Friday, June 22, 2007

slim paperback book case

i love books but finding a book case to fit them all is always a challenge. but i'm loving andrew's solution for paperbacks. it maxs out the space, without taking too much of it.

andrew needed a shallow book case for paperbacks in a narrow hallway. instead of using the ubiquitous billy, andrew measured the borghamn height extender for size and it fitted perfectly. (note: link is to the media storage combo. can't find the link to the height extender only)

ikea wood book case for paperbacksikea wood book case"i used the posts and plates meant to attach the height extender to the borghamn base to instead stack two of the height extenders. if it wasn't for a window shutter in the way, i'd add another one or two shelves for more paperback storage."

14 comments:

  1. The Jerker is back but now called Fredrik

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  2. This may actually work wonderfully for DVDs as well. Great idea!

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  3. Very clever! I've considered using Benno cd storage as paperback shelving myself - but this was prettier. It really annoys me that so many bookcases are so DEEP...

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  4. in german this is a link to the height extender
    http://service.gmx.net/de/cgi/derefer?DEST=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ikea.com%2Fwebapp%2Fwcs%2Fstores%2Fservlet%2FProductDisplay%3FcatalogId%3D10103%26storeId%3D5%26langId%3D-3%26productId%3D42214

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  5. Ha! I actually recognize the spine of Larry Niven's The Smoke Ring.

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  6. I always wondered why book shelves are so deep. Am I the only one who exclusively buys paperbacks? I'll definitely give it a closer look next time when I am at Ikea. Thanks for sharing this idea!

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  7. I just stumbled on this site while looking for shelving solutions.
    This paperback arrangement is awesome--but I'm confused, I thought the point was to save money, not just buy the unit and rearrange it. Am I wrong? Should I be looking for a site that has just the borghamn extensions for sale or are you guys suggesting I but the whole 259 dollar unit and just use the top parts? I'm confused. Really wanna build the above combination but dont have a lot of dough.
    Any input would be great.
    Thanks!

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  8. patrick, ikea usually sells the extensions as a separate unit. i can't find a link to it on their website and am not sure how much it costs, but definitely not as much as the media unit. you don't have to buy the entire media unit to construct this bookshelf.

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  9. Hi, Jules. thanks for the reply. Actually, I've looked all over and can't find the extension unit. It seems to only be available in the UK.
    Odd.

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  10. I absolutely LOVE this hack and it's perfect for me since I only buy paperbacks.

    I just checked and US website shows only the entire Borghamn media storage unit and shows that my local store did not have it in stock. However, I called them up anyway, asked for a stock check and it turns out they've got 4 extensions only in stock! They're about $60.

    So the moral of story is to call up your local store and have them do a physical stock check.

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  11. Coming back in late: Yes, we -only- bought the extenders, not the entire system. Our local store (East Palo Alto, CA) had several in stock at the time but seems to be sold out now. We've since doubled the height and gone all the way up to the ceiling, using the hardware intended to attach the extenders to the main piece to connect the extenders to each other, and the earthquake straps to secure the whole thing to the wall.

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  12. Looks like I just missed it. The Borghamn line is no longer in Ikea's catalog. Anyone knows of something similar (or whether it might still be available in stores)? This is exactly what I need. What dimensions is it?

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  13. An alternative to this is the Atlantic Oskar 1080 CD/504 DVD/BluRay/Games Wood Cabinet which will hold about 220 paperbacks. The shelves are fully adjustable so you can slap some hardbacks in there if you want. $118 US on amazon.

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  14. That book case you have in your house look simple yet elegant. I actually want to have one.

    perth window roller shutters

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