I have purchased quite a few books over the years. I spent so much money on the books themselves that I didn't have enough left over to buy shelving, and that's where I got the idea for this helpful little tip. I had stacks of books all over the house, and I finally decided that something had to be done, so I went on a hunt. I found a damaged dresser that had been left in the basement by the previous owner of the house, so I pulled it out and started brainstorming a way to turn it into a bookshelf.
I came up with the idea of taking all the hardware off the drawers and stacking the drawers on top of each other. The bottoms of the drawers now became the back of my new modular shelving unit. Each shelf measures 36 inches wide, 15 inches high, and 8 inches deep. With a little bit of staining, the new shelves make a beautiful addition to the living room, turning my unsightly stacks of books into a source of numerous complements.
would love to see pictures of them finished! :) i saw years ago on some craft show where a lady used a small one as a spice rack on her wall, she added 1x1 lumber slates to the inside angled and so far apart. great idea you've shared. thanks
Great idea. You could also make "shelves" out of the body of the dresser. Just fill in the "floor" of each drawer space with plywood. Stain to match. The shelves wouldn't be very tall but perhaps using baskets on the shelves would be more useful.
I love your post! It reminded me of a time in the 1950s when we had a fire in our kitchen. The cupboards had to be replaced. I took one of the old sections which wasn't damaged all over, turned it upside down, stained it and it made a beautiful bookshelf. An additional blessing was that when I turned it over there was a little rim to keep my toddler from being able to pull things off the top since he wasn't tall enough to reach over it and lift the items up and over.
Login using the form on the top of the page to post feedback (if you are a registered user). If you have not yet registered, click here to do so. It's FREE!.
