Sexy Storage: Columbia Shelf by ModLoft

Book storage is one of the space problems my family has always had. As we speak, my mother has stacks of books lining the walls of her home. Mine are tucked away in boxes, with no place to put them.  Whenever I think of bookshelves, I think back to the old, very traditional wooden shelves we had in our living room when I was a child. Of course, I didn’t notice it much back then, but those were some ugly shelves. Seriously. I love shelving that will allow me to display books, photographs and whatever else beautifully.

So this Columbia Bookcase from Modloft is one after my own heart. It features 12 cube compartments and an open back. I love open-backed shelving, particularly in small rooms. Because you can see the wall color through the shelf, it will make the room appear larger and feel less boxed-in. And if you’re feeling adventurous, you can even paint the wall behind the shelf a different color — perhaps a lighter or darker shade of your main wall color.

The cubes are also the perfect shape and size for storage baskets, so you can hide all those “little things” that always seem to end up on shelves that don’t belong there.  The cubed construction also means it can work well in lots of rooms. Use it in your living room to display your favorite books, photos and art, or put it in a child’s room and get a two-for-one value: Use storage baskets on the bottom shelves for easy, reachable storage, and put books and stuffed animals on the upper shelves.

Why It’s Green:

• Modloft’s wood comes from sustainable Malaysian forests, and their extended team of partners ensures it’s extracted and managed responsibly.

Price: $750 (aff)