I can’t believe it’s week five of the One Room Challenge with Calling It Home! I’m making good progress, but I’m going to have to bust a serious move in the next week. Considering I’m posting about week five a day late, there’s a good chance I won’t be at 100% by next Thursday, but it’s looking good anyway. This week I tackled the biggest DIY project – taking basic Ikea shelving and creating the illusion of a built-in bookcase.
How to fake the look of built-in bookcases
The standard Billy is very basic in terms of design, and I want a little more visual appeal. I assembled three of the short Billy bookcases from Ikea. Then I bumped the center bookcase forward 3 inches to create the effect of built-in bookcases. Using 3/4″ MDF, I added topped all three bookcases to disguise the gap behind the bumped-out bookcase. The MDF was 11 1/2″ deep on the two end bookcases. The center piece was 14 1/4″ since the trim adds about 1/2″ to the overall depth.
Finally, I added trim to the front, following this general plan from I Heart Organizing. I used a miter box to cut trim pieces from some leftover chair rail that we had. Then I nailed everything on with a hammer and sunk the nails with a nail-set.
I caulked all the nooks and crannies, and painted the MDF and trim with a bright white to match the bookcases. This project would be easier with a nail gun and power saw, but I’m proud that I was able to do it without power tools. My arms are tired but I’m so happy every time I look at our new “built in” bookcase.
Here’s a list of projects that needed to be tackled to complete this room. I’ve crossed off everything that’s done so far.
Hang new curtains
New sofa & chair
Built-in bookcase project
Game/project table with benches
Console table behind sofa
Style bookcases
Hang art
Dresser or console on empty wall
Paint & stain railings
Throw pillows for sofa & chair
Lighting??
Good luck to all the other challenge participants in this final week!