Toy storage woes? Cubby bookshelves are one of our favorite ways to store toys out of sight and display collections of books and decorative items. They transition easily with your child as they grow and are typically inexpensive. Perfect in bedrooms and playrooms. They can even store toys discreetly in a family room when space is tight elsewhere.
We're sharing our favorite cubby shelves and organizers for a system to fit your needs.
Selecting a Shelf
Cubby shelves come in a few different sizes and arrangements, but the standard shelf has a 13” cubby. Don’t get roped into a cheaper unit with smaller cubbies because finding bins or baskets that fit will be challenging. You can shop cubby bookshelves pretty much anywhere that sells furniture but here are a few of our favorites:
- IKEA Kallax
- Threshold 6 Cube Organizer Shelf
- Pottery Barn Horizontal Cubby Bookcase
- The Container Store Stackable Cubby Shelf
Containing Toys
Give your child easy access to toys in open top bins or baskets. There are so many cubby sized organizers out there, so finding something to match your decor shouldn't be too difficult. We designed a few of our bins with cubby systems and modern decor in mind and they have become our go-to's - especially our new spruce rope bin!
Containing Crafts & Small Toys
For smaller toys, crayons, markers and other crafts, we like using lidded bins or canisters. Consider whether you want your bins to be translucent so your children can easily grab what they want, or opaque, so you can hide them out of sight.
- Kuggis Bin (2 per cubby)
- Large Shoe Box (2 per cubby)
- Canisters
Displaying Books
Whether your cubby system needs to hold reading books, activity books or both, we have the answer. Place those heavier looking opaque bins and baskets at the bottom of your system, and save the top shelves for color coded books or to display toys. Separate activity books and loose paper into magazine holders and give structure to books with bookends, if necessary.
xx,
The NEAT Team
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