A Crafty Little Bookcase

I have posted this on my Tumblr site, but I thought I'd stick it on here too. 

I spent a long time thinking about how I wanted the nursery to look. Obviously it had to be a bit vintage-y, retro-y, erm crafty-y, thrifty, bright, unisex and fun. There are certain things I didn't want, such as clutter, Winnie the Pooh (Disney stylee) or anything dangerous... obviously.  I've gone for an eclectic nursery with craft, vintage and up-cycled/re-purposed items in; I obviously didn't want to get furniture from any old high-street shop.

One piece of furniture that was definitely needed was storage for books: it was important in the design of our nursery that the books are safely stored but easily accessible. 

So here is a re-purposed item, which I think is perfect for storing books for little people: a hand-made herb planter.

I was inspired by the book shelves you find in libraries, where the children can flick through the books. And probably inspired by the storage in vinyl record shops. So I was on the look out for something suitable for a while.

After spending much time on EBay I came across this unpainted herb planter, made from reclaimed timber, for £15. I made sure the timber hadn't been treated with chemicals and bought through Buy It Now.

Just to be sure I sanded it down before I painted it. 

The paint used was a paint designed for nurseries and children's rooms and furniture. After looking on the internet and reading up (for ages) about paint safety for children, it seems regular VOC (volatile organic compound) free paint from any DIY shop would be suitable these days. Most paint sold is now VOC-free, but always check the label. It's purely personal preference (well, my husband's demand) that a (pricey) paint that claims to be suitable for children to chew on was used. 

Knowing the colour of the walls was going to be a bluey-green, I wanted a vivid contrasting colour for the bookcase.  I opted for a soft yellow. 

Once painted, I stuffed it with lots of books I had/remember having as a child - books I have kept, and ones I bought at boot sales, charity shops and vintage book shops. 

I absolutely love our re-purposed herb planter bookcase but we do have far too many books to fit in it. Hopefully though, when she's older, Aurora will use it just for her best loved books.