apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I had this problem a few months ago...but I only had a 29" space and all the bookshelves were at least 30-32 inches across or else very narrow, thus wasting space. I decided on the BJARNUM brackets at IKEA and had wood cut to the width I needed. There is a place in Soho...(probably called Soho lumber but I am not positive), where you can buy wood. The brackets are sturdy and look good. You just need to be sure to install them correctly. Good luck

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/10032411

The brackets mentioned above were my first thought since they're endlessly customizable. You could also put the BILLY in there with the matching BENNO cd tower to maximize those few remaining inches (if it fits).

or alternately go with the bookcase and center in the space. The couple of inches to either side will give the piece some breathing room so that it doesn't look like it was crammed in there.

Ikeahacker had a thing recently where someone repurposed a CD tower into a wine rack, you could perhaps adapt it to a tall skinny bookcase, that you could put that alongside the billy and use it to store other stuff? landing strip? cds? odd shaped books? You could also go to the container store and get closed boxes to sit on the shelf and use them to store non pretty things that dont get used too often. (tools? napkin rings? odds n ends). You could think creatively about whether you have any odd shaped items you could store/display there by mounting directly n the wall (ski's immediately jump to mind cos its freezing cold today !)

If you are allowed to attach brackets to the wall, you could try Elfa shelving. Done correctly, it actually looks quite nice in a high-tech sort of way, and it's sturdy. Also highly customizable. I got mine from The Container Store on 6th Ave. The staff there could not have been nicer or more helpful.

Maybe you should actually try finding a much more narrow bookcase (or CD tower) and using multiples. I have a Vattern (I think) measuring 16" wide each, for example.

Otherwise, I agree about just going with the IKEA piece you found and floating the piece. Just because you *have* the space, doesn't mean you *have* to fill it.

You know, I think I might just do the 31.5"W Billy and be glad to have a little "air," versus every square inch chock-a-block. It's probably only 25 or so books that you "lose" storage space for, but you'll gain much being able to get the Billy case for the vast majority of the rest so quickly and inexpensively.

Maybe just install some hooks or something in the "extra" space if you're committed to maximizing storage on that wall?

Best of luck!

I had great luck with the Look shelving from Topdeq (topdeq.com). It's simple, sturdy, easy to assemble, and it comes in a 35.5" width and in three heights. Free 48 hour delivery,too.

Home Decorators has a 36" tall bookcase, but it's only 72" high.

http://www.homedecorators.com/P/Oxford_36W_Six-Shelf_Bookcase/410/

The Leksvisk bookshelf from Ikea is "antique stain", but could easily be painted white. It's 36 5/8" wide and 78" tall. I love mine.

I agree with previous posts that the 31.5" Billy bookcase would fit nicely in the 36" space.
I actually do have 4 of them (with the top extensions) all lined up on one of my living room walls and there is a space of 4" at each end.

My guess is that extra 4.5 inches of potential storage would be better left empty. Merely clearing a door opening is not necessarily the best criterion for deciding how much space you can fill with stuff. The 'flow' of the area around the door may feel too cramped, even if it is 'technically' big enough.

You might try hanging cheap brown paper to box out the area of the would-be shelving, to see what width would really be best before buying....

Ah! I didn't see all those posts with the same point as mine when I started writing.... This is the problem with opening a post and then not getting around to reading it until later without refreshing the page!

Elfa shelving is incredibly awesome, and they'll even make all the cuts for you in the store (yes, even the metal parts!) for free. They're super easy to install, and can support a ton of weight. Here they are in my dining room (scroll down)...that's a lot of books, and keep in mind that they are attached to a plaster wall. They were more expensive than IKEA bookcases, but I was able to maximize the space fully and have them exactly as I want them.

Store something else in the space (e.g., umbrellas, broom, sword).

Elfa shelving goes on sale at 30% off EVERY January, so if you can wait a few weeks... If you buy it in the store at The Container Store you'll save a fortune on shipping (vs. from the Web site).

In addition to the width, consider the depth you need - that might make the difference between a 36" and a 31" bookcase being feasible.

And there's always unfinished furniture, painted white.

I was traveling for most of December, so I never got a chance to say thanks to everyone who replied. In the end, yes, we went with the IKEA Billy bookcase unit, and I gave up a little extra book storage in favor of a cleaner look. Did someone mention an extension to the top of the Billy? I haven't seen it on the IKEA site...