The Bunk Bed of Dreams

Stacey and the team head to Milton Keynes to help Bianca and Ollie Parej, parents to five energetic children all under the age of nine, who are struggling to make their compact home work for their large family. Every room is overflowing with toys, clothes and storage cubes – nearly 100 of them – stacked and squeezed into every available corner.

For Bianca, the clutter has become paralysing. She dreams of returning to work but feels unable to take that step until the home is under control. The couple have never been able to let go of items due to a ‘what if’ mentality in times of financial difficulty, but their stuff has now taken over precious space.

As Stacey helps the family pack up every last item, the full scale of their challenge becomes clear. In the vast warehouse, their belongings are laid out like an installation of life with five young children. The Parej family have kept hold of every single one of their possessions, including hundreds of baby items, which tell the story of a couple who have worked tirelessly to keep their family afloat while navigating hardship. Emotional moments unfold as Bianca and Ollie reflect on the financial obstacles they have overcome, how redundancy forced them to rethink everything, and how they see their family life in the future.

Back home, Rob works wonders on the small space, designing solutions that allow the family to live – and eat – together. He builds an ingenious pull-down dining table big enough to seat all seven Parejs, and in his biggest build yet, he constructs triple-pod beds for the three boys to maximise their small bedroom. He also creates a dedicated workspace for Ollie, ensuring he can concentrate without clutter consuming him.

With two intense days in the warehouse, the family must make tough decisions. Will Ollie let go of half of his consoles? Will Bianca find the confidence and space she needs to return to work? And can the team transform this compact home into a calm, functional space that truly meets the needs of a family of seven?