I think bookcases would work great. BTW, just in case no one tells you, anything LESS than 4,689,512 LEGO is NOT enough for a LEGO lover. They do NOT grow out of it and until you've had to decorate around a 3200 piece Star Wars, you'll just never understand. I've also been told there is no plural for LEGO, therefore, Legos is NOT a word! Ugly, never for a Lego lover.

a) Are bookcases a good idea? Our biggest headache is Lego sets that are assembled. I'm wondering if it's just going to be ugly to look at. Of course the alternative is ugly too...

I think that they are a wonderful idea just make sure to anchor them to the wall. You can put his Lego(s) in clear bins so that he can see inside and easily carry the bins. I put DS1's instructions and manuals in a binder that he can easily flip through.

b) Is this the right size? Should I fill up the entire wall? The room is only about 9 x 10.

I think the size is good - the higher shelves where he can't reach to get toys down from are perfect to display completed projects. If you can afford to fill the wall personally I would.

c) What finish? I'm thinking painted the same color as the trim? Furniture in the room is 50's maple.

I would paint to match trim.

Great idea!

If you do use tall bookcases, be sure to anchor them to the wall. I like short bookcases in children's rooms better-fewer worries about accidents.

I think it's a great idea. Just make sure it has adjustable shelves and it's deeper than your typical bookcase . 18" is nice.

When my son was about that age, one of friends' moms put a shelf all the way around the room, just below the ceiling, and displayed his finished lego projects there. It looked fantastic! I always wished we had done that. Just be sure the shelf is wide enough and far enough from the ceiling to accommodate most of the kits.

i was going to suggest what bestyears just did...

we put a shelf the length of our middle son's longest wall--i think it's 12" deep and probably about 12-15" from the (9') ceiling, painted it bright blue and used it to keep his favorite 'put together' legos. of course, there are other surfaces that house a couple of really big sets...! (ie:the taj mahal is in my dh's den!)

When my son was about 4 we built brick and board shelves. I bought clear pine boards in a length that would work with the bricks to fill one wall below the windows.....that is one wall about 12 feet long and no more than about 28 inches high. With small flooring bricks only 2 inches thick and various length of boards you could make any number of configurations. Not sure that would be enough space for what youw ant....but itw as all low and easily accessable.
Linda C

Actually, I think brick and board would look great in a boy's room. I would sand the corners of the board though, just in case.

Thanks everyone! :)

@ pps7 aggree with what you said on this: "I think it's a great idea. Just make sure it has adjustable shelves and it's deeper than your typical bookcase . 18" is nice."

Maybe he can display his favorites up there and then keep the rest in bins. The collection will surely continue to grow!

How about getting a combo hutch/bookcase so there are doors on the bottom to hide some of the works in progress (i.e. clutter)? Billy bookcases from IKEA with doors installed on the bottoms would work well. If you want deeper, then the IKEA Expedit is very nice. It's deeper, cube based and nice thing about it is you can purchase add-ons to covert some of the cubes to doors, storage baskets or leave open to display. They can be put either vertical or horizontal. I bought one for my DS when he was in middle school and have used it in a variety of configurations over the years. As for the color, my recommendation would be black.

Here is a link that might be useful: IKEA Expedit

Love your idea, and totally agree with Ttodd's take on it.
When my own DS was small, I used a 72"x72" bookcase for his toys, books and Legos. Ttodd's suggestion to use clear bins to hold his Legos, buying them small enough for him to carry around easily, is spot on. I use bins myself on DS's bookcase and they're a great help. I like the idea of a taller rather than a short bookcase because, as ttodd mentioned, the taller shelves will be great for displaying finished Lego creations. It's also a more practical option, IMO. Those added upper shelves will always come in handy for storage, even his out of season clothes is solid color bins, if you like. And, he is going to grow, so buying a taller shelf unit now is really just planning for the future. My own DS used his bookcase until he went off to college!
Lynn

We have the Linden Street toy storage from JcPenney for our 6 yo son. You can create your own with a combination of cubbies, drawers and shelves. The drawer is nice for stuff you want out of site. I put bins in some the cubbies and left other cubbies bare for books and display. I also display on the top. It's a create-your-own type of modular system:

http://www.jcpenney.com/jcp/X6E.aspx?GrpTyp=ENS&ItemID=1b28160&DeptID=83422&CatID=83498&SO=0amp;Ne=949+5+877+8+18&NOffset=2&shopperType=G&N=4294930662&Nao=0amp;PSO=0amp;bcCat=3&cmAMS_T=XGN3&cmAMS_C=MERCHA&cmAMS_Z=XGN3TOPOFRESULTS&CmCatId=83422:83498

and

http://www.jcpenney.com/jcp/X6E.aspx?Grptyp=ENS&ItemId=1ad21db&cmOrigId=1b28160&cmTypeFlag=RichRel&cmCatID=83422:83498

Just thought I'd share. If you like, you could design something like this on your own.

We have a ClosetMaid storage unit with canvas "drawers" in all 9 cubbies. It works beautifully for storing the small toys. The unit is available in different finishes and the drawers come in all different colors.

Here is a link that might be useful: Storage Unit