Custom Corner Bookshelf

This project started with a need. The need, a bookshelf that would look good and hold a growing book collection. Additionally, the piece needed to be in the corner of the room and below a window sill.

The design started out be getting measurements of the height to the bottom of the window sill. Additionally, there were two electrical outlets on either end of where the bookshelf out go which fixed all of the dimensions. With the dimensions, a rough CAD design was made. It was evident that this bookshelf would only have space for two shelf levels. Because of the length of the shelves, supports would be needed.

In general, the design was set and had little room for further character touches. The inside corner of the bookshelf was looking to be a difficult place for book access. It was decided to close that corner like a box. This made for the inside legs to sit above the top shelf and leave a void space at the top inside corner of the bookshelf. We decided to make a shelf with a separate support leg to make a “plant stand.”

The next character design decisions that needed to be made was regarding the proportions of the legs and the shelves. If the legs and the shelves were all the same length, the entire piece would have felt very “boxy” and boring.

The shelves were designed to be oversized in their depth to increase the substantialness while the narrower legs help the piece feel less obtrusive into the space. To help the shelves soften their overside size, they received a large radius on the exposed corners

In general, the design was set and had little room for further character touches. The inside corner of the bookshelf was looking to be a difficult place for book access. It was decided to close that corner like a box. This made for the inside legs to sit above the top shelf and leave a void space at the top inside corner of the bookshelf. We decided to make a shelf with a separate support leg to make a “plant stand.”

The next character design decisions that needed to be made was regarding the proportions of the legs and the shelves. If the legs and the shelves were all the same length, the entire piece would have felt very “boxy” and boring.

The shelves were designed to be oversized in their depth to increase the substantialness while the narrower legs help the piece feel less obtrusive into the space. To help the shelves soften their overside size, they received a large radius on the exposed corners. The oversized shelves allow for almost any size of book to fit on the shelves.

Now that the character is figured out, next was the materials. With the unique design, it was better to use a less “flashy” or highly figured material, like curly or birdseye maple, but not use materials that aren’t interesting. This leads to materials like walnut, white oak, ash, maple, or cherry. To naturally mesh with the room and age classically, cherry was the choice.

Time to build! There was no major complications with the build of this project. The shelves were set in place with a dado. The shelf supports were also set with a dado. The pieces were all finished prior to final assembly due to the overall size of the project. The two sides were assembled separately. Then, the two sides were joined at the corner joint and moved into place!

Overall, we are extremely happy with this project. From the unique needs, to the subtle character choices, and the great material choice, this project will live forever!