Shelves for a children's room: 60+ photos, ideas for girls and boys

Wall shelves for a nursery must meet a number of requirements:

practicality (wide, roomy);
reliability (strong fastenings);
environmental friendliness (material - wood, a combination of wood and plastic, chrome-plated elements; should not be coated with chemical compounds that emit an unpleasant odor);
correspondence to the theme of the room design.

Shelves for schoolchildren should also have many sections. And in the nursery for the little ones, it is better to place furniture with rounded outlines so that the baby does not get hurt on a sharp corner.

Proper organization of workspace in a room for two girls: tables by the window, elegant hanging shelves made of wood and chrome elements on the wall.

You will find more ideas on how to successfully position a table along the window in our photo selection.

Varieties

There are several types of structures.

Wall mounted

Due to this arrangement, these models will not clutter up the space and will provide maximum savings in usable space. Securely fixed shelves are safe and convenient enough to place toys, books, dolls, cars and other things. For a younger child, it is advisable to choose structures equipped with a side that protects against falling objects.

Floor-standing

They represent the most practical design, which, if necessary, can be easily moved to another place. Floor-standing models can have a wide variety of configurations and perform different functions. Such storage systems are quite spacious and can withstand heavy loads.

The photo shows white floor shelves in the interior of a nursery for a newborn.

Open

They are considered the most universal solution, through which you can significantly transform the decor of a child’s room, emphasize its style and give the space a certain airiness. The only disadvantage of such products is their impracticality and frequent cleaning due to the rapid accumulation of dust.

Closed

Such unusually functional shelves, due to closed facades, help maintain order in the room and provide systematic storage for a wide variety of items, such as clothes, books, toys and other things.

The photo shows a children's room for two girls with closed shelves with glossy pink fronts.

Shelving

These horizontal or vertical structures are very often installed in the nursery, as they competently organize the space and visually make it easier. Racks are sometimes equipped with partitions, drawers and boxes, pallets, back walls and various cabinets.

Combined

Products combined with a cabinet are especially useful when you need more space to store children's things. Thanks to such an additional module, it is possible to significantly expand the functionality of the nursery.

Built-in

Thanks to the built-in models, it is possible to rationally use every centimeter of the room. Shelves located in a niche are perfect for any purpose and undoubtedly become the original highlight of the entire room.

Rules for choosing designs

The nursery should be comfortable, safe, create ideal conditions for the child’s development and the formation of useful skills. Furniture for storing books in a nursery is selected taking these factors into account. The main criteria are:

library scale, perspectives;
area of the room, availability of free space, its dimensions;
the child’s age, his habits, preferences;
features of the interior, its style;
financial opportunities.

The size of the structure depends on the area of the children's room

A preschooler's library may be small, including 10-15 favorite books. Sometimes parents do not consider it necessary to purchase a lot of literature; they teach their child to visit libraries from an early age or organize a book exchange with other families. In this case, it is enough to hang a children's book shelf. The shelf is selected taking into account the specifics of the interior and the age of the child.

Many parents who want to instill and support a love of reading in their children prefer to create a home library. It provides an opportunity to re-read your favorite works and creates a lasting interest in literature, which will definitely come in handy in life. For such a growing reader, you need to install a bookcase or bookcase in the nursery. This furniture will provide an opportunity to place a solid library and expand it as the child grows up.

Spacious bookcase for children's rooms

It is necessary to provide the child with access to books. The baby will not be able to get his favorite fairy tales in the closet or on a large shelf. This placement creates a risk of falling and injury. In a preschooler's room, you can install a floor-mounted children's shelf for books and hang low-wall structures taking into account the child's height.

The price range for furniture designs in this category is quite large. Every consumer will be able to choose models. It is not necessary to purchase expensive products made from natural wood. You can choose from an assortment of inexpensive, safe furniture.

Materials

In the manufacture of shelves, a wide variety of materials are used:

Wooden.
Metal.
Plastic.
Chipboard/MDF.
Drywall.
Glass.

The photo shows shelves made of plasterboard in the interior of a children's room for a girl.

Basic requirements for furniture for children's books

A rack, cabinet or shelf for books in a nursery must meet several criteria. When purchasing this furniture, you need to focus on the specific purpose and requirements for furniture for a children's room. The design should:

create high-quality conditions for storing the entire child’s library;
provide ease of use;
guarantee safety;
fit harmoniously into the interior.

Shelves for books should fit harmoniously into the interior

Printed publications of different sizes will have to be placed on shelves in a rack, cabinet or wall. The design must provide the opportunity to find a place for each book. Each of them requires free access so that the child can take the desired work at any time.

A storage facility for children's books will take part in instilling in a child a love of cleanliness. The furniture should provide convenience for the neat arrangement of books. This will help your baby easily maintain order.

A storage system will help your child maintain order.

A rack, wall, or shelf for children's books must be safe. It is necessary to pay attention to the material of manufacture, stability, and reliability of the design. This furniture is an important element of the interior. The harmony of its combination with decoration and other furnishings should be taken into account. The shelves should successfully complement the design of the children's room.

Shapes and sizes of shelves

Quite often in the design of a nursery there is a set of shelves consisting of individual square-shaped modules. Such designs, due to their elegance and strict geometric proportions, are a pleasant addition to any design. In addition, elements in the form of squares can be arranged in different ways, thereby achieving the desired composition. An excellent option for creating a comfortable interior in a small room would be compact small shelves.

Corner models, which are distinguished by a variety of design solutions, cope most successfully with saving free space in space. These shelves can have a simple and concise design, have rounded edges, be symmetrical, or be supplemented with side walls.

Design ideas

To create a comfortable atmosphere, designers offer several interesting ideas:

For young children, it is better to choose designs in the form of objects (car, plane, tree, cloud).

Brightly colored shelves harmonize well with wallpaper in calm shades. They complement the overall style of the room.

For small rooms, corner shelves or shelves around the window are suitable.

Do not underestimate hanging options with belts or ropes. With their help you can create a unique composition.

Children can decorate the white shelves themselves with special stickers. This will involve them in the process of decorating the room, and will also allow you to diversify the interior.

Design of interesting children's shelves

In order to further emphasize the individuality of the children's interior, choose interesting and original shelves made of environmentally friendly wood, plywood or chipboard, made in the form of cars, a car garage, a train, a rocket, a boat, wood and other things.

You can create bright interior accents using models equipped with multi-colored lighting, small LED lamps or classic spotlights. By placing such structures above the bed, you can also provide your child with comfortable reading before bed.

The photo shows a children's wall shelf, stylized as an airplane.

For older children, unusual, more solid products are suitable, stylized as a semicircular sphere, a spiral, a ladder, or, for example, models in the form of skateboards.

In the photo there is a room for a girl with shelves in the shape of a white cloud.

Also quite fashionable and stylish solution are hanging open or closed shelves on ropes or cords attached to the wall or ceiling.

The photo shows house shelves in the interior of a children's room for a girl.

Color scheme and style

After determining the type of shelves for the children's room, you need to choose their color. At this moment, you need to rely not on the personal preferences of the parents, but on the general style, size and lighting of the room, and the child’s desires.

Small rooms are suitable for calm shades - white, beige, light green, soft pink, lemon. They visually expand the area and make the interior unobtrusive. Calm tones are diluted with bright toys that the child can arrange independently.

For bright rooms with pastel-colored wallpaper, brightly colored shelves are suitable - blue, green, red, orange. The choice of shade depends on the preferences of the children and the shape of the shelf. For a cloud it is better to choose blue, turquoise colors, and for a tree green or light green are suitable.

You should not burden the interior with numerous bright elements - this will create a feeling of a crowded atmosphere.

Children's wall shelves are made in several styles:

hi-tech - light, small structures that are attached directly to the wall;

modern - products of regular geometric shape;

classic - rectangular and corner options.

The choice of furniture style depends on the child’s opinion, interests, and hobbies. It is important not to overdo it, but to make the interior simple, comfortable and functional.

Colors

The most common option is white shelves, which harmoniously complement any stylistic decision of the nursery and are advantageously combined with various shades. These products can blend in with the wall decoration or, on the contrary, create unusual contrasts. No less popular is the use of designs in blue tones, which have a positive calming and calming effect.

The interior of a child's room can be diluted with colored shelves in bright yellow, orange, red, green or other more saturated colors. Thus, it turns out to significantly enliven the nursery environment and create a truly rosy atmosphere in it.

Drywall

This type is very rarely used for children's bedrooms. It is unknown why. Probably this material just doesn’t fit well into the decoration of a child’s room.

Shelves are a necessary part of decorating a children's bedroom. After all, they are very convenient for storing things and objects that “clutter” the room.

And on the shelves these things can be beautifully placed and the room will be in order. And various options and styles of shelves for the nursery will help transform your bedroom where your child will live.

How to place it in the room?

Popular places to place shelves.

Above the bed

For safety reasons, it is not recommended to install overly bulky structures or fill them with heavy objects above the child’s sleeping place. The best solution would be to use several lightweight shelves in an unusual design.

The photo shows over-bed shelves made of wood in the design of a children's room.

Over the table

For convenient storage of school and office supplies, textbooks, books and other necessary things, shelves are often installed above a desk or computer desk. Also, sometimes a stylish and spacious single-level, multi-tiered or corner console is sometimes hung above the work area, on which you can place various pictures, photo frames and other trinkets.

Near the window

Thanks to such furniture elements located near the window or as a frame around the window opening, it is possible to achieve maximum savings in usable space, which is especially important in the design of small rooms. The window-sill space can be equipped with a low shelving unit, supplemented with a mattress and sofa cushions, thereby turning it into a cozy resting place.

The photo shows the interior of a children's room with shelves located under the window openings.

In the corner

Designs installed in the corner allow you to intelligently optimize space, save free meters and give the room special functional practicality. Such models contribute to the rational placement of various necessary things, leaving them freely accessible.

In a niche

Shelves become an excellent addition to the wall recess. The niche provides these products with the required support, which allows you to place heavier objects on them.

How to make a shelf with your own hands

Plywood is the main material from which shelves are made

It is not necessary to buy the structure from Ikea or another furniture store. You can make a shelving unit for a nursery yourself. To complete the work you will need the following tools and materials:

Plywood and boards. To make a reliable rack you will need plywood with a thickness of at least 15 millimeters.
Brackets. It is recommended to use brackets made from untreated wood. When purchasing, be sure to check the maximum load available for them.
Dowels. These are fasteners with which the boards will be fastened to each other.
Drill. Needed to create mounting holes.

The process of manufacturing a children's shelf is carried out in several successive stages:

Scheme development. First you need to make a drawing of the future structure and calculate all the dimensions.
Preparation of materials. Plywood and boards must be cut to size in advance. The surface and ends are carefully processed with sandpaper.
Assembly of the structure. After preparing the materials, you can begin assembling the rack. You need to attach the boards and plywood very carefully so that the shelf you make is reliable.

The assembled structure must be covered with two layers of paint or varnish and left to dry. It will take at least a day to dry.

What to put on the shelves?

Options for filling shelves in the nursery interior.

For books and textbooks

Such models, first of all, must be distinguished by high strength, reliability and withstand significant weight. Racks or shelves not only provide organized storage of books and textbooks, but also, due to their beautiful design, create an exclusive and creative interior. Narrow slats are also often used, which require books to be positioned with the covers facing forward.

The photo shows narrow white bookshelves in a children's room for a girl.

For toys

For toys, open or closed structures are chosen, or shelving is installed, complemented by boxes, wicker baskets or plastic containers that can be placed in sections in any order. The optimal solution for storing cars is a shelf with separate cells, each of which can easily accommodate a toy car.

For children's things

Models equipped with coat hooks or a hanger rod are considered a more functional and practical option. Such products are especially relevant in the design of a nursery for a newborn, where they are mainly installed next to the changing table.

Under TV

Such products can have a wide variety of designs and be made of any materials. Most often, wall-mounted models or racks are chosen for the location of TV devices and other equipment.

Flowers, decor, crafts

Open shelves or closed structures with transparent facades will be an excellent option for visually demonstrating children's crafts or various decor that does not need to be hidden.

Types of structures for storing children's books

An extensive range of furniture provides the opportunity to choose a model for any purpose, taking into account all factors. For children's printed products you can purchase:

bookshelf;
furniture wall;
rack;
open hanging shelves;
floor shelf;
mobile cart.

An example of storing books in a nursery

Each type of furniture has its own characteristics, advantages and disadvantages. It is necessary to carefully consider the options so that a cabinet, rack or children's book shelf provides maximum convenience and meets all requirements.

Home craftsmen can build a storage unit for their child’s books with their own hands. On the Internet you can find many original ideas for such designs. Consumables for them are available in every building materials store.

Age characteristics of choosing shelves

A few things to choose from:

In a child's nursery, it is recommended to install models with rounded outlines, without the use of mirrors and glass, to ensure maximum safety.
Products for a schoolchild should be equipped with many sections in which study supplies will be stored.
For a teenager’s room, deeper designs with strict shapes in the form of squares, rectangles, minimalist narrow models or modern transforming shelves are best suited.

Choosing a shelf depending on age

Transformable shelf - a great choice for a teenager

When choosing a shelving unit for a nursery, it is necessary to take into account the age of the baby. There are several useful recommendations that will help you make the right choice and avoid mistakes when buying a shelf:

From 3 to 6 years. The choice of furniture for a room for children of this age must be taken very seriously. At an early age, children are very careless and therefore often injure themselves. To somehow protect your baby from injury, you need to choose shelves with rounded corners. The structure must not contain glass or mirrors.
From 6 to 13. From the age of six, children begin to attend school and this must be taken into account when choosing a shelf. It is recommended to buy designs that have many sections. Such products are quite roomy and therefore can accommodate all the basic school supplies.
From 14 to 16. In adolescence, you can already think about buying deeper shelves. You can purchase products that have a strict style. In this case, the shape of the structures may be different. Most often, models made in the form of rectangles or squares are chosen.

Shelf ideas for girls

The traditional solution for a girl will be products in white, pink, crimson, lilac or other beautiful and delicate colors. A variety of designer shelves will not only help organize a comfortable storage space for various items, but will also create a unique designer interior.

Since the little princess’s room contains mainly a large number of things, it is sometimes decorated with spacious shelving, stylized as a castle or house.

Hanging shelves

They are quite compact, as a rule, made of light and durable materials. Particular attention is paid not only to special impregnations (antiseptics and moisture-resistant compounds), but also to the reliability of fastenings.

The advantage of using wall-mounted children's shelves is that they can be used in small spaces (for example, in studio apartments, old Khrushchev-era apartment buildings).

A selection of photos for boys

The main colors are green, blue, blue, gray shades or subdued colors. For a boy, both a laconic model and products reminiscent of a ship, plane, car or fortress would be appropriate.

By using shelves and racks, it is possible to achieve a more neat appearance of the room and teach the boy to order and responsibility.

The photo shows a white open shelf above the bed in a teenage boy’s room.

Floor structures for storing books

Floor-mounted children's book shelves are the best option for little readers. These designs are compact, consisting of 2-4 tiers. There are also dimensional systems that allow you to place not only books, but also toys and creative supplies. The choice of model depends on the availability of free space and the area of the room.

Floor structures have several significant advantages. These shelves:

have maximum stability;
guarantee safety in operation;
provide full access to books even for a small child.

Floor-standing bookshelves offer maximum stability

There are many different options in the category of floor-standing children's book shelves. The design can take the form of a vertical shelf consisting of boxes or open shelves. It can be a horizontal, square, rectangular structure, including several cells. This design allows you to sort literature and place other children's things in boxes.

Spacious floor design for books

Compactness and spaciousness make these models the best option for a small nursery where you need to save every centimeter. For example, you can purchase a horizontal system for your baby’s room, which will become a place for games and creative activities. Tall structures are perfect for interior decoration for a schoolchild who has a lot of books and accessories in his arsenal. Determining a place for each item allows you to accustom your child to order, simplify the process of cleaning, and finding the right things.

Examples of design in various styles

The classic style is characterized by a presentable look of furniture, which is mainly made of natural wood. Such designs have elegant shapes and symmetry; moldings, carved, forged parts and other elegant elements are often used as decoration. For the marine direction, lightweight models made of wood with a faded effect or products in white shades are appropriate.

In the Provence style, the shelves are distinguished by their natural design, vintage design, light shades and decor, in the form of painting or decoupage.

Cabinets and racks for storing books

Every bibliophile will tell you that the best storage for books is a closed bookcase. Indeed, this furniture creates ideal conditions for printed products. The cabinet reliably protects literature from external influences. For expensive books that will be stored for many years, these designs are ideal. Such furniture adequately decorates the interior and gives solidity.

However, a closet is not the best solution for a children's room. This option can only be used in the room of a teenager who already knows how to appreciate furniture and books and handle them with care.

A bookcase will protect books from dust

If your child has a large library, you can install a convenient bookcase in the nursery. This design makes it possible to conveniently place a lot of literature. In addition to it, crafts, souvenirs, accessories, etc. can be placed on the shelves. The range of such furniture is large, it is possible to choose a model for any interior.

Shelving has several important advantages. Designs:

have a large capacity;
have a universal purpose;
easy to use;
can be used in zoning.

Zoning a nursery using a bookcase

In the room of a schoolchild or teenager, you can install a classic model. A wide range of dimensions allows you to choose a design taking into account the size of the free space. If you have to set up a children's corner in the living room, the shelving can be used for zoning.

The range of this furniture also includes special models. For your baby's room, you can choose a special children's bookcase. These designs are small in size and provide the child with comfort and safety.

Special children's book rack

What are they?

At first glance, a children's shelving unit in the shape of a house looks like a simple design - a square around the perimeter and two boards placed in the shape of a pointed roof.

Talented designers have developed many different shelving houses - tiny and huge, for boys and girls, of different purposes and sizes.

We have prepared a selection of beautiful children's furniture, which clearly shows a variety of shelves and cabinets, reproduced by a rich designer's imagination.

With stairs

First, let's look at racks with ladders. They imitate a multi-storey building with steps to the upper floors, windows, interior doorways and even a balcony. Wider steps are used as miniature shelves. Despite the active semantic load, there is enough space on the shelves for a variety of children's things.

For boys

At a very tender age, boys and girls prefer to play with different toys; over time, this orientation becomes even more obvious. Taking into account the different tastes of children, designers produce a variety of doll houses and spacious shelving for collections of cars.

Some designs, in addition to exhibition spaces, contain a sloping shelf on which it is convenient for cars to roll. Other houses have drawers built between the shelves in which you can put spare parts from broken cars and other important things for boys.

For girls

Doll houses are produced in a wide range. Having such a toy rack in your nursery is every girl’s dream. The structure is constructed in the form of a multi-storey building with rooms for different purposes. Each “room” is furnished with its own furniture, among which entire families of dolls live.

Street racks

When the design of a children's room is subordinated to the “city” theme, it is difficult to get by with just one house. They produce furniture sets in the form of open and closed shelves, each of which is equipped with its own roof and represents one of the “buildings” built on the “city street”.

A simple open design with a series of pull-out bottom drawers.

The interior of the children's room is decorated with two sets of closed shelving houses, separated by an illustrated tree. On the improvised crown there are shelves made in the form of bird houses.

Another option for an integrated approach to placing shelves is in mini-houses and on trees.

This model of closed shelving is decorated with mirrored windows. The reflection of a real room creates the impression of habitability of furniture houses. The functionality of the product is enhanced by seven drawers.

The alternation of open and closed shelving with cozy windows is reminiscent of a row of houses on a beautiful city street.

Furniture wall in the form of a large house

We looked at how shelving located along the wall can be disguised as a street with houses. But there is another option for large-scale design of shelves - to place them in a single large house with a roof, door and windows. In this configuration, the wall not only acquires functional storage space, but also becomes a decoration for the children's room. We invite you to familiarize yourself with two examples of “big houses” equipped for a girl and a boy.

Shelves in children's furniture sets

Continuing the theme of using shelving in the overall furniture ensemble, we will consider ways to combine them with such important furnishings as cabinets, tables, beds, and also see how houses of different sizes harmonize with each other.

The large, three-color structure combines open shelving with glass-enclosed storage. The house has a front door with a number and a street lamp that hides a closet behind it. In the center there is a small table of a young student. The tree adjacent to the house is not just part of the interior, but also a magnetic board.

The second example relates to a boy's room , where the work desk was practically built between two pretty houses, placed on supporting legs.

In this room, the little girl’s bed found its place between the closet and the shelving unit.

Paired houses for boys and girls.

Wall-mounted mini-houses for small items.

Stylized houses

In interiors subordinated to a certain style, shelving is selected in accordance with the surrounding environment. There are trends in which houses are easily integrated - this refers to cozy, cheerful, village stories.

The rural theme in the children's room is supported by brickwork , a soft lawn carpet and furniture in the form of a mill, a grandfather clock, and a simple country-style house. All these products contain shelves and niches for storing children's things.

In the children's room, Provence can be felt in the rustic shelving house, painted in delicate colors, with doors in the form of a picket fence.

The theme of the French countryside can be seen in the shelving covered with textiles. It creates a cozy atmosphere on the terrace.

Description

Cold minimalism, a meticulously clean room, straight lines of shelving, even proportions - all this is not for children. They are just beginning to explore the world, their imagination draws houses, trees, boats, flowers, clouds around them. Children do not want to live in a boring world of rectangular shapes, where everything is ideally placed on shelves, straight and with the same proportions.

A rack in the shape of a house, a tree, a rocket, or a lighthouse will delight them and become a real habitable place. Children will want to arrange their own toys and books in furniture with ladders and windows, a roof and doors. By putting things in order in the house, kids are sure that the toys live in it, children develop imagination, they learn to clean, take care of dolls and cars, which in the future will form in them a sensitive attitude towards people and animals. It turns out that with a shelving unit in the shape of a house, the child simultaneously acquires high-quality furniture, an educational toy, and excellent interior decor.

In addition to the benefits for children's development, capacity and spectacular appearance, the houses are also affordable for every family; they do not belong to the expensive category of furniture.

Small, colorful designs can be made with your own hands, showing a little imagination.

It is not necessary to build a whole wall house; you can make a compact wall-mounted or table-top version.

If you end up with a roomy floor house, and you don’t want to traditionally install it against the wall, it will look great in the center of the room , or it will divide the children’s room into a play area and a place to study or sleep.

We’ve sorted out the size and location of the figured rack, now let’s turn to the materials from which children’s cabinet furniture is assembled. There are quite a few options - wood, MDF, plasterboard, plastic, fabric, glass and even metal. It is not recommended to use chipboard for a children's room. To create these slabs, toxic impregnations are used; when the temperature rises, they evaporate into the surrounding space.

As for the design features of shelving houses, they, like traditional analogues, can be open, closed, combined, have drawers, niches. In addition to floor, wall and tabletop options, corner models are also produced. They belong to the dimensional wall racks, which reproduce a fragment of the whole “city”. Each section of the wall is decorated with its own roof.

Photos of examples of children's interiors with shelves

A selection of interesting design solutions for shelves in the nursery: