HOME DESIGN
Doing math in the aisles of Home Depot.*
My dad, a structural engineer by trade, instilled a love of DIY woodworking in me and my sisters from a young age. With some thought, planning, and technical skill, I've enjoyed transforming many a basic NYC apartment into a comfortable, customized space that is more functional, useful, and stylish.
This particular project was born out of necessity - my husband and I had just moved into an apartment in a 100-year old building that had very little storage, and we had a lot of books!
* Just kidding, I did all the math before I got there.
We had an alcove that was a great spot for shelving, so I decided that floating bookshelves were a solution that would effectively maximize the vertical and horizontal space, and also eliminate the need for brackets under the shelves that could get in the way of being able to neatly organize our books.
Whenever I've tackled a DIY home design project, it always pays off to spend extra time sketching, planning and measuring beforehand. (There is no "Command Z" for woodcuts, so accuracy and detail matter a lot!)
Original sketches, measurements, and a final woodcut list
Installing the brackets I built into studs - a must for anything heavy or weight-bearing.
Making sure my shelving cuts fit before staining them. (Okay, I was also just excited to see the wall finally start to look like shelves.)
Ready for their new tenants.
Voila - a custom built-in library.
