IKEA BOOKCASE HACK

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the BEFORE

Woof.

That fireplace.
That ceiling fan.
That large, looming soffit that weighed down our ceiling, created awkward angles and added bulk to the otherwise airy room.

From our very first showing, I knew that this house had tons of potential but that we had to invest in renovating some the above elements in order for it to truly feel like our home.

After giving our fireplace a much-needed facelift and installing a statement-making chandelier, we turned our talents to that, for lack of better words, AWKWARD wall.

This wall was tricky from the start.

The hefty soffit jutted out into the space, taking up square footage and creating an out-of-place enclave. Beneath the lowered ceiling, the wall was littered with an array of both covered and operating light switches and outlets that suggested that the wall had, at one point, featured an opening to a room in the ultra-dark “office” in the front of our house.

I decided to research our floor plan and found that our suspicions were, indeed, correct. There was an opening at the center of the wall that connected the two rooms and allowed our great room’s wall of windows to drench the front of the house with light. This revelation also explains why the ultra-dark “office” has no overhead light fixture and feels like a cave at all times… but, per usual, I digress.

Did I mention that I didn’t find out that there was a built-in (covered) opening there until after we’d already started constructing our actual bookcase? Because I didn’t and at first, I was a smidge frustrated because that open concept situation would have opened up the entire first floor our home. I lamented about this to my dad and Joey as they were literally cutting all the wood, trim, etc and they promptly shut-down any, small fantasy I had about opening up the wall.

Which, I mean, fair enough.

The good news? I’m beyond grateful that they did because this Ikea bookcase is everything. Ever-y-thing.
We’re talking character for days, people.

the PLAN

Clean, classic and timeless. These are the words that jumpstarted our bookcase project. (And every other design decision in our home, right?)

I knew that, because the wall we planned to tackle flanks the fireplace wall, it was important that our built-in bookcase visually complemented our traditional mantel.

Equally crucial? That the bookcase did so without taking away from the fireplace, which serves as the true focal point in the room.

And while I’m a true, “more-is-more” kinda gal, I knew that installing opulent molding, ornate trim or a textured shelf backing (looking at you, grasscloth wallpaper) would instantly draw the eye, create visual clutter and ultimately detract from the fireplace completely.

Not the goal.

My vision was an understated and elegant bookcase that spanned the width of the entire wall behind our sofa. Not only would this eliminate the awkward gap and angles, but the bookcase offers endless styling opportunities for me to play with years to come.

TOOLS + MATERIALS

Billy Bookcase

Tape Measure
Level
Stud finder
Table saw
Miter saw
Electric Drill / Screwdriver
Caulk
Wood Filler + Putty Knife
Sanding Blocks
Clamps
Nail Gun
Hammer
Flat Head Screwdriver

Protective Glasses

Protective Gloves

Valspar High-Gloss Paint in “Ultra-White”

the PROCESS

The step-by-step process we used to install our built-in bookcase is broken down for you, below. The steps are summarized and you may notice that I didn’t go into great detail describing the logistics of prepping our wall for the install or how some of the tools listed above were used for this project. I chose to keep the steps as general and straight-forward as possible for this guide because, honestly? Each home is different and will require a completely unique approach and personalized measurements to recreate the same results featured here.

That said, if you have any questions about literally anything involved in this process — please, reach out to me! I’m beyond happy to share the specifics, track down answers to your questions and help out in any way that I can with your project.