We found this closet-turned-bookshelf project over at It's the Little Things blog and it immediately made sense to us. When dealing with kids, the storage problems often occur with toys, games and books, and not so much with clothes. If you have some other clothing storage option, say a dresser or wardrobe, this closet conversion might be something to consider.
Of course a shallow closet makes more sense than a walk-in or deep closet for this type of conversion. Keep younger kids' toys on the low shelves. Puzzles, board games and things that require adult supervision go up top. Check out It's the Little Things for project details and in-progress photos.
Image: It's the Little Things
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I love this idea, but if it were my kid's room, I'd probably add a grommeted curtain & curtain rod to cover the space just in case things get a little messy... I recently wrote a post on my interior design blog about this 'open closet' phenomenon going on in nurseries and kids rooms, see it here: http://roomforyoungones.com/2010/06/01/door-free-closets/ Maybe I'm strange but the thing I love about closets is the fact that the stuff inside can get hidden if need be!
Our hall closet is about that size w/ shelves...and yes it has a good amount of toys in it...a work in progress...0$ budget
http://www.flickr.com/photos/57849653@N00/4799828907/
This looks really great. I see it being really great in a playroom too!
I think it would be great in a playroom! Our playroom sadly doesn't have a closet, I wish it did. In a bedroom, I think it's hard to give up that space for clothes. My daughter's room has two closet, and we've taken the doors off on, but instead of a bookshelf we have the head of her bed in there. It gives her her own little retreat.
Yeah, It's a toss-up for us, too. In our case, my son's room has a closet, which we have to use for both clothes and our stuff, like luggage and winter items we don't use all year. We were able to find sturdy, inexpensive shelving at IKEA, but I do like the look of this closet and how it doesn't take up extra space in the bedroom.
http://thesweetest3.com/
I am a fan of easyclosets.com -- you design a custom system that hangs from a rail, so the floor is untouched. This is nice for sweeping or vacuuming and you don't have to worry about your baseboards. It's very easy to go back later and reconfigure, if you want to change from a bookcase to a hanger bar, or add drawers, for example. The prices are very reasonable!