Instant Gratification: Forward Facing Bookshelf

Our  next family project is a huge one and I'm giddy with excitement over it.  We're making a shared kids' room!  Its more of converting a room we've used as storage into one that's kid-friendly and baby-safe at the same time, so we're gearing up for a lot of cleaning, organizing and maybe even a garage sale in the next few weeks.  Meantime, our five-year old architect wannabe and I have begun to gather ideas and create inspiration boards.  We're so excited to share this project with you as it unfolds.

If there's one non-negotiable thing in our shared kids' room, its forward-facing bookshelves. Not only are they beautiful to look at, but they make it easy for little hands to choose what book they like to read.  And if the books are easy to get, they're easy to return.  Take a look at these beauties:

These ones nicely take up the whole wall:

This one is cleverly made from spice racks (and I might just steal this idea):

And this one from scrap cloth and dowels:

If you have the space for it, this one is made locally and you can order one here:

For our tiny space, this plate rack is perfect.  If budget permits, we'll have one (or two, or three!) made:

Images from Pinterest, the Learning Basket, and Martha Stewart

As I was cleaning out our bedroom bookshelf a few weeks ago, I was inspired to create a temporary forward-facing bookshelf for our little reader. I rummaged through our stuff to find something I could use as a shelf.  I found a small plastic basket and made it work:

Since its a very lightweight plastic basket, I had to make sure it wouldn't topple over when I put the books in.  A filled-up vanity kit that was as tall as the basket was the perfect solution! I then arranged the books according to size, with the smallest ones on the front.  I was able to fit 14 books comfortably. Not bad at all! Here's how it looks like on our bedroom bookshelf:

  

Happy instant gratification!