Bookcase
Production: MÆNUS
Materials: Wood
Techniques: Woodworking, made to measure
Finished: 2021
Through my network I got commissioned to build a custom bookcase. With limited living space in cities a lot of people want to use the space they have as optimally as possible. This client had a bedroom with some unused space at the head of the bed, behind the headboard. She asked me to build a custom bookcase that would run up to the ceiling with shelves to put books in and that would allow her to use the space behind the headboard to store some other things.
Steps taken
The first step was to visit the client at home and measure the available space for the bookcase. After making a first sketch I brainstormed with the client about the dimensions of the bookcase, the number of shelves, the distance between each shelf and the accessibility of the extra storage space below the bottom shelf. After this I finalized the plan and confirmed it with the client.
Next up was to buy all the building materials necessary to build the bookcase and to make some preparations. These preparations included cutting all the wood for the legs and shelves to size and joining both halves of the legs and the shelves using dowels and wood glue. I left both legs and the shelves longer than necessary so I could easily cut everything to the correct size when assembling the bookcase on location.
The I assembled the bookcase on location. After cutting the legs to the correct length, I also cut the shelves to the length needed and started assembling the bookcase by drilling holes for dowels in the legs and shelves and gluing and clamping everything together.
After the glue dried I put the bookcase upright and mounted it to the wall. Then I fixed the existing headboard to the bookcase and covered it with the same type of wood.
The next step was to make sure the lowest bookshelf could be opened, so the client could have access to the hidden storage space behind the headboard. By using a piano hinge it makes it easy to open the shelf and put things in or take things out of the hidden storage space. The last step was to finish the final details and whitewash the cut ends of the wood.
End result
The end result is a custom built, made to measure bookcase that met all the requirements of the client. The bookcase creates more storage space by making use of a previously unused part of the bedroom.
