There is a ton of stuff here, but somehow it works.

lol K T G.

It works in the photo, but stuff like this has got to look so messy in person. Can someone prove me wrong? Does anyone live in a place like this or know someone who does? Does it work without being too cluttered?

good luck finding wooden crates at a reasonable price--the trendiness (and scarcity of wood) has driven them nearly to extinction. even the guy at the liquor store said wineries always reuse them and they are "never for sale."

One of my local wine shops has a place in the lobby reserved for "free to take" wooden crates and boxes. The boxes are perfect with the Erecta-style shelves, and the flat boxes are great for holding newspapers and magazines.

I've had apple crates (free from an orchard) for 15 years now. I couldn't imagine getting rid of them. I only stack them 2 high as bookcases. They make great night tables too.

This is way too cluttered looking for me. This looks like something I might have done in college.

I agree w/ Jooly - This is a red-hot mess.

Lizz, I like to think that wine crates can be done well.

lizzard - i had a friend who did a combination of wood boxes, boards and cinder blocks - i don't remember how she put it together now, but it looked great. What I liked is that it was just slightly shifted off a regular bookcase build - spread out to the left or right to accomodate different needs.

I see old wooden crates all the time at antiques fairs for about $10.

I suggest this person participates in the Spring Cure.

I think it crossed that line. It's not the crates, it's just too much stuff.

I think it looks awesome. I took a bunch of old wooden soda crates from my parents that are the ideal size for the ikea expedit. they fit more perfectly than the baskets ikea has for them.

This is a hot mess. It would look a lot better if the clutter of the shelves were balanced out by a cleaner wall above it. It could work with just a few minimalistic objects or artwork above the crates.

It's clever, but it's so messy it's making my head hurt.

Yeah, too much going on. Someone needs to do some serious weeding.

I use crates like these as a bedside table, and for other book and movie storage around my apartment. i love that i can move them around and reconfigure them easily... and I have have never had to reinforce any of them.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/thelulubird/353421301/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/thelulubird/1108744513/in/set-72157602080031702/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/thelulubird/2407202626/in/set-72157602080031702/

Ugh... too much stuff. The only thing I like is the paint color.

This is a mess!

Fabulous!

The Selby people are all junk collectors.

This is a glorified pile.

Eyesore.

Yeah, count me in with the 'cluttered' group. This would work if the crates were more uniform in size, or were structurally bound together - either by shelving or some sort of tetris-like means.

There is a bookseller in Harvard Sq. who has all their books in wooden crates - all of uniform size. The look is beautiful.

I am in college and I am doing this, hahaha.

I googled "fruit crate bookcase" to see what came up and well... this did.

I guess I wasn't the first one to come up with the idea, but colleges skimp out on bookshelves for dorm rooms, so I just walked across the street to the grocery store and took some fruit crates and wala. :D

Hi -

I am stocking up on crates to use as bookshelves in my place. Question - do you varnish or oil them?

LuluLiz - your nightstand is exactly what I want. Looks fantastic. Any advice?

Thanks in advance to anyone who has thoughts. I love the idea of repurposing these guys!

Laura

You can find wooden crates for a reasonable price here: http://mgs-inc-furniture-and-storage.com/