Full Wall Bookcase
We’d like to put in a custom-designed bookcase to cover this wall and the alcove on the right on the photo with cupboards at the bottom as we have an intrepid one year old who likes to explore.
We emailed a shelving company and they asked us to submit a drawing of what we wanted, but we are beginners to this and don’t know where to start!
Would anyone have advice of how the bookshelf/cupboard combination might look?
We know we’d like some sort of coving on the top, and potentially for there to be a space for our piano (if that’s even possible) as well as cupboard at the bottom, but that’s sort of it.
We have painted our living room walls off-white and have a pine coloured floor. So, also, if anyone has any idea of what colour they would recommend having the shelves painted that would be great. Will white shelving look too light?
We have a modest budget so any hacks or also welcome.
Thanks so much.
Matt
Comments (9)
PROMBH Carpentry and Joinery Ltd.
5 years agoRelated Discussions
Make my room more impressive
Comments (127)Lots of ideas....couldn't resist adding my two cents. i copied your photos and did a little cut and paste- it's messy, but hopefully gets the main idea across. i'd put your sofa in front of the large book case, chair by the fireplace, tv on the stand on the wall opposite the fireplace - so you can either look at the fire or the tv. Someone suggested using frames of one color for your photos - an inexpensive way to do that would be to spray paint them all a dark color-black goes with everything. Since your shelves are a medium tone wood, display things that are dark or light so that they contrast against the wood. Limiting your display items pallette to a few values usually helps to unify things. (I think that's why so many people want to paint the shelves or put inserts in the back to help your nice things read more clearly...some get lost). If you want to "splurge" -you may consider having a carpenter make a few solid tall cabinet doors to provide a visual break in the shelving. I'm showing 3 doors - 1 on the right side of the fireplace and 2 on the left to leave two open vertical shelves for display on each side - with things arranged to frame the fireplace as the focal point. To add some height to your big vases, consider stacking some books beneath them. Enjoy experimenting untill you get something you're happy with - good luck!...See MoreNeed ideas to decorate my wall
Comments (15)Once again, carolins has taken the words right out of my mouth. I sometimes feel like a crusader for entertainment centers and lowering art! You have a dynamic room with so much potential. Your wall could look amazing with the armoire carolins has pictured above. Of course, lower your sconces so that they're a about 4" below the top of the armoire and about 7" from the sides. Your fireplace should be your focal point with your wall being strong but not competing. Rooms get personality from smaller accents but you have too many little things that take away from the great colored pillows and the picture. Be careful not to hang things in straight lines--top of pictures should never line up with tops of doors or curtain rods. I wish we could see your fireplace in another photo. Chairs should form conversation groups with the couch like Carolyn has outlined. I like your chandelier but you might think about lowering it or moving it above a dining table--it looks rather lost way up there....See MoreThese walls look too plain beside Red Brick wall, any ideas please?
Comments (20)I agree deepen the color, don't change it and yes art art art! maybe lessen the presence of the brick with the earlier suggestion of the metal cogs its and use traditional artwork pics/nature/paintings on the painted wall. I also like the idea to paint the part of the wall that juts out in a darker shade of the same color. Now you have lots to consider and lots to dismiss as well. Good luck and have fun...See MoreNeed help with curtains
Comments (8)Hello there... I hope I can be of some help as I have almost an identical sitting room - I will just share with you my sitting room this year!! All the walls started out in Dulux Timeless colour so I wanted to add an accent colour- like you, I have one end of the room that is patio doors. So the opposite wall to those, I chose as an accent wall - I know a lot of people suggest not having an accent wall but perhaps having horizontal painted stripes of colour etc... But as I was doing the painting, I knew I would have made a real hash of that!! So the third pic is my first attempt at an accent wall - The Greene Paint company - colour Bassalt. This was nice but I just got bored of it - it worked well against the richness of the wood floor etc and was very much a statement but in a few months I just couldn't settle with it. After several coats of white I have now settled on Farrow & Balls colour Lamp Room Grey. I know this seems all very neutral, but from the second photo you will see I have gone for cream curtains with neutral vertical pom-poms - but, by doing all this, I can now change the accent colour in this room at the drop of a hat and quite importantly - INEXPENSIVELY! For instance, if I wanted to, for Xmas, if I was going to spend a lot of time in that room, I could a. Go for red and cream cushions and create a Scandinavian look! Or b. Go for silver beaded cushions and silver candle jars and have a winter wonderland look! And equally in the summer, I could go for pastel pink floral cushions and a vase of delicate roses to bring the garden into the sitting room or just keep it neutral with ivory roses and a hint of lime green. So my advice would be to keep the expensive things neutral and then you can alter the in expensive things as you go along. I also think one expensive piece in any room is a good investment - be it a huge oversized pewter bowl or a something similar - that again is neutral in colour but is a statement piece. Hope this helps!...See More
PROUser
5 years agoI'd try Ikea Besta units as having a bespoke set of units made by a carpenter will likely be out of budget. There are so many combo's you're bound to find something to suit. Just watch out for the different depths of the units as they do differ. As rachelmidlands says you can do allsorts with ikea stuff, here's a link to the 'bookcases' section, so much to choose from, you just need to work out your widths and what may work. Ikea Bookcases. You can also use the BESTA planner on their website, a really useful tool.
I put a lot of flat pack together for people. Ikea put the times that it will take ( allegedly ) for the item to be made by either one or two people.( Unfortunately, that time isn't quoted on their website, only on the boxes. ). They also do not quote for actually securing taller items to walls, which is often very necessary. So that is an added cost.
If you are employing someone to make all the flat pack up for you, just remember that this will be an added cost on top of the cost of the item. For instance a double wardrobe takes 2-3 hours depending on complexity, ( a wardrobe is a 2 man job ), so that would be around £ 75 - £105 plus. This will not include securing anything to a wall or supplier the sundries to do it with.
This Besta layout, 4m wide roughly with a gap for your piano, shelves and drawers comes in at £890
Lena
5 years ago- PRO
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5 years ago Lena
5 years ago- PRO
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5 years ago 
PROK and D Joinery Ltd
5 years agoVery recently, we completed a project, which may help formulate some ideas.
A wall bookcase with an old piano turned cocktail bar. Read More
It even coincidentally has a very similar looking piano!
After a quick Google, I saw that this must not be a very common occurrence so hope seeing something along similar lines helps.
-Callum- PRO
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5 years ago
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rachelmidlands