Putting a little balance back in my life
Lately I've spent a lot of time alone in my apartment staring at a blank wall. No, it's not a sign of encroaching dementia (though some might beg to differ). It's actually my way of working up to my next big project.
It's been nearly two years since I built the fireplace-flanking cabinets and single bookcase in my living room. At the time I thought one bookcase would do—and at $300 for the materials it was all I could afford—but it was filled before I unpacked the last box. I've always thought it looked too crowded, and a bit unbalanced. So now I'm ready to give it a friend on the opposite side of the mantel, covering a wall that's been sadly unadorned for too long.
Problem is, I need a little help with the design.
The wall to the right of the fireplace is much wider than the wall on the left. I built the first set of shelves with plywood (using a method we'd detailed in Homeowner's Handbook). But at that width, plywood will bow under the weight of the books. It needs some central support.
Also, the cabinet on the left is integral to the shelving, but the cabinet on the right pulls out so I can get to the back of the electronics. So I need to shape the bookcases around the cabinet so it looks like the cabinet is built in but it's still free to pull out.
Should I design it so it has a big leg down the middle? Should I only make it as wide as it's companion, not going all the way to the wall? One great suggestion I got from my colleague, Amy Hughes, is that I build it as cubbies, so I can display, as she put it, objets along with my books (which certainly won't fill both big bookcases). I liked that idea the best, but then I wondered if I should insert cubby dividers on the left too, so they look like one big built-in. And should the cubbies be random and asymmetrical?
That's all I can contemplate at this point. But after I finish the shelves, I need to conquer the dilemma of how to make doors for the cabinets that hide the electronics but still open easily and out of the way.
Will this apartment ever be finished??
Posted by Alex Bandon | Categories: Endless List of Projects, Living Small | Permalink
(2) Comments
Here are my thoughts...
If you build it the same width as the existing (not going all the way to the wall) then you may end up with some dead space in that corner that you can't do much with. Maybe put a plant/tree there?
Convert the unit that holds the electronics so the shelves are on drawer slides, thus still allowing you access behind but keeping the unit itself stationary. This way you can build the rest of the shelving unit just like the left side.
Combining the two ideas above, build the right side unit so it's proportional to the left. Since the span is too long for shelves, if you built it so you supported the center of the book case it might not look "correct" with the left side. The left side will be wider than either of the two right sides. I would build the right side so the support for the shelves is at the same width as the left side. Does that make sense?
Say your left side is 4' and the right is 6'.
If you build it so its:
4'shelves | fireplaces | 3'shelves | 3' shelves
It may not look right to the eye.
I'd suggest:
4' shelves | fireplace | 4' shelves | 2' shelves
I think that visually may look better.
Or you could just call Norm. :-D
Damn, Jay beat me to my suggestion, which would be to match the width of the left shelves for the location of the divider.
In the remaining space you could put something different, like the cubbies or even put doors on the bottom ones (for some unsightly storage).
As for how to make it fit around the electronics shelf, I wouldn't begin to guess without knowing a lot more.
Good luck, looks like a fun project.