A full wall of bookcases provides a major focal point in a room.
A bookcase wall is a great addition to a home office or den, a family room or living room. Bookcase walls not only provide storage for books, magazines and other publications, but can also be used to showcase art objects or family memorabilia, hold a television screen or home entertainment center and perhaps a desk or writing table. A bookcase can cover an entire wall or just a section and can be built around an existing feature, like a fireplace. A bookcase wall can be tailored to individual needs and still be an important decorative feature in the home. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
1. Inventory the books and other objects to be placed on a wall. List the numbers of books and varying sizes to determine the amount and depth of shelf space needed. Itemize special objects, like small statues or decorative pots. Note special features to be included, such as a writing desk or flat-screen television, with the appropriate sizes. Decide whether to use fixed shelves or adjustable types that can be re-arranged when needed.
2. Measure the selected wall with a tape measure, height and width, and transfer those dimensions to graph paper using an appropriate scale, like one-eighth inch to the foot. Draw in any existing fixtures, like a fireplace, wall sconces or heating vents. Experiment with layouts and consult decorating books and design manuals for ideas. Use shelf spaces all the same height or vary height and width. Try several layouts until you arrive at one that is a pleasing design and will hold all your books and objects.
3. Select materials. Most bookcase walls are wood, but metal or plastic is used in some modern houses. Decide on a type of wood; visit building supply or specialty lumber stores to investigate options. Use 1-inch or 2-inch lumber that matches the decor of the rest of the room. Pick a depth; most bookcase walls have shelves 10 or 12 inches deep, but narrower widths may work in small rooms if most books are small.
4. Decide on a type of finish. Use wood stain to match other furnishings in the room or use a contrasting color, a dark walnut in a den, for instance. Paint the bookcase wall to match the walls and trim in the rest of the room. Be creative -- for instance, in a modern-decor room, paint walls behind the shelves a light color and the shelves and dividers in bright contrasting colors. Use colored pencils or markers to color in your graph paper sketch as a test.
5. Design a wall to be built in or incorporate movable elements. Use unfinished shelves set side-by-side or stacked. Incorporate purchased cubes to build part or all of a bookcase wall. Determine a method of fastening built-in bookcases; most can be secured to floors and ceiling joists bottom and top and to wall studs on the ends, but very big walls with heavy loads may require some security within the bookcase wall.
Tags: bookcase wall, bookcase wall, Decide type, graph paper, height width
