How building shelves with my son became our best Mother’s Day weekend (in advance)

Let me tell you a story about Mother’s Day, shelves, and the best unexpected bonding experience with my 19-year-old son Diego.

When BiGDUG first offered to send over their shelving kit for review, I’ll admit – I hesitated. Shelving? For Mother’s Day? Not exactly candles and perfume territory. But then I thought about my garage. And my home office. And the mountain of “I’ll sort this later” paperwork threatening to take over my life. And I thought: actually, yes. This is exactly what I need.

What I didn’t expect was that three boxes arriving at my door would lead to one of the loveliest weekends I’ve spent with my grown-up boy in ages.

The delivery: Three boxes, endless possibilities

The packages arrived on a Friday – Diego was home from uni and had a bit of time for me during the weekend. I’d told him about the review, and to my surprise, his eyes lit up. “Mum, we get to build stuff? With tools? This is going to be epic.”

And just like that, our Mother’s Day weekend project was born.

BiGDUG essentials industrial shelving kit

The Garage Saviour

Verdict: “Two bays, one mallet, and a son who finally thinks I’m cool.”

The shelving arrived flat-packed but surprisingly manageable. Two bays, each with five height-adjustable MDF shelves, that iconic blue powder-coated steel frame, and crucially – a free BiGDUG mallet. Diego immediately claimed the mallet. I claimed the instruction-reading role. Teamwork.

Here’s the genius bit: the design is entirely boltless. No fiddly nuts and washers disappearing into the abyss. No arguments about which screw goes where. The shelves just slot together, a satisfying click with every connection, and the mallet gives everything a gentle persuasive tap. Even I, famously impatient with flat-pack furniture, found it oddly therapeutic.

We spent Saturday afternoon in my office, chatting away, Diego occasionally hitting his thumb and swearing (then apologising, because Italian mums raise respectful boys). We built the first bay together, then he got confident and built the second one almost solo while I supervised and handed him components like a proud pit crew member.

The result? Two industrial-strength shelving units, each holding up to 200kg per shelf, standing proud and sturdy in my previously chaotic London Mums magazine office. The Christmas decorations now have a home. “Your office has never been this organised in your entire life,” Diego announced. “Mum, I think you’ve finally got your life together.”

Cheeky. But also… true.

From £78 per bay | bigdug.co.uk

Ergo-Tek Mesh Office Chair

The Back Saviour

Verdict: “Finally, a chair that understands my work-from-home-mum life.”

As a freelance editor and mum running London Mums Magazine from home, I spend more hours in my office chair than I’d care to admit. The old one? A hand-me-down from someone’s office clearance that creaked, sagged, and left my lower back crying for mercy by 3pm.

The Ergo-Tek Mesh Office Chair arrived just in time.

Assembly was straightforward – Diego again took charge, muttering “I’ve got this, Mum” in that way that makes my heart swell. Within 20 minutes, I had a brand new throne.

And oh, the difference. The mesh back is breathable (no more sticky summer afternoons), the lumbar support is adjustable, and the seat depth and armrests can be tweaked to fit my exact proportions. There’s even a headrest, which I didn’t know I needed until I leaned back to read something and thought: where has this been all my life?

I’ve been sitting in it for a week now, and my back hasn’t complained once. Diego tested it too – he’s 6ft and gangly, and even he could adjust it to fit comfortably. “Mum, you should’ve got one of these ages ago,” he said. “Your old chair was embarrassing.”

Thanks, son. Love you too.

The mesh is also forgiving when you spill coffee (ask me how I know). And at this price point? It’s an absolute steal for anyone who works from home and values their spine.

bigdug.co.uk

Really Useful Storage Box Kits with foolscap suspension files

The Sanity Saviour

Verdict: “Paperwork has never looked so organised. Or so satisfying.”

Right, confession time: my home office “filing system” was a pile. A teetering, guilt-inducing pile of school letters, magazine invoices, receipts, and random bits of paper that I kept meaning to sort “one day.”

One day arrived.

The Really Useful Storage Box Kits come with clear plastic boxes and foolscap suspension files – the proper ones with runners so they glide smoothly. I spent Sunday afternoon (while Diego was on his phone “supervising”) sorting through the mountain. Labels created. Files assigned. Papers actually filed.

The boxes stack neatly, the contents are visible through the clear plastic (so no more “where did I put that?” rummaging), and honestly? I feel like a functioning adult. The suspension files hang perfectly, no sagging, and the boxes are sturdy enough to survive being moved around.

Diego wandered in at one point, saw me happily filing, and took a photo. “Mum, you’re enjoying that. This is who you are now.”

Yes. Yes, I am. And I’m not ashamed.

Price varies | bigdug.co.uk

The Mother’s Day verdict

Here’s the thing about Mother’s Day gifts: the best ones aren’t always pretty. Sometimes they’re practical. Sometimes they’re the thing you desperately need but would never buy yourself. And sometimes – if you’re really lucky – they come with bonus time with your nearly-grown son, building, laughing, and creating order out of chaos together.

Diego heads back to uni projects this week. But every time I walk into my tidy office, sit in my comfortable chair, or open a perfectly organised filing box, I’ll think of that weekend. The music. The mallet. The proud look on his face when he tightened the last shelf.

Best Mother’s Day gift ever. And it came in three flat-packed boxes.

Products gifted by BiGDUG for review. All opinions – and all pride in my newly organised life – are entirely my own.