Before and After: Tori's Built In Bookshelves

Check out these custom built-in bookshelves which I recently installed. I'll start with a few "Before" shots of the room:

Here's the empty room. Imagine built-in shelving on either side.

Without shelving, the room is hard to balance around the fireplace.

My newest client Tori recently moved to Asheville from Los Angeles, and was still in the process of settling in when I met her. Many of my clients are new home buyers that just need a few updates to make their new house fit their needs a little better. As a writer and book enthusiast, Tori wanted built in bookshelves on either side of her hearth, painted to match the trim, with tops that would match the rustic mantel.

I came over and measured for the space where the shelves would go and went back to my shop to paint, cut out and assemble the shelf units. The advantage of doing the pre-assembly offsite is that I can contain the messy work in my shop, and Tori doesn't have to deal with sawdust.

It saves time to use pre-primed boards and paint them before cutting them.

I laid the boards out and clamped them, then nailed them together.

Tori wanted rough sawn pine to match her fireplace mantle, so I went to Ramsey's Lumber (also known as Big Pine Log Homes) in Marshall and found a perfect match.

Ramsey's products include heavy, high-quality lumber.

The shelves are pre-assembled and tucked into my workshop for the night.

Back at Tori's house, we moved everything out of the way and set the shelf units in place. Once they were attached to the wall, I installed the pre-painted face framing.

The shelves already balance the room nicely.

I had a canine spectator for company.

Here they are with the face-frames and the tops. I also painted the wall behind the shelves, which gives them a more substantial look:

I also added holes for cords, so the shelves can hold a charging station or a stereo system.

Using the same paint color as the rest of the trim makes the shelves look original to the home.

Then the most important part: styling! Tori was a delight to work with. She was so happy about the shelves that she immediately set them up for a photoshoot.

The new shelves certainly did add a substantial feeling to the room, and of course, there's lots of space for Tori's books. Here's a few more before-and-afters.

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After

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Thanks, Tori! This was a really fun project.

Could you use a set of custom built-in bookshelves like this? If so, give me a call. I'll be glad to help you choose the right design for your home or office.

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