These would be very cute if you painted them white with a punch of color in the background.

I say keep it... and put together a reading nook or craft/homework desk beneath it...

Paint the shelves the same color you plan to paint the wall and then go a shade or two lighter or darker for the wall that shows through the shelves.

I'd keep them and paint them.

I say continue them to the floor and paint them out!

I think I need to see a broader picture to get a better sense of how big it is. If the shelves are 12 feet across, they sound like monstrosities, but painted white they could blend into the wall. Show us a better picture!

Agree, paint and add on more to the floor -- they sort of look odd as they are now.

Hmm, I do agree that with some paint they could look pretty cute. But if you are planning on doing some reno's to the house anyway now would be the best time to get rid of them if your not sure. It's only going to be more difficult if you change your mind in a year or two and want to get rid of them then as you will be all moved in. It really depends on if they take up one of your main walls in the room ie. make furniture arranging difficult or not.

thanks everyone! to answer LSUgrad03's question-- yes, they do continue like that across the rest of the wall (don't have a better pic unfortunately). they are pretty huge!

I'd keep them. The shelves look cute. Plus, high storage is great for baskets of toys or craft supplies you don't want them getting into all the time. I've personally liked that for my kiddos anyway :)

-Mommy to Luke (6), Malachi (4), Isaac (2) & Jacob (2 months)

Keep them! I agree with others in painting them the same color you paint the wall. I think if you go white, they might stand out more than you would like. I think you could do something really fun & creative with what you display on there.

We inherited something very similar, albeit smaller, in our house. We had planned on taking them down, but never bothered because they are actually very handy! It's great having in-room storage that our daughter cannot access.

Ours are painted the same color as the walls (also inherited - the previous owner had great taste in color) and it's perfect.

keep the shelves, ditch the curtains ;)

Paint and wallpaper!

Keep the shelves. Paint the wall a fun color then paint the shelves a complimentary or contrasting color. These shelves are a great place to display stuffed animals and keepsake items out of reach (and those noisy, annoying toys grandparents like to give). Definitely lose the curtains.

Take 'em out, make the place your own!

We designated a kids' room in our new house, and it had some shelves that were screwed in to the wall (then welded there with layers of paint). They were really high, more like display shelves, and though marginally useful I'm glad we took them down when we painted. Now I'm hanging the pictures I want where I want, and if those old shelves seem useful someday, we can put them back up - in the same place or somewhere else.

I don't care for them much, at least the way they are, but it could be the curtains - those aren't good. :)

oh yes, the curtains will be the first thing to go! along with the wall color! THANKS everyone for your opinions :) i do like the idea of extending them to the floor but unfortunately we can't lose that much wall space-- since it's a shared room, alot of furniture needs to go in there. so i guess having them higher up allows for both, even if it does look a little odd at the moment!

Keep them! This must have been the house where the painter Piet Mondriaan has lived before, so paint them in the colors of his famous painting!

Another vote for keeping them. They'll be great as they get older. I think of all of the little things my sister and I collected in our room. Speech trophies, awards and birthday statues. Then as we got older, dried corsages, dance photos, souvenier trinkets . . . I think it will actually be a space saver to have a place for all of those little things so they aren't sitting on top of desks or dressers. And my vote would be to paint them white and then inside paint them an alternate color. For example, if the room is pink, the shelves are white, paint the inside of the shelves yellow or maybe a darker pink.

Could you use them as a "headboard" and place two twins under them, since it's going to be a shared space?

I love the headboard idea, and the "put a reading nook beneath them" idea! I vote for keeping them. I can envision great kid artwork beneath them, gallery style. The shelf piece above the window feels claustrophobic to me, so if you're dying to whack a hammer at them, I say saw that piece off from the rest and go to town!

Are you by any chance doing bunk beds and could it go right where the shelves are so that the top bunk has great places for books and special treasures. The height of them makes me think that's what they were built for.

I love them and think you should keep them. I really like the unique shaping of the shelves...not something you see every day. I think you should paint them and try to put some fun wallpaper behind them...and lose those curtains!

Upper wall space is usually wasted and those shelves are awesome - both for storage and display.

I'd paint them whatever color you end up painting the trim in that room and then I'd do the insides (wall part) colors that are part of the decor of the room once you get that decided. It would be so cool - like frames for their displays and you could use baskets and cute patterned boxes for smaller stuff.

Keep them! Good Luck!

Those built ins are fantastic! And being out of reach of the children is a bonus in my eyes! I love the idea of painting and putting color on the back. Maybe some flashy, fun wallpaper?

http://lilmagoolie.com/interiors/
the link has great color combos. i like the idea of a dark purple and painting the shelves a crisp white???

I don't mind these at all! With some paint they will look great. I would try some wallpaper for the background, maybe combining different patterns to create a fun feature.