Q: This whole room is yummy, but the low bookcases across the far wall are EXACTLY what I have been looking for. Except I can't seem to find anything close at the retail level. I've even wondered if there is an Ikea hack that could achieve the same look. Or will I have to find someone to craft it for me? They're not complicated… just elusive.
Sent by Kate
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Shaw's Original Fir...
Yes! Get a couple of Ikea Expedit units http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/20116274/ (usually plentiful on craigslist for half price or less) and screw some feet on, or go to home depot and get some 2x4's cut to the depth measurement (15 3/8"), paint them to match, and just nail them in before you assemble the bookshelf.
I am pretty sure you could find something at Ikea that would serve this purpose. Remember, it does not always have to be a bookcase. One can also use a tall and narrow kitchen cabinet flipped on its side.
Closetmaid has some, too.
Ikea Expedit units would work well. BUT, what about that couch on the left? Where do I find THAT??
Agreed with Ikea Expedit units with added feet. That will likely be your most economical solution.
Here is a great tutorial- if you're interested. --also using IKEA Expedit units.
http://pinterest.com/pin/49961877087362211/
I've been looking for the bookshelf in this exact picture for weeks. The original source said they were from Ikea and if they are I'm pretty sure it's a discontinued item. The closest thing I've found is the Billy wall shelf (http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/40116678/) with added legs. The Besta legs look like a similar shape but they only come in black and white.
You could also use the Prant storage boxes without the lid, sat on their sides (http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/30170864/). It's what I ended up doing because I like the look of them and you can stack them on top of each other as well.
Oh, and there's also the Rast nightstand! You can line a bunch of those up against the wall, but they don't have a back.
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/44361109/
Don't use expedits! It takes as long to put them together as it does to build real wood shelves that won't disintegrate if you get them a little wet.
Here's some instructions that are just about as easy as the expedit:
0) Tools you'll need: a hammer, a small drill and a screwdriver. if you have an electric screwdriver you probably don't need a drill.
1) Get some pine select wood from Home Depot (any type of wood works, but thats the cheapest good looking stuff): Have a 12 foot section of a 12 inch wide plank cut in half. Also have a long plank cut into six equal pieces (however tall you want the shelf). Finally, have a 1x2 board of the same wood cut into at least three foot-long sections.
3) Get eight galvanized 2" L braces, some elmer's wood glue and some 2 1/4" nails (if you can't find them, choose any long thin nail whose top you won't mind looking at). These L braces will reinforce the corners of the rectangle created by the two long pieces and two of the short pieces. Make sure to keep each corner flush with the brace (aka, 90 degrees). I'd recommend having the short piece entirely between the longer pieces, so that the top looks cleaner. Apply the glue, hold the side piece vertical on the long piece, and install the brace (this is the trickiest part, and will be easier with the help of a wall supporting the vertical piece. the screws for the brace may need to be pre-drilled if you have chosen a hardwood like oak. After that, hammer some finishing nails through the top and bottom into the side pieces.
4) Decide how you want to install the shelves. There are many solutions, some more elegant than others. The simplest is just glue and finishing nails, again.
5) if you want feet, I'd recommend a using a 12 inch long 1x2 plank of the same wood that you used for the shelf. Just glue them on vertically and hammer nails from the bottom up.
6) clean up the glue. If its dried then a little light sanding will do the trick. If you want to finish it, there are spray on varnishes that will protect the shelves for years (though you'll need ventilation).
The resulting shelf will be far more durable than the expedit, though its lateral stability will depend entirely on the L braces, so make sure not to skimp on those. Additional L braces on the shelves will make the structure stronger, if that's a concern.
Voila, you're done.
Or, hire a cabinet maker...
it kind of looks like "bogkasser" (cubic bookcases like these: http://www.traevarer.dk/Kubikreol-fyr-30-cm-dyb.40.aspx These are the cheaper version of the Montana bookcases (http://www.montana.dk/en/FrontpageColors/)
It's a basic cubic box system for storing books and knickknacks that's very common here in Denmark.
If you build it yourself like Luke suggested then you can give it fun legs like the Swedish Prettylegs or make some yourself like I did for my credenza: http://ploefff.wordpress.com/2011/10/07/skaenk-en-forvandling-part-1/
easiest way..........turn an vertical upright bookcase sideways... :) that's what i did with mine..
I did 2 of these in a row as a window seat ... http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/10220964/ but added wood to the back to add some structure & bare weight.
How about using a couple of Trofasts
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/20087525/
with shelves http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/70063584/.
They're not expensive and they're solid wood.
whether you buy them or make them, the maximum distance between vertical supports is @ 36", or 30" if anyone sits on them, to avoid sag.
That is an Ikea shelving unit from the Traby series. I'm not sure if its still available at Ikea.
If you live at all near one of those "unfinished wood" furniture stores, buy some of the "storage cubes" they sell - they come in 1 cube (kind of the size of a milk crate) or multiple sizes, up to 4 or 5 tall. Tip it on its side, add some low feet from Ikea or any other foot-supplier, and voila!
(If you don't like the pine, I bet they can make the storage cubes out of any kind of wood you want, though oak will be more expensive.)
Wood will be much more durable and less cheap-looking than Ikea MDF.
Yeah, forget the bookshelves - where the heck can I get that to-die-for SOFA on the left??
Also, a lot of FORHOJA wall units with legs can do. They would be quite pricey, though. And the sofa, arrrghhhh!
It looks like the Billy Wall Shelf with added feet.
Billy Wall Shelf
Not sure if its that same thing, but it looks a lot like the Room & Board Hutton Sofa.
http://www.ikea.com/jp/en/catalog/products/10105068/