When Laura moved into her dream home in Mandurah with her husband and children, she realised it needed a little facelift. Deciding to start on the entry room, she couldn’t figure out what to make of this ‘purposeless’ space until she settled on a custom built-in library.
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From here it only took her and her husband three weeks to transform the space.
What did the room look like before the makeover?
The facing wall was inset as it was boxed off for the air conditioning, which created a recess. I thought a wall of books, like a library, would fit well.
What inspired your makeover?
I thought a wall of books would give the room a purpose and create something nice to look at when you first enter. When I investigated, I realised that it would cost thousands to get it custom made by a company. Instead, I searched on Pinterest and found some great ideas and based my plans around them.
Have you done any makeovers before?
I have always been an avid DIYer along with my husband Stuart, so I showed him the images on Pinterest, and we sat down and worked out what we’d need and went from there.
What kind of look were you after?
My style is quite eclectic, but I was trying to achieve a coastal/Hamptons theme for the house, and I wanted to incorporate this style into the library so it would set the tone for the rest of the house.
What was the biggest challenge?
The biggest challenge was the process of measuring and working out what sizes of Ikea Billy bookcases I would need. We also make the framework slightly raised from the floor and had to ensure the cladding (skirting boards) in between the bookcases and the framing around the bookcases were all the right sizes. This was so that the finished result would look custom, and not off-centre or unsymmetrical!
Talk us through the renovation process
- Measured and bought the right size of Billy Bookcases to fit.
- Spray painted them and stencilled the backboard.
- Built them in situ.
- Measured up the spacing and worked out the “gaps” in spaces.
- Investigated the right timber and bought materials from Bunnings.
- Built framework for bookcases to safely and sturdily sit on.
- Electrical work was done for lights.
- Drill holes were drilled for light fixings and TV power.
- Clad around the outside with nails and glue.
- Using the larger sized skirting boards, cut to size and mitred on the corners.
- At one end of the library wall attached magnets to hold the panel in place as we needed to access what was behind it.
- Glued and nailed the smaller sized but matching skirting to the timber that was between each bookcase.
- Lights and switches were fitted by electrician.
- Then the coving was nailed/glued to top.
- Painted, then white filler to finish off and cover any small gaps.
How much did you spend?
We roughly spend $1400 all in and this saved us several thousand on a custom built-in bookcases!
Budget breakdown
Bookcases: $367 from IKEA 3 x Billy bookcases at $79 each 2 x Billy bookcases at $65
Skirting: $210 lambs tongue skirting in two different sizes from Bunnings
Covering: $40 from Bunnings
Timber: $60 from Bunnings
Paint and spray paint: Already owned, but for 4 litres was more than $100 roughly
Stencil: $49 bought online
Picture lights: $300 from Temple & Webster at $99 each
Nails/Glue/Brushes: $50
Electrician: $200
Favourite part of your makeover?
My favourite part was styling, I loved styling the bookcases, with our beloved books, family photos, plants, and all different pieces I have collected over the years.
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