How To: Turn a Deep Baseboard into Storage

Wow, those baseboards stick out really far, we thought when we looked at our apartment for the fist time. Our century-old building was recently renovated and electrical wiring couldn't be added in the walls. So, the builder created a baseboard with space inside for running wiring to electrical outlets. Great idea, except it leaves us with a baseboard that sticks out 3" from the wall! So, on the bed wall, we're using the baseboard to partially support a long, low shelf...

The shelf will hold books, the printer and wireless hub you see currently on the floor in the corner, and a reading lamp and clock near the bed. The back end of the shelf will be supported by our fat, fat baseboard and the front end will be supported with a yet-to-be-devised leg structure. A trip to our local Canadian Tire hardware department got the wheels turning and we're now super excited to have a little project in the works!

Watch for an update in a couple of weeks when the shelf is (hopefully) complete and we have a real bed instead of that air mattress that's currently filling in.

Comments (6)

Somehow I don't see moving the visual clutter from the floor to a low open shelf is going to be much of an improvement - Why not instead use the top of the baseboard to help support the back of credenza with doors where you can stash all the stuff behind doors?

The first thing I thought of was to use the low-shelf as a ledge artwork in the gallery style (see the multitude of recent posts). Take the art from floor to ceiling.

Can't wait to see how the project progresses!

awesome idea! I agree with karazy... art from floor to ceiling. Lean a full length mirror on the shelf, use it instead of a bedside table. I used to have baseboards like these and I never knew what to do with them.

All good ideas!

This also gives me some ideas for renovating our bedroom -- one of the walls is brick, so adding wires is impossible on that wall ... until reading this!

Yeah, I agree that this was actually a pretty ingenious way to add an outlet to a wall. I never would have thought of that! 3" deep seems excessive, but maybe you need that much clearance for the outlet. Heck of a lot better solution than an orange extension cord, which is probably what I would have done! lol

I think if I were in this situation, I would try to make a built-in-looking extension on the baseboard that would be 18" deep or so and build it around the bed, like a bed platform. Then I'd put drawers in it to store stuff in, but also have the top of it as a bookshelf, display, "nightstand", art shelf, whatever...