How to Organize Your Books with Storage Cubbies

The nightstands were fashioned from concrete blocks that were rescued from the street outside the building. Photo by Alan Gastelum.

Exposed pine boards dominate the interior, giving a subtle, warm backdrop to the splashes of color that his stove and collection of books provide.

When it’s time to eat or do homework, the adults lower the tabletop, revealing a dozen book cubbies.

Confronted with limited space to build the staircase needed to access the living area and bedroom on the second level, General Assembly designed a custom solution. "These stairs are not an ideal design for everyone and shouldn't be used as primary stairs—we like to think of them more as millwork with a little bonus to it, than an actual staircase," Zames says. "The cube construction of the stairs actually came from a budget standpoint. We were very tight on budget and wanted to maximize the material as much as possible."