The shelf is sturdy and can hold a lot of weight, which is great. Unfortunately, the images and description left out information that would have made me decide against purchasing. What you can't really see in the image is that each shelf is blocked by a crossbeam set just under 6 inches back from the front of the storage unit and is about 1.25 inches tall. If you zoom in on the top left of the image, you can just see one side of one of the beams. These beams exist under every shelf. They increase the weight-bearing capacity but limit the height of what can be stored. The beams make the top two shelves functionally the height of a standard paperback book. The functional maximum storage height is about 7.5 inches for each of the top two shelves and 11 inches for the bottom shelf. I intended this to be a bookcase for my classroom library. If I store nothing but loose, standard-sized paperbacks, it's great. If I want to store books in bins or have any books that are a little taller than standard paperbacks (or traditionally-sized hardcover picture books for the bottom shelf), I'm out of luck. If you need a sturdy shelf for low-height objects, this shelf is great. If you need the full (apparent) height of each shelf, you may find yourself frustrated, as I did. Wish Lakeshore would have shown and described the crossbeams.

I got this for my child's room.

The shelf arrived in perfect shape. With 12 inch deep shelves the kids can reach and see everything on the shelf. I love the light birch!