Ett's Built-in Bookshelf

100+ board feet of walnut, a couple pounds of brass, and a whole bunch of books; that’s the recipe for a striking built-in bookcase. 

After moving in two years ago, the Ett’s were still on a hunt for a proper way to store their sizable literary collection. In search of a built-in shelving system that could span across the entire living room wall, we settled on a structure with permanent vertical columns and moveable horizontal shelving. 

Project specs

Scope of work: Design, fabrication, installation
Materials:  Solid walnut, brass
Completion date:  September 2016

Process

There’s a fine line between built-in and shop-based projects. Most of my work sits squarely on the shop end of the spectrum, but occasionally there are projects where I can do the bulk of the work in the shop and then install on site. The Ett’s bookshelf is a prime example of that model. 

In addition to building a range of shelf heights, we wanted to add an element of flexibility, so we focused on a floating shelf system. By using brass pins, the clients can remove shelves as necessary. Beyond the flexibility, the pin system offered the benefit of building the vertical and horiztonal elements separately and then combining on site.