Florida Craftwood Blog: Bookshelves

Showing posts with label Bookshelves. Show all posts

Friday, November 22, 2019

Office Bookshelves in a Corner with Window Seat

This is one of the last projects I did before retirement. I am leaving this blog online so that people can see the work that I did from 1988 until the end of 2019. These are built of birch plywood and poplar facing.

Monday, September 16, 2019

Painted Office Bookshelf Cabinets

These are preliminary photos of an office bookshelf cabinet that runs from wall to wall in a front room of a house that has French doors leading to the room making the room officially a home office area.

These are built of birch plywood and poplar facing. All the doors and drawers are inset into the faces while the doors have self-closing Blum hinges. The drawers have center line slides that extend fully The electrical outlet is inside the large storage cabinet base to the left and holes are drilled in the top back section of the bases to lead the electrical wires into the center section along with grommet holes drilled in the top center section. Then an electrical strip box can be used for the electrical outlet plug to make the arrangement more permanently convenient.

The customer may provide a photo with everything in use later which will be posted here also.

Here are the updated photos below.

This is a nice shot that encompasses the entire room.

Here's the last one that the clients have provided of the finished product.

Saturday, August 24, 2019

Built-in Red Oak Entertainment Center and Bookshelf Cabinet

This is a recent entertainment center in a newer Florida home that is designed to fill in a recessed space in the existing wall. This utilizes an open shelf design without doors and looks really nice.

This is red oak with red oak plywood as a structure to the build. The facing is solid red oak, baseboard, and bed molding trim at top. The baseboard is slightly higher than the existing colonial baseboard trim that is painted white. The stain color is called Golden Oak by Minwax.

Here is the same center from a different angle.

The center section is 44 inches wide, a bit wider than the TV to allow some upsizing later as TV's don't last forever. The shelf just above along with all the shelves are adjustable.

We also built a bookshelf in an additional office room of the same material and design.

This is also set up for a TV in the center section which is 36 inches wide.

Monday, July 8, 2019

Wall to Wall Bookshelf with Base Cabinet Combination

Here is a photo of a bookshelf cabinet that was built that runs from wall to wall and has two base cabinets on the sides.

Wednesday, October 3, 2018

Pine Living Room Wall Cabinet with Sink

This is a pine cabinet with granite top constructed for a living room space where a small sink is utilized for serving tea, and any other refreshments where water is needed. The sink has been installed but not the faucet. See below.

Here is a closer image of the base section.


© Florida Craftwood

This cabinet has some grain matching that can be seen in the drawers which adds to the look for quality purpose. There are windows on each side which adds some glare to the photo.

Photos again taken with my phone, so the quality of pictures are a little less than normally taken with a real camera. The availability of pine crown moulding has fallen off, so a different creation was used for the trim at ceiling. The cabinet is stained with a color named Hickory from Minwax and is a gel stain. Then lacquer is applied.

Thursday, August 9, 2018

Bookshelf Cabinet Ceiling to Floor

This bookshelf cabinet is upstairs in a room that is just at the top of the stair dividing the adjacent rooms. To build these, they are pre-fabbed in the shop in parts with one coat of finish paint on top of primer and then installed on site. Then a final coat of paint is applied after caulking is done. The following photo is shot from the top step of the stairs. The base section is 30 inches high.

This photo is from inside the room in 3 parts so that one can see the cabinets engage the floor and ceiling by integrating the existing mouldings into the cabinet.

The section to the right is recessed back on top to clear the opening to the hallway.

These photos were taken with my phone and the last one is a little fuzzy for some reason.

Thursday, August 2, 2018

Pine Office Wall Cabinet with Bookshelves

Here is a pine wall cabinet that was built and installed finished to match existing pine trim that was already in the house. The existing baseboard was incorporated into the cabinet at bottom, and the wall shows through in the cabinet sections above.

In order to match stains as many as five stains are mixed to acquire the right tone to match. Fluted pilasters are dividing the upper section that continue to the floor on the base section. There is an open section under the top center so that the cabinet may be used as a desk also. The upper shelf is fixed, while the rest of the shelves are adjustable. All the doors below are inset into the frame.

Thursday, April 26, 2018

Red Oak Book Case Cabinet in Recessed Wall

A client had a recessed wall that did not have much use, so a cabinet was designed and built for the space to store mostly books. This is red oak finished with Minwax special walnut stain color and lacquer.

The base cabinet has doors which are inset each base cabinet having an adjustable shelf inside. The height of cabinet is 9 feet.

This is located in the foyer of the house.

Friday, December 8, 2017

Entertainment Center for Big Screen TV

This entertainment center was built for a big screen TV to mount in the center upon the back wall and wires to run inside a chase down to lower section where wire access is located. The doors below the center section have a decorative grating for both ventilation and guaranteed remote functioning if used. The following photo shows the cabinets freshly painted without the shelves or door knobs installed.


© Florida Craftwood

The opening for the big screen TV is big enough for a 60". The base is built similarly to furniture with a decorative leg and toe kick since the floor here was fairly level to begin with.

The top has a solid piece so that the view of the top is more finished looking a seen from upstairs . (See photo below.)

The shelf above the opening for the TV is fixed and another adjustable shelf is made for above this.
All the doors are inset with self-closing hardware and adjustable shelves.

The base cabinet is 20 inches deep and 18 inches on the sides deep. The section above is 12 inches deep. The hole seen in the center section is the access to the vertical chase for wiring which is behind the TV.

Monday, November 6, 2017

Sunroom Office Cabinets

Here are some recent photos of a set of office cabinets built in a sunroom with French doors leading out the south side of a historical home in Lakeland Florida. The shelves and knobs are not yet installed in photos as the paint was still wet. The base cabinets are 16 inches thick to allow more space in the room for a desk which has access to an outlet in the floor.

The cabinets run around an inside corner continously with a corner cabinet that has a pullout below in the base for a printer. Each base section has a grommet access for electrical amenities. A matching baseboard is applied and crown moulding at top engaging ceiling.

The base cabinet doors are inset with flat drop panels and an adjustable shelf inside. Each cabinet has access to the next inside for wiring and access to outlets inside bases.

The paint color is Sherwin Williams Extra White in a semi-gloss finish.

Sunday, September 17, 2017

Custom Cabinets Over AC Return with Mantel Effect

The following cabinets were designed for an old house in South Tampa which had an air conditioning return vent off center in the wall. The photo below, taken with my phone (will be updated later with finished pictures) shows the cabinets in place with a coat of primer, sanded, and some caulking done. The air conditioner return is in the middle section right behind the double doors which have a decorative grating panel that is also painted, which allows the air to return through the doors back to the air conditioner unit which is behind the wall in a storage room.

The base cabinets are about 16 and 18 inches deep center section extended. Adjustable shelves in all cabinets except air return. A TV will be mounted above the mantel shelf center. Once cabinet is finished painted, additional photos will be posted here.

Cabinet doors are inset to reflect an older style that is actually a higher quality looking design than overlay doors today. Unfortunately, the photos are not as good as my other camera, so looking forward to taking better pics.

The center section is extended with a pilaster effect at corners as a method to create the mantel effect while adding decorative vertical pieces under shelf, and making shelf thicker with a moulding on the face as similarly at the top of upper cabinets. The baseboard was milled to match existing.

More pictures will be posted when ready.

Thursday, April 28, 2016

Ideas for Built-in Bookcases

I came across this bookcase built into a doorway that looks really nice. The back side is obviously closed off as a flat panel that would need painting, although that could be trimmed out in various ways. The shelves are fixed and casing is used as trim with a pediment affect. Looks really nice. This comes from BuiltbyTodd.com.

Here is another one but is called a storage unit from Ikeahackers.net. This is well planned out and very proportional to the eye. The horizontal divider at head height adds a nice touch to the piece, along with the drawers with the horizontal pulls. Many homes have these spaces that are not utilized as such.

The combination of painted finish and exposed woodworking may have started as the following cabinets built around a window with a seat reveal. The addition of soffit over the cabinets to incorporate lighting and duckwork compliments the work. Noticeably the cabinets are a simple design which seems to match well in the room, from Customhomefinish.com.

Here is great example of combining a desk setting with bookcases on each side with a contrasting idea. The shelves being long are made thicker so they do not bow down over time. Again, incorporating the cornice into the existing molding around the room with a capital affect at each pilaster. The shelves look fixed and the dark blue adds a nice contrast for the piece, from Viewalongtheway.com. Also, using butt hinges likely ballpins or finials on each end with a unique type of pull that may be locking adds a bit of tradition to the piece.

Another example of an amazing bookcase tucked into a space with the wallpaper exposed behind the shelving to add a wonderful look to the piece. Being next to a doorway, you will notice the stop on the floor to prevent the door from banging to this beautiful craftmanship. Looking at the shelves, again one wonders if they are not also fixed, from Danbankscompany.com. The light fixture adds a nice touch, fluted pilasters, while the cornice trim is integrated into the existing bed molding at the ceiling edge. It may be that the wallpaper was installed after rather than before installation. This photo may have been taken before hardware if any was installed on the doors.

Bookcases and their designs are an integral part of any home, and they certainly inspire us to collect books and obviously read them, and this is in a world where book reading unfortunately has been declining.

Wednesday, April 27, 2016

Bookshelves Surrounding Fireplace Mantels

There are numerous examples of bookshelves surrounding fireplace mantels online to view, however, many are not built to please the eye as some of these examples. A lot of really nice craftmanship even if the mantels are not integrated properly. Here are a few examples of fine woodworking inclusive of outstanding architectural design.

This first one comes from Houzz.com. Notice how the toe-kick area has a furniture feel while also allowing the feet to not interfere with accessing the shelving. This is a very simple design, but because everything is coordinated so well, fancy profiling becomes unnecessary. The contrasting mantel carries the eye while the shelving supports the overall feeling of order. Having the shelving and cabinet area built into the wall with the extended soffit and ceiling molding provides a nice balance.

Here is another example of fine integration, although the style does not seem to fit the house. Here, no television is assumed above the mantel, however, in this house that might have been appropriate. This particular style for a vaulted ceiling is a bit of mixing tradition with modern thinking while absent the pediment that would normally address the fireplace. This photo comes from Pinterest.

This one is an outstanding example of pre-planning and structural integration with fluted pilasters, a keystone arch design, also including the elaborated furniture style toe-lick and matched nicely to the primary pilasters around the mantel. Maybe slightly overkill on the capital effects, looks like they just barely fit on the wall. Here, the shelves are not too long while also nosed on the front adding depth. The cabinet tops should have also been thicker to match the shelves. This one is also at Pinterest.

Another example of fine craftmanship with fluted pilasters, a plinth at their base with some type of rosette at the top matching nicely to the rosette effects on the mantel. The additional cabinet on the left meeting the wall is quite appropriate for the space. The base is integrated along with the ceiling moldings. From Pinterest.

Finally, here is an example of integrating shelving with mantel in a simple design without excessive profiling or elaboration, yet blended well into the room. Notice the cabinet areas are just slightly thicker in depth than the pediment above the fireplace while also not too much thicker in depth than the bookshelves above resulting in a pleasing effect on the eyes. This comes from Grafik Medya.

There are many more examples, but I find that in many cases preferences whether good or bad often override the resulting aesthetic value expected in fine woodworking.

Tuesday, April 26, 2016

Bookshelves Mission Style with Window Seat Built-in

Here we have a mission style book shelf with cabinet storage below along side a window seat built-in that looks really nice from BounceHome.pro. It looks as though the cabinet space below the book shelves may be file drawers in an office space with another larger drawer below the window seat.

"Once again I want to thank you for the outstanding job done on the building of my wall unit in my office. I had dreamed of a wall unit for my office and shared that with you and you made it come to life. You listened to every word of detail that I spoke and incorporated it into the design and build of it. The unit was crafted so well and I just want to thank you for your workmanship. Impressed beyond words, Elizabeth T."

"Mark's work was was excellent. His communication throughout the project was informative which answered all our questions. His work was timely and beautiful. The crown moulding gave our home a touch of luxury. Thank you Mark." David G.

"Mark was amazing! He helped us choose a stain color and he presented a computer printout of the proposed design. A double sided 10 ft high high quality bookshelf with under cabinets created and installed in about a week. We're so happy with his craftsmanship and politeness that we're going to use him on an additional project in our dining room. Highly recommended-excellent, excellent- work, thank you!" Elizabeth M.

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