"My 1940 rowhouse has great bones, like a beautiful brick fireplace and original hardwood floors, but it's been up to me to add architectural details - all those charming, characterful touches that I love in a space. I added a BILLY to the right side of the fireplace. The gist of this project is straightforward: Follow IKEA's instructions to assemble a BILLY, that most ubiquitous of bookshelves, then surround it with trim to create a built-in effect."
"Some IKEA hackers get pretty elaborate with shelf lighting and cabinets for their BILLY hacks, but I kept it simple. I bought a single 31-inch BILLY and trim that felt like a nice match for the existing baseboard trim for the surround. I also picked up a white MDF shelf that I could cut to size for the top: This would act as a lid of sorts, extending all the way to the back wall to hide the gaps."
"To create something for the trim to attach to, I mounted scrap wood on the side of the fireplace and the wall. I also made a simple wood base to elevate the BILLY so that, once it was anchored to the wall, the bottom of the shelf would line up with the top of the baseboard trim. This was definitely the ugliest phase of the project. But hey, now it's hidden forever!"
A 1940 rowhouse retains a brick fireplace and original hardwood floors, and the owner added architectural details using an IKEA BILLY on the right side of the fireplace. The 31-inch BILLY was assembled per instructions and paired with trim chosen to match existing baseboard. A white MDF shelf was cut to create a top that concealed gaps. Scrap wood mounted to the fireplace and wall formed a framework, and a wood base elevated the bookcase to align with the baseboard. Trim, caulk, and Benjamin Moore Simply White paint unified the built-in appearance despite imperfect measurements and visible patching during work.
Read at Apartment Therapy
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