Hiya
i'm a big fan of
www.marthastewart.com. Theres loads of cool ideas for maximising space and storage. I love the one of hanging a curtain in front of shelves to hide the clutter, perhaps in daughters rooms you could hang one a bit out from the shelves (it depends on the depth of the alcove and the depth of the shelf) and it turns into a cool space for little people, they can use it as a puppet theatre, a dress up space, a hiding place ....