IKEA hacking a bookshelf unit
What I want is a built in library. I can't decide if a darker colour or white would be better but white would definitely be easier to build as the black brown colour from IKEA is harder to find in bits and would need to be painted to match. Regardless I probably still need to paint but at least I could paint less of the units if I can find a match to IKEA white (which inevitably would be easier to find than a match to the black brown).
This is what I like the look of:
The problem is units like the one above is about $3000. And that's on special.
I don't want to revert back to buying IKEA as it tends to chip and I really hate chipped items. I was thinking of getting it built at a pine shop and then we just paint it. I should still investigate that as an option as it could be a good compromise.
Otherwise it'll be an IKEA hack. Here are some good inspirations of IKEA hacks:
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| This page also has good details on how they added the crown moulding |
| This is based on the Hemnes range |
The area we want to deck out as the library is the one facing the courtyard so it will be fairly bright.
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| The lounge area is the library area |
An L shape makes it difficult in some ways depending on what we do.
A Billy bookshelf from IKEA costs $59 for a white version 80cm wide and 202cm high.
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| Billy bookshelf. Plain but so well priced it's hard to go past it as an option. |
Billy bookshelves are cheap! What I want to do though it optimise the height and get the shelves look like there were designed for the house. As our ceilings are 2590, we have around 2500 to play with.
There are add on units so we could make it an extra 35cm taller (237cm) at $30. But it seems like that still won't be high enough. So I was looking at what I can put under a standard Billy to give us the height. Something like a cupboard or drawer. But it was difficult to find something that is 80cm wide and less than 48cm.
But then I found Nordli drawers:
They aren't that exciting but they are the right height and come in 40cm and 80cm widths which is the same widths as the Billy bookshelves.
So it will kinda look like this when stacked on top (picture is the Borgso from IKEA):
Need to use my imagination but the drawers can be made 'shaker style' like this:
And the drawers will be shorter and the shelves will be taller.
The problem with this is how do the corner?
This is what happens when I mock it up in Sweet Home 3D
A Billy bookshelf in the corner could kinda work but it's too tight on the left wall and won't work (using a 40cm Billy). I could use a CD shelf but it may look too squished.
We'll also need a 'benchtop' between the Nordli and bookshelves. The thinking to get away from the plinth bit of the Billy is turn the bookshelf upside down and cover the plinth bit with the crown moulding. And maybe leave the top (now bottom) of the Billy off.
We can also cover the back board of the shelves with wallpaper type stuff that looks like painted white pine board:
Other additions to the 'hack' are the benchtop -- thinking of timber which I'll just paint in 'white', doors -- just the IKEA Oxberg ones (that match the Billy), cover strips (just painted moulding) where the bookshelf 'walls' are together, puttying the adjustable holes, drawer knobs and door knobs that look less modern.
Wow. A bit hack. But so much cheaper. The Nordli drawer units are $100. I've worked out we need 7 Nordli drawer units ($700), 7 Billy bookshelves (white is cheaper than the brown black ones) at $59 each ($413), Oxberg doors $50 each at 14 is $700, benchtop (not sure but likely to be something from Bunnings or Masters), allow $400, paint allow $300, knobs etc allow $200. Total around $2713. If we wanted the dark (brown black) it would be more expensive probably close to $3000. Still not cheap but definitely cheaper than buying built in bookshelves in the style we want.
It's all just thinking and a while away with so many other high priority projects. But at least I have some sort of budget for it...
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