Materials: Ribba Picture Ledge
Description: We are renting, so I couldn't attach something to the walls. And we didn't have the space for a big reading nook but I wanted our toddler to be able to see his books and have them be at his height.
I looked through the garage and found 2 IKEA Ribba photo ledges we were not using.
1. I used a scrap piece of wood I found in the garage, that just happened to be the perfect size. I chose this height because I had two shelves - you can choose to make it higher. Your local hardware store may have a scrap wood section which could be a good place to look. They will usually cut to size for a very small fee.
2. One shelf is flush with the bottom to serves as the base - it is free standing on the floor as we can not make holes in the plaster walls. The top shelf I measured by the size of the books it would be holding - works since toddler books are generally short.
3. Used a remnant piece of fabric to cover pine board. Used staple gun to fasten - first the long ends, than the short, pulling taught with each staple. The seam of the fabric I hid under the bottom shelf, so back is seemless. As for the edges {short sides} - cut fabric short, like you are wrapping a present and then fold into itself and staple. You will see the staples on those edges - you can cover with a pieces of ribbon if you choose.
4. With fabric on, I attached first the bottom shelf, using a level to make sure it was even. You may need to choose shorter screws than the hardware that the shelves come with, depending on the width of board you used. Then I attached the top shelf.
Just his height and perfect for 5-6 books, a toddler doesn't need much more.
See more of the toddler bookshelf.
~ Alex T
