Reader Question: Semi-Custom Corner Bookcase

I had a question from a reader about the bookcases discussed in Cordelia's Nursery and shown completed in Cordelia's Nursery: Part II.  The IKEA Billy bookcases in the 41" height are not meant to used as a corner solution, but I devised a way to make it work by creating a top out of birch ply. It's actually a fairly simple IKEA-hack, despite what may seem at first glance as intimidating directions (see below). If you have a program such as Google SketchUp (bonus - it's free!), it makes the hack that much easier.

You will need:

Plywood of your choice (1/2" to 3/4" thick)

A board of the same species of wood as the ply

Circular saw

Circular saw guide and clamps

Dowel Guide

Dowels

Drill and bit to match the dowels

Wood Glue

Finish Nails and corresponding Nail Punch

Hammer

Extra wood

Clamps

Small wood screws

Table Saw

Miter Saw or Miter Box and Japanese Back Saw

Finish of your choice (I used urethane)

Layout

1. Lay out a plan view of you bookcases

2. Add a half inch on all sides except for the back

3. Divide that new shape into sections no longer than 8' (which is the max. length of a sheet of ply)

4. Try to do this so that the grain runs parallel with the front of each bookcase

5. Dimension the SketchUp sections and lay them out on the ply.

6. Using a circular saw and guide, cut the sections out.

Joining

7. Lay your pieces out as they would be when installed, but upside down. Be sure to not scratch the good side.

8. Using a pencil, draw three small lines across each joint. equally spaced to each other and the ends of the joint. These will help us align the dowels.

9. Align the dowel jig to each of the lines you just drew and drill holes into the ends of the boards to accept the dowels.

10. Prepare to glue. Lay two scrap wood pieces approximately 2" x 1/2" x 12" parallel to one of the joints. Make sure they are set back about a quarter of an inch on each side of said joint. Also, make sure that you have at least two clamps that are wide enough to get around both of these pieces.

11. Screw these two pieces to the BOTTOM of the two boards. Make sure the screws you use are not long enough to penetrate the finished face or you'll ruin the pretty side.

12. Apply glue to the edges of each board and too the dowels you'll be inserting. Attach the two boards together and place at least two clamps onto the screwed-on scrap pieces to hold them together.

13. Use a damp cloth to clean up any excess glue.

14. If you have additional scrap wood and clamps you can repeat steps 10-13 for all the joints while your first joint dries. If not, wait for it to dry per the glue manufacturer's recommendation before doing the next joint.

Edging

15. Use a table saw to cut down the birch board to a series of strips approximately 3/8" x 1". Because the pieces are so thin I recommend you use a feather board to keep the wood against the fence and a push rod.

16. Use the miter saw to cut the edge strips to size, making sure the corners are properly mitered together.

17. I pre-measured the location of the finish nails on the edging and pre-drove them for each piece.

18. Apply glue to the ply and edge piece and hold together. Drive the nails in to hold the edging in place. Use the Nail Punch to recess the heads.

Finishing

I used a random orbital sander and 80 grit to make sure the edging was flush to the ply. Then I worked up to 120 and 220 before urethaning.  I put on four coats, sanding in between per the manufacturer's recommendation. I left the nail heads exposed. If you wish, you can use some wood filler to fill in the recesses left by the Nail Punch. Also, our walls were straight enough that I didn't want to scribe the top to them, but that is something to consider if you want the fit to be really, really tight. If you are going to scribe, I would make the boards a bit wider to account for the material you're going to eventually cut away.  Good luck! 

Cordelia's Nursery: Part II

And the winner is....

If you missed Part I, it's worth a look back at the five different inspiration boards I put together for my daughter's nursery and the sources for all the items in the collage above. The runner up was the orange and grey collage with the Thomas Paul rug, but this happy multi-color room won out for several reasons 1) It's a bit more feminine 2) I can add almost any accessory (called 'toys' in her world) without them sticking out like a sore thumb 3) I scored that PB Teen rug for next to nothing and it's still on sale here. 

The bookcases worked out just as planned. I already had the Kartell storage unit on hand to use as a side table and I snagged the Fat Boy ottoman designed by Dwell Studio at Marshall's of all places for a mere thirty beans (also available right here on clearance). 

Some things were just happy accidents like that as well as the rocking chair that I mentioned I picked up at the Rose Bowl. It was recovered in an ivory shag from Deco Home. Other things in the room had more thought behind them and were shown in the original collage. The Oeuf crib, Jonathan Adler Havana sconces, Kate Quinn bedding, Puka Puka mobile, and Multi-boxes were all must-haves.  The Adler initial pillow was also on the original wish list, but they were out of stock and we ended up with this one instead.  If you look closely it includes the word 'gin', but my husband jokes that Jonathan is simply referring to the card game, not the adult beverage!

Smaller items of note not mentioned above are in the source list at the bottom of the post. Of course, the most adorable thing in the room, Cordelia, is in the last photo.  Enjoy!

Wall Art - Suzy Ultman

Piggy Bank, Turtle and Snail - Jonathan Adler

Mushroom Lamp - Vintage

Mirrored Discs - PB Teen

Toy baskets - Land Of Nod

Floor lamp - West Elm

Wall color - Sherwin-Williams Harmony paint in 'Bubble'

Cordelia's Nursery

Every mother obsesses over a nursery leading up to their first baby, right? You have to make sure everything is perfect and you're ready to welcome the little one home. Well, that's exactly how I ended up with six different inspiration boards for my daughter's nursery! Let's just say decisiveness and pregnancy do not go well together. 

Of course, I started with a focus on function and never wavered from my original floor plan.  It consisted of a crib (obviously) strategically positioned in the one spot in the room that wasn't under a window (we do live in a glass house, after all, but don't worry we recently installed 3M safety film on all the windows), bookcases lining one wall and rounding the corner, and a chair plus ottoman. Pretty simple. 

The Classic Ouef Crib was locked in, as was the Billy bookcase storage solution from IKEA which would get a birch top (an IKEA-hack since the corner solution doesn't really work with the low bookcases). I had spotted the Britten Nummer fabric, also from IKEA, and envisioned it as the perfect backdrop for the bookcases (simply covering the back panels with the fabric adhered with a little non-toxic Modge Podge). I had also spontaneously selected a light turquoise for the walls when the painters were here to cover up the oh-so-hideous hospital green walls that the previous owner had somehow thought were a good idea.  

So, those were all the decisions that had been made up until the third trimester.  In the mean time, I was distracted with all the other projects happening, which is really just my excuse for not being able to make up my mind. Designers designing for themselves is sometimes a fatal combination. Add in the pregnancy hormones and you're doomed.  

Then, a trip to the Rose Bowl Flea Market turned up a Ralph Rapson-style rocker (which I have to imagine was the inspiration behind IKEA's Poang rocker you'll see pictured in the first collage) and the room finally began to take shape. I had all the major furniture pieces. Although that still didn't stop me from contemplating repainting the walls (as you'll notice in the 3rd collage). So without further ado, here are the many variations on the nursery's color palette, textiles, lighting and decor. Can you guess which one of these five inspiration boards was the winner? 

Clockwise from top left: Mythic Paint in Turquoise, Sunny Outlook, and Sherwin-Williams 'Bubble', Jonathan Adler Havana Sconce, Frazier + Wing Mobile, Britten Nummer fabric and Billy bookcase from IKEA, Room and Board Henley floor pillow, Hable Construction fabric, IKEA Poang rocker (similar to Ralph Rapson-style vintage rocker scored at the Rose Bowl), Jonathan Adler Initial Pillow, Kate Quinn bedding, CB2 Birdwalk rug, West Elm side table, Oeuf Crib

Clockwise from top left: Puka Puka mobile, Thomas Paul sconce, Sherwin-Williams 'bubble', IKEA Britten Nummer and Billy bookcase, Oilo crib bedding, Amenity deer pillow, West Elm stump table, Monte Luca glider, Flor carpet tiles, Ouef Crib

Clockwise from top left: Puka Puka mobile, Mythic Paint in Blush of Dawn, Kate Quinn Bedding, IKEA Britten Nummer fabric with Billy bookcase, Multi-boxes, Crate and Barrel glider, West Elm Martini table, CB2 rug, Oeuf Crib, Jonathan Adler Initial Pillow

Clockwise from top left: Jonathan Adler Havana sconce, Summer Infant organic crib sheet, Puka Puka mobile, IKEA PS table, IKEA Britten Nummer fabric and Billy bookcase, Hable Construction fabric in charcoal, Modernica 'Grasshopper' chair, CB2 ottoman, Thomas Paul 'Parasols' rug, Sherwin-Williams 'Bubble', Oeuf crib, Inhabit wall hanging

Clockwise from top left: Jonathan Adler 'Havana' sconce, Sherwin-Williams 'Bubble', Puka Puka mobile, Jonathan Adler initial pillow, IKEA Britten Nummer fabric with Billy bookcase, Kate Quinn 'Clover' bedding, Multi-boxes, IKEA Poang rocker, PB Teen rug, Oeuf crib, Kartell Componibili storage unit

Nursery Know-How

Last Friday, I posted some of my favorite nurseries and promised to share the resources with you, so that you can pull some of those looks together.  First up, a favorite from the March 2007 issue of Domino magazine.  I'll provide all the links to those exact products. Then, I couldn't resist having some fun of my own, using the Serena and Lily houndstooth crib sheet and green and turquoise color palette to inspire my design.

This room is totally baby-safe and easy to care for, with no-VOC paint from Olympic (Faint Flicker #D64-1), organic materials, and sensible selections like the carpet tiles ("Toy Poodle" from Flor) that allow you to simply replace individual tiles, instead of the whole rug, when stains happen.

Sustainable-wood 'Sam' crib and stool from Duc Duc, Ceramic-earthenware 'Early Bird' pendant from Perch Design, 'Butterfly Jubilee' fabric for roman shade from Mod Green Pod, 'Natural Lee' chair from Lee Industries, Organic-cotton 'Ticking Stripe' from Mod Green Pod, Collapsible jute basket at 2KH, Vintage wallpaper giraffe from Inke Heiland at Romp Store.  'Mini Library' storage unit from Oeuf, 'Eco-Sheepskin' rug from Kaiser can be purchased from Child Organics.

For my design, I wanted a space that would easily grow with the child.  A convertible crib and sophisticated storage were a must and I wanted a unique color palette that didn't revolve around traditional nursery colors.

Take the turquoise and celadon from the inspiration photo above and add a twist, using black as an accent throughout the room.  Paint the entire room a soft celadon and save the bold turquoise for a surprise splash of color inside the closet or paint the back panel of a white bookcase to add depth.  Pull the turquoise into the rest of the room through accessories like the adorable owl pillow.  Add an orange rug for an unexpected pop of color and position the mother and her ducklings waddling across the wall above the changing table.  Use the black and white fabric for floor pillows that offer a soft place to sit during playtime.  The bentwood wall sconce casts a soft glow that is comforting to baby and adds just enough light to navigate the room during those late nights.

Clockwise, from top left: Offi 'Nest' Crib, Not Neutral 'Seasons' rug, Dwell Studio 'Owls' pillow, 'Habibi' fabric from Rubie Green, LZF Orbit Sconce, Blu Dot 'Modulicious' Storage, Dvider ducks wall decal, Serena and Lily's 'Rory' Bedding, Dunn-Edwards Paint (DE5829 Frozen Wave) and Serena and Lily paint in 'Sprout', Luca Glider by Monte