There’s something so magical and satisfying about seeing a full bookcase incorporated into the design of a home .
It’s the reason why I’ll never buy an E-reader — my books are a part of my decor and I love to show them off!
One couple took their book-inspired decor to the next level with a custom bookcase that they built themselves. Take a look at how they did it.
Jess and Sinclair Breen are a couple from Australia who also own their own construction and home renovation company.
They recently shared one of their home projects which they completed to qualify for the Australian show The Block . Their unique bookcase design quickly went viral.
Here’s where the project all started.
A number of boards were measure, pre-cut, and pre-drilled by a cabinetmaker. That looks like a lot of boards for one bookcase.
Since the holes in the boards were pre-drilled, all Jess and Sinclair had to do was line up the holes and screw them together.
All those boards would make 36 individual boxes in total. I feel like I would have enjoyed assembling the boxes. I’ll never turn down a reason to use the power drill!
Once the boxes were finished, the couple arranged them on a large piece of medium density fiberboard.
They weren’t able to attach the boxes directly to their wall because the correct framing wasn’t in place. So instead, they used a piece of MDF to create a “fake” wall.
Once the MDF was in place on the wall, Jess and Sinclair began attaching the boxes.
They had traced out where each box would go, so all they had to do was line up the outline with the box and screw it in place.
All coming together.
Each box had to be perfectly aligned or else it would have thrown the whole design off.
Almost done…
All the screws were patched up to create a seamless effect and hide those ugly metallic tops. This looks like the magical floating bookcase of my dreams.
The grand reveal.
How gorgeous does this look? With the books added, this shelving unit is both practical and stylish. Who said organization solutions couldn’t double as decor, huh?
And it makes a great library for their kids.
Giving their kids a place to unplug and read was one of the main motivations behind this project. I know a lot of parents are trying to reduce their kids’ screentime, and creating a personal library is a great first step.
Congrats Jess and Sinclair!
This bookcase has given them a lot of attention online and it’s easy to see why. It’s beautiful and a great way to encourage reading.
