In our daughter's small bedroom, space is at a premium. We try hard to make the most of the space and keep the floor as open as possible to help the room feel a little bigger and give her more area to play. On one wall of her room, there is a very shallow nook I wasn't sure what to do with but wanted to make it an efficient use of space. After some thought, I decided building some custom book storage would be the perfect solution.
1x3 boards
1x2 boards
screws
wood glue
spackle
level
painters tape
How-To:
1. Cut the wood the desired length of the rail shelf. You will need two 1x3 boards and one 1x2 board for each rail.
2. Line up the boards as shown below (the wide ones on the bottom and back, and the narrow one at the front). Pre-drill, then glue the edges, and secure with wood screws.
3. Once it's dried and secure, spackle the screw holes, let dry, and then apply 3 coats of paint (I used semi-gloss trim paint).
4. Next mark the location of the studs and the approximate spacing of the book rails. I could have easily put three rails in this space but I didn't want our toddler trying to climb it like a ladder, so I decided to only do two.
5. Center the book rails in the space and use a level to hang the book rails, pre-drilling and screwing the book rails into the wall studs.
6. Decorate and add your books! While these are pretty sturdy, I would recommend being mindful of the weight put on the rails - don't put too many books or large, heavy books on them, especially since your little one will be reaching up to pull books off and you don't want anything heavy to topple off.
And finally I decided to build a simple, sturdy narrow crate to hold our daughter's bigger, heavier books.
Other posts you might enjoy from Birch Landing Home:
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How's this for a super-easy project? I love the idea of a monogram on the door of our little girl's room, but wanted to keep it simple and subtle and easy to take down if we decide to change things up.
This project really couldn't be easier. The letter I bought was a pre-painted small white one from Hobby Lobby because I wanted it to be subtle, but it could easily be repainted another color if you wanted it to stand out more.
To hang it, I used some light-weight Command strips so it can easily be removed later if we decide to do something different on the door.
Just love the finishing touch it adds!
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You guys. Our toddler stayed in her room until it was time to get up, despite the time change - something that hasn't happened in years. It's a miracle!
| This post was not sponsored but does contain my Amazon referral link |
A mom friend had recommended the Ready to Wake Clock to us when we moved our daughter to her big girl room and it's been amazing! She stays in her room now until it turns green in the morning and after "quiet rest time" (she's dropped nap, but still has a time in the afternoon to play quietly and look at books in her room).
And probably the biggest BONUS of all - we actually got to sleep in this morning and take advantage of the time change! First time in like 3 years. She just played quietly in her bed until the clock turned green and was none-the-wiser that she was there for an extra hour.
Parenting win!
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It's been a long time coming, but we've finally moved our little one up to her "big girl room"! Decorating and organizing this space has been a challenge since it's such a tiny room. And while arrows, deer, and gold polka dots are all the rage right now, we wanted to get the biggest bang for our buck and go with a timeless, classic theme that our daughter can grow into. | This post contains affiliate links |
We decided to go with a blue, white, and yellow color scheme (which always reminds me of Cape Cod) and just a few decorative touches that can easily be changed out as our little one grows and tastes change. Keeping everything pretty light in the room helps make it feel just a little bit bigger too.
The bed and dresser came from Ikea and were very reasonably priced. In fact, these were my first purchases from Ikea EVER (gasp) and I was very impressed with the quality and sturdiness of them. While not shown in these photos, we have under-mattress bedrails that are typically on the bed so she doesn't roll out.
The bedding was one of the most reasonably priced quilt sets I could find and came from Amazon (*at the moment it's listed for double what I had paid, but Amazon pricing can change often so hopefully the price will come down again soon). I just love all the different blues, greens, and creams in the bedspread! It keeps with the Cape Cod color scheme and adds a country touch.
The "love you to the moon & back" sign was made by me and will be coming to our Etsy shop soon ;)
This little dormer was the perfect spot to tuck the dresser in as well as some decorative touches like the wooden oar, which was a freebie find. The custom name puzzle is from Amazon, and both the lamp and the curtains are from Wal-Mart.
This Moon Bed was a custom creation from my brother and sister-in-law as a gift for our baby shower - it makes the perfect spot for snuggling up with a good book and some stuffed animals. The starfish watercolor painting is by New England artist Jen Scully of Mack & Ro. I love how it compliments this corner with the "moon and stars" theme but also fits in perfectly with the overall coastal vibe of the room.
What's New England without a farm? This little Pottery Barn table was a yard sale find (score!) and makes the perfect spot for a barnyard scene. The wooden barn is from Melissa and Doug but the animals are Little People (all yard sale finds again). The woven rope basket to hold accessories for the farm adds a coastal touch. This rope basket is old, but I've linked a very similar one here.
This room has a very shallow alcove and to make the most of the space I built custom book rails in it for storage and display. I debated on putting one more rail down lower but decided against it since I know our toddler would try to climb it like a ladder. Instead, I made a custom narrow wooden crate to sit on the floor and hold her heavier books that I didn't want to put up on the wall.
The book rails make for great storage that doesn't take up a lot of room, as well as gives us a chance to show of some of our current favorite books (including some fun New England-themed ones).
And last but not least, possibly the most important addition to our daughter's big girl room, the
Ready to Wake Clock! I was a bit skeptical at first, but this clock really has been a lifesaver (and no, this is not a sponsored endorsement). Our daughter used to get up between 4-5AM everyday, but once she learned that she needs to stay in bed until the clock turns green she now sleeps to the decent hour (6:45AM) that we set her clock to (thank goodness!).
I've tried to link all my sources for the room but if there's anything I'm missing that you have a question on, please send me a message.
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