DIY Bookshelf

I love this bookshelf but I love the story of these boards even more.

A few years ago I was out with my parents at their house and I found some random wood sitting in the rafters of my dad’s garden shed. It turned out to be 5 glued boards that immediately caught my eye and my project brain started trying to figure out what I could do with them. I asked why these cool boards were just sitting in the shed totally forgotten. I found out they were 1x2’s that my late grandfather had glued together and never created anything with. My parents took them when he passed and then also hadn’t gotten around to using them so I asked if I could have them!

So I used some screws and L brackets and then my favorite coffee and steel wool stain and built this little bookshelf for our one year old son. He had accumulated enough books already that he had outgrown the colorful fabric sling bookcase we had him using. Then it sat, backless and on the carpet for a few years.

Then in 2021 I decided to put a bit of extra beadboard on the back to make it look a bit more finished and prevent books and toys from falling out the back of the bookshelf. I also added some hairpin legs so my vacuum could move under it, working smarter not harder! Having to scoot the whole thing every time I needed to vacuum was getting annoying. The little hairpin legs(paid link) are from Amazon and the bead board was from home depot.

As you can see it’s already a little banged up from love and kid use but it’s sturdy and I love that it has a personal story and a connection to a grandfather that I barely knew. I also love the detail of the glued and sanded boards, the character that added is what I was initially drawn to.

Someday if my son grows out of this or needs something else for the space, maybe I’ll use it as an end table in our living room or even a plant shelf! Who knows but I’m all for repurposing in any and every way.

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