A CUSTOM CORNER SHELVING SOLUTION USING READY-MADE COMPONENTS
(Please click each image for a larger version.)
A dynamic living room had founds its perfectly fitting corner sofa configuration serving as comfortable seating/lounging section as well as a partial divider from the small office space (a.k.a. The Den). The empty wall corner space above presented an opportunity for a creative design solution…
A true built-in corner shelving was not an option since this was only a rented space and the solution needed to be only semi-permanent and not heavily impacting the wall surface that it needed to support itself onto. An idea of crisscrossing shelving came to mind as something that could be done using readymade shelves. A design sketch inevitably occurred in Ria’s mind, that never actually made it onto to paper at the time (that is how clear and simple it was!), but here is an after-the-fact quickly produced visualization of it for the current presentation:
Selecting the appropriate kind of shelves was based on the required lengths and the imagined aesthetics of the design. An airy, non-obtrusive look and feel was the idea, with making it interesting and unusual at the same time. Not surprisingly, IKEA came to the rescue. Two different kinds of shelves were selected:
The 2 different shelf thicknesses were to create a nice balance in the prominences of each kind, and the nickel-plated aluminum hardware details were to introduce that extra interest in this otherwise fully off-white composition.
A minimum height for the lowest shelves was determined by asking the tallest person in dwelling to use the sofa in every possible way to ensure safe distance allowances and avoid any ergonomic mistakes. From there on, the shelves were simply stacked going upwards considering reasonable spacing in between for the placement of books and any other items likely to become part of the arrangements. One last check was done to ensure that the very top shelves were at a sensible height, and then it was time for shelf installation! Which – as per usual in the case of IKEA products – presented no challenge to execute.
Here is how it turned out:
And in full use:
Conclusion
An inspiring shelving design idea came into a highly practical, aesthetically pleasing, and unique realization. The solution would also be quite easy to relocate to a different corner space when needed, which further speaks to its potential. ♦
