Billy Bookcase Hack: Arched Bookshelves

This project was inspired by Jenny Komenda. I saw her project for her arched bookshelves and loved them! I thought it would be a great focal point for my living room.

Here is what her's looks like:

I really wanted to do an entire wall of these because I think they look so great! however, because of the design challenges in my room I couldn't make it happen :-( So I decided to try two in a row.

Next I assembled the bookcases and height extenders except for the back panel so I could paint it easier. This was surprisigly easy for ikea furniture. 

Next, instead of painting the slick side of the backing that would normally be why faces outward on yhe shelf, i painted tw back instead. I first primed it with kiltz roll on primer and then I rolled on my dark grey color.

Jenny Komenda used pieces of 1/4 in thick MDF, however, they didn't have it at my lowes....bummer....so after explaining what I was trying to do via charades and diagrams to the men assisting me, they suggested 1/4in thick plywood. So I had 4 pieces of 14" x 32" rectangles made. 

(Only needed 2 ---1 for each bookcase, but I tend to need a mess up stock because I HATE going back to the store!)

On the same trip I also got two 1" pieces of 1/4" thick flat trim moulding. And one 2" piece of 1/4" thick flat trim moulding.

Think of this project as placing a picture frame on a bookcase.

Next came the hard part....drawing the arch to cut for the arch. Jenny komenda did it free handed. I am not as talented nor do I have a steady hand or patience!

I tried it freehand but it was horrible, so my best advice is to find a large round object in your house that you can trace ;)  

You want your arch to be about two inches from the top of the rectangle. Also, each edge needs to be 1" wide. I Can't stress how important the measuring part is....you will soon see my mistake....what's that saying? Measure twice cut once?....

To make the cuts I invested in a jig saw...I thought I was so cool buying my own saw! This is the model I got: 

It was surprisingly easy to use. You just have to go slow so that you don't get off track.

Ok see that orange thing in the corner of the picture? Those are my gloves. I forgot my safety gear!! Oops! And my dad was real upset when he saw my hair was down ....so if you try this wear your safety gear and put your hair up!

After I cut the arches. My friend Haylie and I sanded them so that their edges were smooth

Now it's time to put the arches and trim on the bookcases 

I attached them with small nails Long the edges. Make sure you hammer the nail heads in well so you can fill them with caulk for a more seamless look.

The same goes for each of the trim pieces. 

Then here is where my headche/problem came up: 

Ugh my measurements/cutting was a wee bit off...sh&*!!!!

To fix the issue with my measurement mistake I used calk to shape the arch and fill in the nail holes and seams 

Cheesin.....

Then I hand sanded the caulking seams and then painted the arches and trim white to match the bookshelf

And lastly was the styling!! Many of the books I got at thrift/antique stores. The styling is compliments of my good friend Haylie!

There she is! 

JN