Q: I'm a writer with a long (72") but shallow (22") workspace along the window of my home office. I want to have some curved off-the-surface riser shelves made to put books, the phone, and small objects on. I could have a company like Gothic Cabinet Craft make them, but I don't want to block the view or psychologically narrow my work area even more.
I was thinking that if the shelves could be made of heavy acrylic or lucite, they'd be see-through. Do you know of an online or New York-area company that could construct something like that for me? Thanks for any advice you may have!
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Just Plastics can fabricate anything out of Lucite. They are in Manhattan. info@Justplastics.com
plexi-craft in queens
The shelves might not block your view, but the stuff on them will.
Lucite is expensive, plexiglass will bend.
You might consider contacting a glass company about tempered glass shelves, if you really want to try this. They might have commercial supports (metal or lucite shelf brackets, for instance) to recommend.
Canal Plastics on Canal! They have everything in every color/shade/opacity, you can DIY or talk to them about custom fab. My boyfriend had them make some acrylic displays a few years ago. They looked great and were very reasonable.
Acrylic won't necessarily bend. You could get it custom cut to your space and use L brackets at regular intervals to support it. I would go with 1/4" thickness instead of 1/8" just to be on the safe side.
I know places like Home Depot custom cut acyrlic/plexiglass, but it may be more expensive than a local plastics company or ordering online. Shop around for a few quotes.
I agree that Lucite may unfortunately be cost prohibitive.
If you're looking for ready-made clear shelving, here are a few sources:
- The Container Store (not listed on their site, but I've seen acrylic wall shelves in store)
- http://www.jmkdisplays.com/acrylicshelves.html
- http://www.cb2.com/storage/accessories/format-storage-shelf/f7003?fromLocation=search
Make sure you get the edges polished if you're having them made. And remember: this scratches, so don't plan on high use.