diff --git a/src/canvas/widgets/base.js b/src/canvas/widgets/base.js
index ffe9088..5f46b80 100644
--- a/src/canvas/widgets/base.js
+++ b/src/canvas/widgets/base.js
@@ -214,13 +214,14 @@ class Widget extends React.Component {
 
         this.stateUpdateCallback = null // allowing other components such as toolbar to subscribe to changes in this widget
         this.resizeObserver = null
+        
+        this.setLayout({layout: Layouts.PLACE, gap: 10})
 
 
     }
 
     componentDidMount() {
 
-        this.setLayout({layout: Layouts.PLACE, gap: 10})
 
         // if (this.state.attrs.layout){
         //     this.setLayout(this.state.attrs.layout.value)
@@ -704,8 +705,7 @@ class Widget extends React.Component {
     }
 
     getLayout(){
-
-        return this.getAttrValue("layout") || Layouts.PLACE
+        return this.getAttrValue("layout") || {layout: Layouts.PLACE}
     }
 
     setLayout(value) {
diff --git a/src/frameworks/customtk/widgets/base.js b/src/frameworks/customtk/widgets/base.js
index 4d7d117..d942fe2 100644
--- a/src/frameworks/customtk/widgets/base.js
+++ b/src/frameworks/customtk/widgets/base.js
@@ -811,8 +811,6 @@ export class CustomTkBase extends Widget {
         }else if (layout === Layouts.FLEX){
             const {gridConfig, gridWeights, ...restAttrs} =  this.state.attrs
             
-            console.log("Flex: ", restAttrs)
-         
             this.updateState((prevState) => ({attrs: {...restAttrs}}))
         }
 
@@ -938,6 +936,7 @@ export class CustomTkBase extends Widget {
             pos
         }
         
+        const {layout} = attrs
 
         this.setState(newData,  () => {
             let layoutAttrs = this.setParentLayout(parentLayout).attrs || {}
@@ -973,6 +972,10 @@ export class CustomTkBase extends Widget {
             if (selected){
                 this.select()
             } 
+
+            if (layout){
+                this.setLayout(layout)
+            }
         })  
 
 
diff --git a/src/frameworks/tkinter/widgets/base.js b/src/frameworks/tkinter/widgets/base.js
index 437ea9c..633d945 100644
--- a/src/frameworks/tkinter/widgets/base.js
+++ b/src/frameworks/tkinter/widgets/base.js
@@ -812,8 +812,6 @@ export class TkinterBase extends Widget {
         }else if (layout === Layouts.FLEX){
             const {gridConfig, gridWeights, ...restAttrs} =  this.state.attrs
             
-            console.log("Flex: ", restAttrs)
-         
             this.updateState((prevState) => ({attrs: {...restAttrs}}))
         }
 
@@ -938,6 +936,8 @@ export class TkinterBase extends Widget {
             ...layoutUpdates,
             pos
         }
+
+        const {layout} = attrs
         
 
         this.setState(newData,  () => {
@@ -965,7 +965,7 @@ export class TkinterBase extends Widget {
 
             
             if (newAttrs?.styling?.backgroundColor){
-                // TODO: find a better way to apply innerStyles
+                // TODO: find a better way to apply innerStyles (we may not need this anymore)
                 this.setWidgetInnerStyle("backgroundColor", newAttrs.styling.backgroundColor.value)
             }
             this.updateState({ attrs: newAttrs }, callback)
@@ -974,6 +974,10 @@ export class TkinterBase extends Widget {
             if (selected){
                 this.select()
             } 
+
+            if (layout){
+                this.setLayout(layout)
+            }
         })