent the first part of lock down sorting pieces I brought home from the interrupted trip we were on - I always enjoy sorting lego and re-organising the collection - it gives me a chance to re-examine what I own and there's a certain satisfaction in having it all well-organised.
I buy sets and sort them immediately into my collection, altering drawer contents to accommodate new pieces, if necessary. It would be pretty rare that I would build a set, and if I do, it's in memory of my mother, who came to love lego at the age of 80.
My collection is recorded on spreadsheets, so I have a general idea of its size. Unfortunately, since retiring, and with a lot of spare time on my hands, it's ironic that I build less than I used to. I found the time pressure, and the work stress, gave me more incentive to spend a lot of time in the build room.
I'm also procrastinating because I have too many photos of MOCs that need editing and posting, and I'm trying to build less until I have caught up. Since my models are largish, it takes a lot of time/space to photograph and edit them.
I have met many AFOLs who have large unsorted collections that daunt them - and I have jokingly offered my sorting services for room and board in international locations - I love the organisation part of the hobby just a little less than building. Documenting the builds is my least favourite aspect.
Thanks, Deborah!
If you'd like to participate in our 'show us your storage' series please use this as an example of what makes a good article.
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32 comments on this article
Those wall decorations are awesome!
Nice and neat, Deborah. Looks great.
"I have too many photos of MOCs that need editing and posting"
Please can we have a link to what you've already posted? :-)
These articles are being very useful to organize my collection.
That's one hell of a collection! I could never bring myself to scrap a set for parts, not even my one Friends set that I found in ASDA for £1.20. It's one of the character's rooms and I really, really dislike it, but I can't bring myself. I respect and admire you for your ability to mercilessly and ruthlessly scraps an innocent LEGO set.
@omnium said:
“Please can we have a link to what you've already posted? :-)"
Look up Deborah Higdon on flickr
Thank you for the insight Deborah. I'm currently working on an Ikea solution:
6x BILLY bookcases, white, 80x28x202 cm
5x BILLY bookcases, white, 40x28x202 cm
2x BILLY corner fittings
I figure it's a great and warranted solution to organise my millions of bricks.
I really need to sort my collection it's currently just broken down sets in big storage bins under my Lego table, but it needs some proper organisation, hopefully these articles will help me out.
Ha ha, I have no intention of sharing my shambles of cardboard boxes in a shipping container in contrast to these heavenly brick caves!
Wow, that room is amazing! It is so structured and creative. It must make you smile to just look inside it. Thank you!
Edit: I just looked at your flickr. What a treat. You're very talented!
https://www.flickr.com/photos/buildingsblockd
^ Thanks Huw! Thanks for wasting 2 hours of my life looking at those incredible `MOCs! I could go on forever...
Thanks @Huw .
Some very nice builds there!
Ok now that room looks great, now I have an idea of what to submit
That is one talented builder I have to say.
I don't know if I missed it in the article, but it would be good to know roughly how many bricks are in the collection - I definitely don't have a collection the size that would merit anything close to this set up, but my current method of storing things where there's space definitely could be improved, so seeing what other people have with a similar volume would be helpful.
Also, it should be pointed out: Deborah was responsible for a whole chapter of the 2011 DK Lego Ideas Book!
I am so jealous. My lego is all over the place in my home.
Wow I am not nearly this organized. I have no idea how anyone that builds LEGO could ever do this! I have problems organizing 1 bin into colors...
Anyways, very nice collection and impeccable sorting! I will definitely take a look at these largish Mocs!
-Mechahaulic
(YouTuber)
I know this isn't about storage, but I love the mass of NPUs used in the builds. A great way to incorporate skill into every build.
@Huw the article title has the user's handle misspelled: Hidgond instead of Higdond
Thanks Deborah for sharing your storage solution!
thanks to huw for posting my room, and to all the others who've commented - for someone who asked, i'm at half a million pieces.
thanks, also for posting the link to my page!
I love the different types of storage containers and designs. Thanks for sharing!
Having seen the storage rooms featured so far, I'm very reluctant to submit mine since it's not fancy and doesn't look right out of a design book. My collection isn't nearly as large either. I've been focusing on adding minifigs to my collection for the last five years so most of the sets I buy have been under $20 since then. For comparison purposes, if i remove my CMF's and keychains from my inventory, I have 322 sets that average 146 pieces per set. I go the cheap route for my organization storage and it's definitely not aesthetically pleasing. I don't know if there's a big demand for that, but for people struggling to make sense of their sorting and storing, I could be persuaded.
@graymattr said:
"Having seen the storage rooms featured so far, I'm very reluctant to submit mine since it's not fancy and doesn't look right out of a design book. My collection isn't nearly as large either. I've been focusing on adding minifigs to my collection for the last five years so most of the sets I buy have been under $20 since then. For comparison purposes, if i remove my CMF's and keychains from my inventory, I have 322 sets that average 146 pieces per set. I go the cheap route for my organization storage and it's definitely not aesthetically pleasing. I don't know if there's a big demand for that, but for people struggling to make sense of their sorting and storing, I could be persuaded."
i think all types of lego storage should be featured - because there are so many types of afols, all with different budgets and tastes. bring it on!
@Slobrojoe:
She said she doesn't actually build sets, so when she talks about taking apart models, she means disassembling her MOCs, like when a painter takes an old painting and slaps a coat of white on it to essentially "erase" the canvas and reuse it for a new painting. To her, keeping sets intact would probably be like a painter going to the store to buy a bunch of tubes of paint, only to take them back home and display them on a shelf "mint in sealed tube".
And this is something that's not really discussed very often. Tyler Clites recently noted in an interview that he doesn't actually keep his MOCs intact. He builds them, shoots whatever photos he needs, and tears them apart to sort back into his part collection. Some of the people I've met at Brickworld Chicago seem to build a large project once a year, take it to one or more major conventions, and then the reclaim the parts and get started on a new project for the next year. A lot of the members of my LUG will build stuff, keep displaying it for a few years, and then eventually grow tired of it and want to build something new, or maybe just rebuild it with parts that weren't available or techniques that weren't possible the last time they built it. As it sounds is the case with Deborah, I'm on the opposite extreme from Tyler. I've got a Blacktron MOC that I built ~30 years ago that I don't ever plan to take apart, and I've been slowly building up a collection of displayable MOCs over the last 20 years (mine, on the other hand, are often fairly small). If I'm just tinkering around with parts, I have no emotional investment in the result, but if I make a MOC, I almost never scrap it for parts.
Dear higdond, thanks for showing us your aspirational organisation!
This line intrigued me; "just every piece in every colour."
How close do you think you are to that goal...?
@bananaworld said:
"Dear higdond, thanks for showing us your aspirational organisation!
This line intrigued me; "just every piece in every colour."
How close do you think you are to that goal...?"
nowhere near as close as i'd like, because lego just isn't cooperating ;-) 1x1 dark tan round tiles anyone?
I also find the sorting/inventory aspect of the hobby enjoyable. I have been keeping an exact running count of everything I buy and sell for the past three years, so I could tell you how many pieces I've added this year (give or take two for error)....finding a specific piece though....let's just say I'm a bit behind on my sorting
@higdond / Deborah,
Thanks for sharing photos of your collection. It *looks* like you have sorted common parts by element (part+color) but I wasn't sure what you do with less common parts based on the photos.
Are the less common parts sorted by part ID, by color, or some sort of hybrid?
@henrysunset said:
" @higdond / Deborah,
Thanks for sharing photos of your collection. It *looks* like you have sorted common parts by element (part+color) but I wasn't sure what you do with less common parts based on the photos.
Are the less common parts sorted by part ID, by color, or some sort of hybrid?"
many of my parts are sorted by usage. tiles, plates and bricks are sorted first, getting their own tower, each drawer separated as much as possible within. i have 3 drawers called "small bits", where i store by part type but they are very small pieces that i might be looking for to make furniture and tiny details. for some parts, i also separate certain colours out - that i would use mostly for furniture, detailing, trim, of which i don't have much - ie dark red, dark blue, dark tan hinges, clips, bars, etc. all arches are sorted by size. all doors/windows are sorted by size, and where possible within each drawer, by colour. but the general rule is always by part type, or similarity. a drawer or two of "round" pieces, sorted within by type. a drawer of cones, a drawer of cheese slopes, sorted within by colour groupings (white/tan/dark tan in one compartment, dark colours in another, bright colours in another). so my general rule of thumb (which i break) is: first sort=type, second sort=colour, third sort=size, getting to the third level when space or availability of compartments allow. that being said, i have a "tower" for all grey plate, a tower for all trans-pieces (i.e. usage).