Posted by Sunset, August 6, 2009 in Books
, How-to
, Think small
by Natalie Jabbar, Sunset editorial intern
As a former English major and raging bibliophile, I am constantly searching for creative ways to house the ridiculous number of books that I own. So when it came time for me to move into a new apartment recently, I looked to Sunset for new bookshelf ideas in hopes that my roommate would stop sighing at the precarious piles of paperbacks scattered all over our small home.
I wanted to construct a bookcase that would be creative, attractive, and economical--and I found my inspiration while browsing this shelving slideshow. Although I didn't perfectly replicate any of the projects, the slideshow lead me to making this thrifty and charmingly rustic brick and board bookcase.
MATERIALS:
I wanted to construct a bookcase that would be creative, attractive, and economical--and I found my inspiration while browsing this shelving slideshow. Although I didn't perfectly replicate any of the projects, the slideshow lead me to making this thrifty and charmingly rustic brick and board bookcase.
MATERIALS:
- bricks—I used about 30.
- wooden boards—mine are about 1 x 6, but you can use any size, depending on what you want.
- wall brackets/braces & screws for additional support—I haven't done this yet, but I highly recommend it, especially if you live in California.
HOW TO:
BUT IS IT STURDY?
Once books are on the shelves, yes. I'd advise putting your heaviest books on the bottom shelves and to seriously consider bracketing the shelves to the walls once you are happy with how it looks.
- After figuring out where you want your bookcase to be located, put down two stacks of bricks, spaced out so that your piece of wood can rest on top. The number of bricks and spacing will differ depending on what size of a bookcase you are making. Mine was pretty large, so I used stacks of four bricks for support.
- Lay a piece of board down on top of the bricks.
- Stack bricks on top of that board, making sure that the stack is not directly above the previous one (see above).
- Repeat steps 2 & 3 until you have the number of shelves you want.
- Put your books in their new home.
BUT IS IT STURDY?
Once books are on the shelves, yes. I'd advise putting your heaviest books on the bottom shelves and to seriously consider bracketing the shelves to the walls once you are happy with how it looks.
TIPS:
Staggering the stacks of bricks not only helps with weight distribution, but also leaves the perfect amount of space on the sides for displaying a quirky vase or a few framed pictures. I like to use glass candle holders to store mementos like shells, old fortunes, and any tiny trinket I can't bear to throw out.
If you don't like the look of wood, consider covering the boards in wrapping paper, vintage maps, or sheet music. The possibilities are endless.
You can see that I haven't thought much about organization yet, but the idea of turning books into art intrigues me. Have any of you tried this or some other creative way of arranging your books?
Staggering the stacks of bricks not only helps with weight distribution, but also leaves the perfect amount of space on the sides for displaying a quirky vase or a few framed pictures. I like to use glass candle holders to store mementos like shells, old fortunes, and any tiny trinket I can't bear to throw out.
If you don't like the look of wood, consider covering the boards in wrapping paper, vintage maps, or sheet music. The possibilities are endless.
You can see that I haven't thought much about organization yet, but the idea of turning books into art intrigues me. Have any of you tried this or some other creative way of arranging your books?
MORE:
For more DIY home projects, check out Sunset's slideshows on reinventing stuff you already own or creative shelving ideas.
