In case you haven’t noticed I have a teeny tiny obsession with cubby storage. I just love everything about it. I love the perfectly aligned squares with the fabric bins that come in so many different colors and offer such a wonderfully uncluttered appearance. I love that everything gets hidden away but can be clearly labeled if needed so you know what’s inside.
Hmmm, which one of those bins is not like the other? 🙂
What I’ve not ever considered before though (and I have no idea why considering they are sold as a stackable item), is one other stunning possibility. Going vertical with them like my girlfriend did with hers here below by stacking one on top of the other.
Now that’s brilliant!
This idea is perfect for older kids or teens especially in a small space since it practically doubles your storage without taking up any additional space. Hola! (please don’t forget to secure to the wall if you have younger children)
I also love that you can now purchase doors (sold separately) for the fronts of your cubbies if you prefer to mix it up a bit. So many possibilities!
The cubby organizers are sold at most large department stores including Walmart, Target, Home Hardware, Canadian Tire and even Amazon.
Are you a cubby storage fan as well? I want to know about it! And if you’ve ever blogged about your beautiful cubbies, please by all means leave the link for me in the comments because I’m coming on over to drool…a lot!
Related posts:
Labeling cubbies and a free toy label printable
Joyce says
Love the stacking idea!! I think we will do this when we move the girls’ room around. We only have one right now though. The door is a neat idea too.
Christina says
My son has a very small room and recently graduated to a twin bed. We, of course, went with a captains bed with the drawers underneath so there was more storage.
I bought two cubby bins to use in place of his toy box but, once we got the bed in there, there wasn’t enough room for both. Ugh!
Then I came up with a brilliant idea. We had just enough room to put one of the cubbies at the head of his bed. TADA! Cubby headboard (similar looking actual headboard for the bed was $70+) with room for his bedtime books, tissues and stuffed animals he likes to have nearby.
It looks awesome and, except for the bottom 3 cubbies that are blocked by the bed, he has a cool place to keep his fav stuff.
I though about stacking them at first but, he’s 5 and a total BOY. Even attached to the wall I could just see disaster waiting to happen. Spiderman anyone? LOL
~C
Laura says
I love that idea, very creative!
Carly says
That sounds like a GREAT idea. Do you have a picture of the “headboard”? I would love to see it, that would be a great idea for my daughters bed. 🙂
Christina says
Here you go:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/christinavos/5349298112/
Emily says
We have one of these fabulous cubby units in our son’s closet (http://makeithappenmama.blogspot.com/2010/03/our-sons-closet-re-do.html), although I ended up filling it with baskets from my local dollar store, since at the time I couldn’t find affordable fabric cube bins. I’m so excited, though, as one of my friends took me to Garden Ridge this week (possibly my new obsession for wandering & admiring home organizing supplies!) and I found awesome fabric cube bins for about half the price of Target. Drooling…
Laura says
Love love love it!! Yes the fabric bins can be crazy expensive for sure but they do go on sale occasionally which is when I stock up. We made do with dollar store bins when I organized my sister’s front closet cubbies until she could afford the fabric ones.
https://orgjunkie.com/2008/07/organizing-your-closet-with-cubbies.html
I’ve never heard of Garden Ridge but it sounds awesome!
Christina says
My best friend took a nine-cubby unit and installed it on the wall as a hanging shelf…it works perfectly for her scrapbooking / craft supplies and is high enough that no little fingers can reach anything.
Laura says
That’s a terrific idea, and probably a lot less inexpensive than adding regular shelving which so isn’t cheap anymore.
Bethany LeBedz says
Love it! My version of cubbies is the Expedit bookshelf (4×4) from Ikea. Instead of the fabric bins, I went with the hard plastic ones because I can use them in place of filing cabinet drawers. See my office: http://bethanylebedz.blogspot.com/2010/09/new-bookshelf.html
Laura says
Ahh that’s beautiful! I’ve been eyeing up that Ikea unit myself. So completely functional and adds so much storage. Love it! Thanks for the drool 🙂
Verena says
My daughter is tickled to see her stacked cubbies on the blog. Finally, I mean FINALLY, we have some control in her room. 🙂
Tabitha Kokoska says
We have a 9 cubbie book shelf that we have been using forever. Come to think of it, it’s probably about 8 years old and still looks great. It’s a darker color and we use dark wicker baskets many of the cubbies to keep organized. I’m thinking though, that stacking two units as you did would make a lot more sense and give us more shelf space. Target, here I come! Thanks, we’re moving next month and this is now on my to do list!
Heather says
I like the idea of stacking cubbies, but since my kids are 2 & 3, it could be come an issue because I’m sure I’d find one of them scaling the shelf to reach their things. Once they’re a bit older, I plan to stack the shelves we have. In the meantime, I’ve taken pictures of the items that belong in each of the “cubbies”, laminated them and used zip ties to attach to the handle so the kids can attempt to put the toy back where it goes.
Kara says
I LOVE cubbies and the cloth storage boxes…have them in all the kids’ rooms, closets and toy room!
I’m just wondering what you use to label the fabric bins. I have been looking for metal “picture frames” to glue to the bin and put a label in (much like the ones on office storage boxes) but I haven’t been able to figure out where to purchase these. Can you tell me where to buy them? Or give me another idea to label my cloth bins? Thanks!!
Laura says
Here is one way I’ve labeled mine in the past:
https://orgjunkie.com/2007/11/organizing-kids-toys-just-got-a-whole-lot-easier.html
The link to my free toy label download is here:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/15001583/Kids-Toy-Labels
Hope that helps!
Anne says
I stacked these in my office at work. I had multiple magazines that I received and dealt with different types of papers – so each type of paper had its own cubby and the magazines did too. Worked beautifully! Plus I’m a visual person so better for me to be able to see all the options rather than have them hidden away…
Fran says
We use a 9-cube cubby in my son’s room. Loose Lego blocks go in plastic baskets and Lego creations go in the open cubes.
Fran says
The 9-cube cubby is not holding all the Legos, and we have been frustrated with the mess on the floor. I just looked in my son’s room and we CAN put another cubby on top. I can’t believe we never thought of that either! Thanks for the idea!!!
Heidi says
We got the 2×4 cubbies, turned them on the side, added a couple of doors and found a play stove-top for a perfect but temporary play kitchen area. We added a few bins for the food storage and other toys. Now that my kids are slightly older, I am glad I didn’t invest in one of the giant wooden or plastic play kitchens.
Also I really like the 2×4 cubbies because we can place them under our windows and they are an excellent height for preschool play. When the kids are older then I can use them vertically for more storage or stack them.
Living the Balanced Life says
My teenage daughter has a couple of these from target. She (and I) love them because if she gets tired of her arrangement, she can totally switch it up. Hers are only 2 shelves high and 4 wide. She can stack them, stand them up, lay them down or any combination of such.
Bernice
http://livingthebalancedlife.com/2010/get-a-whiff/
ter@waaoms says
I’m loving this idea!!!!!! I need shelves for my living room and maybe this is the way to go!!
Patricia Hines says
I really like how you arranged your cubbies. I have never blogged about them, but have used them. I also use the modular units for a closet in my living room. I have one with 2 shelves and 2 doors on the bottom and then 2 single drawer units above them and then an open 2 shelves on top. I think they look great. It is amazing what can be done with a low budget.
Alexia says
I just bought my first set of cubbies when I re-did my boys’ room this year and I am so in l0ve with them. It instantly made their room look 10 times better!
Ally's Corner says
Here’s a link to my blog showing what I did in my 6 year olds roon with cubbies.
http://allyscorner-ally0005.blogspot.com/2010/10/week-end-clean-out.html
office storage boxes says
Cool arrangement of cubbies . Their colors are so vibrant complementing the interior, giving the room extra space for children to have fun. But i don’t think cubbies are also ideal for office purposes. I don’t think it suits the idea. But, why should I not try. I bet,this would be one challenging idea for me to adapt. Lets say, I have all my files stored there. Will they be safe after I leave? Why not? But this one, is truly a perfect idea. Cubbies are really best for keeping all the things at home, though.
Anne says
I had no idea they have doors for these kind of cubbies now! I let out a gasp when I read that. Where can I get them from? I think I have the Expedit bookshelf from Ikea too. I haven’t labeled mine yet. I get my bins from The Christmas Tree Shops. Good prices. They aren’t the exact size but I like to put things on the side anyway. I don’t blog.
Laura says
I believe the doors are sold anywhere Closetmaid is sold. Here in Canada I know you can get them at Home Hardware for sure.
Megan L. Foote says
I am a huge fan of cubby-type baskets. They go anywhere. My closets and drawers are all built-in, which sounds much more functional than it really is. (This was done by he previous owners.) For example, I have a ton of open shelving above my drawers, which I believe is supposed to house my vast collection of cashmere sweaters. Well, guess what, I don’t own a single cashmere sweater–I’m a stay-at-home mom of 3 active kids. What I did need space for, though, was storage for personal items like journals. I’ve been journaling for over 25 years and the volumes have added up. Organized but private. They also fit on bookshelves in the kids’ rooms for those zillion items that will just end up on the floor unless they have a home. I haven’t even needed to buy the traditional cubby shelves because I’ve found so many places where they fit.
Adrienne says
Does anyone have any ideas on how to stack two 9 cubbies that arent sold as stacking? SO annoying! I always stack but didnt notice these weren’t sold that way. I’m thinking replacing the two screws on top with long headless screws, the top half into the one on top, bottom on existing, might work… in the past it was only two small dowels… and I wouldnt overload the top at all. Too small of space, have to go UP!