Anna, who runs The Princess and the Frog Blog, wrote in to give us the particulars about this amazing project:
The overall dimensions of the wall are 8' x 8'. Three separate 8-foot-long boxes were constructed using 3/4" poplar plywood with tempered hardboard backs. The boxes were stacked and attached to each other and the top box was anchored to the wall. Trim is 1"x2" and 1"x3" poplar.
We love it and use it ALL the time! As a former teacher, I have tons of children's books and I don't know why I hadn't thought to do this before.
Thanks so much for sharing, Anna!
(Images: Anna Roberts)
Must-See Small Cool Homes: Week Two
Beth's Romantic & Retro Residence
Good Food to Share 
The Big Book of Small, Cool Spaces 
Apartment Therapy Presents 
The Eight-Step Home Cure 
Shaw's Original Fir...
How To Make Perfect Bacon in the Oven
How To Cook Tender, Chewy Wheat Berries on the Stovetop
I love it! I have a wall in my living room begging for Anna's husband and father-in-law to come visit.
I stumbled on Anna's blog a couple months ago when I saw the nice gift her husband gave her. I blogged about it here:
http://kidsparties.about.com/b/2010/04/25/a-very-sweet-gift-idea.htm
Beautiful design. I never get tired of seeing different reader’s approaches to these front facing book shelves.
We did something similar and LOVE IT!
Lovely! Something I've been wondering though, do you have to get your child the books off of the top shelves? My 3 1/2 year old would be all about helping himself!
i created something similar using an old dvd shelf from my garage and a yard of fabric i had in the closet. i cut the fabric for each row so that it draped over each the two rods, making a nice fabric pocket. i only hand-sewed the pieces on and it took under an hour. my girls absolutely love it. it can be moved anywhere in the house.
Are the shelves deep enough to use as spine-out book storage as the child grows up and starts reading chapter books? (And starts doing homework, and all that!) Regardless, I love the look. It looks like a library, and libraries are one of my favorite places in the world to go with kids!
we have used bookcases throughout dining rooms enhanced
with lighting from holly hunt. we have used books in living rooms that make a great statement about the individual's
interests and personality.
a focal point of wonderful books adds character, depth
and intrigue.
;