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jacksmom0902
06-07-2004, 11:56 AM
Hello,

I have a DS who is almost 21 months old (I can't believe he's almost 2!) and we are preparing to set up his new playroom. Does anyone have suggestions for shelving in the playroom? I was thinking about replicating the MDF shelving like PBK has but am a little concerned about the sturdiness. Would this hold up if he decided to climb on one of the shelves? Would it be better to go with solid wood? I was also thinking about fixing the shelves even though adjustable would be nice. I assume that adjustable shelves would be more likely to slide out if a child was pulling a basket or tub of toys off one of the shelves. I would really appreciate any feedback! What about floor coverings? We have a hardwood floor and I would like to put down a large rug to cover most of this. I want the rug to be comfortable for sitting on and also neutral in color (the toys, books, etc. are colorful enough!) Please, please help as I am tired of looking at the toys just sitting on the floor! If you have any pictures of your playrooms that would be great too!

Thanks so much,
Karla
Mom to Jackson 9.16.02

JulieL
06-07-2004, 03:08 PM
Here are some links I found, you may find something useful there:

http://interiordec.about.com/cs/articl2/a/org_storagekids.htm

http://nd.essortment.com/kidroomsdecor_rdaw.htm

http://interiordec.about.com/od/boysrooms/

http://www.bhg.com/bhg/decoratinggallery/search/index.jhtml;jsessionid=CQP1TSRODKRUDQFIBQPSCZWAVAB CIIV0?_requestid=70579

Hope this helps a little:-)

raynjen
06-07-2004, 08:37 PM
MDF for shelving will (in most cases) be stronger than solid wood. This is because while 'real' wood has an orientation (what you think of as grain) MDF doesn't. So thinner pieces of wood (like shelves) tend to split along the grain.

Adjustable shelves shouldn't pull out even when pulling stuff off them. There are two ways of ensuring this. One is that a shelving unit will have facing boards, think of your kitchen cabinets in order to move shelves up or down you usually have to tilt them up at one end so they are at an angle before you pull them out. The second way is by having small grooves on the underside of the shelves - the pegs which support the shelf fit in these grooves so to pull a shelf out you first have to lift it up off the pegs.

One thing to keep in mind - if you are having these shelves built on site be sure you have good ventilation. MDF particles (only when being cut) are unfriendly to lungs. This IS NOT something you need to worry about hanging around the house ONLY when they are being cut or sanded.

In a prior life I was an architect so I am definitely speaking from experience here!

Good luck! Post pictures when you are done.

Jen in Okinawa
Mom to Noelle (2 1/2)

edited to add: Be sure that, whatever you go with, you fasten the tops of the bookcases to the wall to keep them from tipping.

jacksmom0902
06-12-2004, 12:49 AM
Thanks so much for the links. They are helpful, especially in the rug decision area. It looks like I may need to reconsider my rug choices.

Thanks again,

Karla
Mom to Jackson 9.16.02

jacksmom0902
06-12-2004, 12:53 AM
Thanks so much for your expert advice! I actually prefer the look of the MDF and didn't realize that it would be stronger than the solid wood. That's great info to have. Oh yes, we'll definitely have the cabinets fastened to the wall. Jackson isn't much of a climber yet, but I'm sure our day is coming! I'll be sure to post pics when the room's finished.

Thanks again,

Karla
Mom to Jackson 9.16.02

mom2kandj
06-12-2004, 03:26 AM
We recently bought an older home that has a full wall of built in bookshelves in one bedroom. The built ins are not new, but were made of MDF and they used moulding along the front to keep the shelves in place. Our shelving is 12 inches deep and the two side units are 24 inch shelves while the middle units are 36 inches. If I had done the built ins, I'd have tried to use an 18 inch depth.

We are still planning on adding one additional shelf to each unit as soon as I can get to Home Depot without the kids! KWIM? :) Keep in mind that you will only be able (or comfortable with your DS) to use the bottom half of the shelves as your little guy won't be able to reach that high. I plan on using the upper shelves to house knickknacks, collectibles, pictures, etc.

BTW, the bins are from Target and cost $1.49 for the medium sized basket and $1.99 for the large. The bins are Target's summer colors, but they also had the same exact baskets in the storage area in white with gray trim or royal blue with white trim. DS's room will eventually have a crazy Hawaiian theme to it, so the bright colors appealed to me! :)

I've attached pics for you to get an idea of our wall. HTH! Good luck!


Rose
mom 2 Katie 12/02/00
& Jack 04/16/02

http://www.windsorpeak.com/dc/user_files/7593.jpg


http://www.windsorpeak.com/dc/user_files/7594.jpg

Melanie
06-13-2004, 04:51 PM
Nice built-ins!

We don't have a 'playroom' as Ds plays in whatever room we are in, but we use a lot of shelving for toy storage. I read something when he was an infant that suggested that over toy boxes as makes things more readily interesting to them. Of course now that he has some toy sets with lots of pieces we are doing some basket-storage as well.

I would love to do shelving like that someday in one of the bedrooms...it's beautiful. Maybe if we have 2 boys we can have one bedroom and one playroom, although I suspect at 3.5-4 year age difference (or more!) they may not want to share.

jacksmom0902
06-14-2004, 04:44 PM
It looks like a great playroom and I love your shelving, especially the beadboard on the back. That gives me another idea!! The bins are very cute too. I did break down and buy the rug from Lowe's that has the town with the streets on it. Jackson seems to like it and it goes well with the other funky colors we have in the room so far. I guess what I really need to do is pick a color for the walls now. I know I want white shelving and our floors are kind of a honey color. We have the IKEA Mammut table and chairs so I guess I need to work around that. I saw a Divine Design episode where she did a playroom using the same blue and green as the Mammut set but that was in the basement and our playroom is in the front of our house. I'm trying to stay a little closer to a neutral.

Thanks so much for the pictures - what a great play space!

Karla
Mom to Jackson 9.16.02

mom2kandj
06-14-2004, 05:14 PM
The builtins are actually in DS's room. To accommodate as much play space as possible, his room only has his twin bed, a toybox, a lamp and the builtins in it(everything is pushed up against the opposite wall from the shelves). His drawers are in the closet(thank goodness it is on the big side) and he doesn't have a desk. At this age, we are just trying to give him as much floor space as possible. The only thing that we would consider adding to the space in the next two years, would be a train table. FWIW, we got rid of over 1/2 of the kids toys during the move. It was really hard, but DS wasn't really playing with everything, and our new organization system is actually working and both kids help put away the toys in the right place! :)


Rose
mom 2 Katie 12/02/00
& Jack 04/16/02