d*s reader amber blakesley turned in this great project for the d*s diy contest. though it didn’t fake the final round, i thought it was way too beautiful to go un-celebrated. using simple tools, orla kiely wallpaper and a variety of ikea billy bookcase components, amber created these gorgeous bookshelves designed to hold books, objects and amber’s new sewing machine. i love that she thought to add billy doors to the bottom of the shelves, as a way to hide the things she didn’t want to see every day. amber was kind enough to include full instructions with her submissions so i’ve included them below. thanks to amber for her wonderful projects and congrats on a beautiful finished project.
Amber’s Billy Bookshelves
items required
3 billy bookcases $59 ea.
3 extenders $25 ea.
6 billy byom doors $35 ea.
2 rolls wallpaper $80 ea. (I bought an Orla Kiley pattern I loved, you could do this for much cheaper, but I’m a sucker for good design)
1 quart tub wallpaper primer $15
1 quart tub wallpaper paste $15
small roller $3
sponge $2
smoothing tool $5
1-2 helpers.
time required: Saturday afternoon
Grand Total $652
Steps
1. Built the bookshelves
2. Built the extender units
3. Wallpaper the flat back pieces of the bookcases that are included. Making sure to match up the pattern across all three units. The backs that Ikea gives you are cardboard, not real wood. I would suggest you have real pressed wood cut to fit the backs of the bookshelves. I was already knee deep in constructing bookshelves when I found this out, so I went ahead and used the cardboard backs and it all worked out just fine.
4. Install doors.