ClosetMaid makes some nice fabric storage cubes for storing all kinds of stuff. They are called ClosetMaid Cubeicals. But you don’t have to buy cheap bookcases from ClosetMaid too. You can have your own custom-sized unfinished or finished partition bookcase built to fit the 10.5″W x 11″H x 10.5″W cubes.

Below is an example of a frameless partition bookcase with cubbies sized to fit the storage cubes. Our Nola frameless bookcases are more sturdy than what you see here. Ours are built using 3/4″ thick Maple or Oak plywood with 2-3/4″H bases. So, they are much sturdier than your standard ready-to-assemble or particleboard bookcase.

Here is how to size your unfinished bookcase (also available stained or painted).

Width: A 3-cube high bookcase would need space for three 11″H cubbies, plus an extra 1/4″ per cubby to make sure they fit easily, plus a 2-3/4″H base and three 3/4″ shelves (including the top).

Height: A 4-cube wide bookcase would need space for four 10.5″W cubbies, plus an extra 1/4″ per cubby to make sure they fit easily, plus five 3/4″W vertical separators. That would make it about 39″H and 47″W.

Overall: Since the cubbies are 10.5″D, the overall dimensions could be 47″W x 39″H x 12″D. Now, just buy some cubbies to fill it in!

Are you thinking about incorporating a custom bookcase into your home? These units are versatile and multifunctional, adding character and functionality to your space. We’ll discuss the various ways these units can enhance your living space.

Office

Do you need a home office with custom office furniture to work at home or just to have a place to set up a desktop computer? Custom bookcases are ideal for such workspaces, especially to homeowners who own a significant number of books. These shelves can hold more than books and offer the perfect way to display collectibles and memorabilia. Our bookcases can also be made with doors or drawers to serve as concealed storage units or file drawers.

Living Room

Floor-to-ceiling units are particularly attractive and provide significant display and storage space in the living room. You can also choose to design your shelves with fluting, arched tops, and even lighting, making the pieces part of this location’s architecture. Bookcases can flank an entertainment console to create a larger entertainment system.

Nursery

More and more parents are also deciding to incorporate custom bookshelves into a child’s nursery. This is largely because the cases offer plenty of space for storing and displaying items. They often remain a key room feature as children grow. Be sure to secure it to the wall to make sure a toddler does not climb up and tip it over!

Basement Pantry

Basements are good for just about anything, but they are especially good for storing extra packaged food items, holiday dishes and servers, and kitchen equipment that is not currently in use. Why cram your kitchen full with items you only use a couple of times a year?

Interested in a Custom Bookcase?

Now that you’ve thought about some of the common locations for these units, browse our selections online or contact us to discuss your unique needs with a professional. We’ve served the thousands of customers for many years and our highly-trained contractors always deliver expert design advice, quality workmanship and seamless installation. Big job or small, you can expect us to have the knowledge, skills and equipment we need to complete it quickly and efficiently. You can also count on us for built-in entertainment centersstorage systems and kitchen/bathroom cabinets.

Types of wood for furniture.
This is a guide to help you decide what types of wood to choose for your cabinets, bookcases, or other furniture.

Maple

Maple is one of the hardest wood types for furniture or cabinetry. It’s often used for heavy-use items like dressers and dining sets, as it can take a beating. It is almost always used for painted kitchen cabinets since it does not have very pronounced grain, which can show through light-colored paints if you use other types of wood. If you want unfinished cabinets and plan to paint them, order Maple. It is also more affordable than many other hardwoods. This, combined with its durability, makes it ideal.

Maple is found primarily in the Great Lakes region. Its color ranges from cream to reddish-brown, but it takes dark stains especially well. So, maple wood can easily be stained to resemble more expensive wood like mahogany. Maple wood has a straight, fine grain with occasional bird’s-eye or fiddleback patterns. Hard maple usually has a lighter color while soft maple tends to be slightly darker.

Oak

Oak is a durable and long-lasting wood type. Because of the trees’ slow growth, the wood is extremely dense, adding to its quality. The wood adapts to a variety of finishes. This makes it ideal for both modern and traditional furniture. It’s also often used for Mission/Arts & Crafts furniture design.

Most oak lumber comes from the eastern and central United States. Many American antiques are constructed of oak wood. Oak furniture will last centuries with proper care. The color ranges from light brown to pinkish-red with a swirling or striped grain. Oak furniture is often known as a scratch- and stain-resistant wood, if properly finished.

Pine

Pine is popular with rustic and farmhouse design. It is a lightweight wood, making it great for families that move frequently. Pine is an inexpensive wood and is a good option for those who aren’t quite ready for the investment of other wood types. Pine paints well and painted pine furniture is often used for kids’ rooms because of the fun colors.

Pine is found throughout the Northern Hemisphere. Its color ranges from white to light brown with yellow or red tones, and it’s known for its beautiful knots. The knots are what add character and rustic charm to the finish. Pine wood furniture resists shrinking and swelling, maintaining its shape for years.

Cherry

Cherry wood is known for its extremely straight and uniform grain. The wood polishes well and has a beautiful finished look. Also known for its popularity use for antique furniture, cherry is last centuries with the proper care. It is considered a prized hardwood among craftsmen. Cherry wood furniture is often an investment that will pay off long-term.

Cherry is found in the eastern United States. Its distinctive color starts as a pinkish-brown and darkens to a deep red with a straight grain and some rippling. Like most wooden furniture pieces, cherry becomes more beautiful as it ages. Cherry is the best wood for furniture that’s designed to last for years and stay in your family.

Mahogany

Mahogany is a durable hardwood that’s often used for investment, intricate pieces of furniture. The wood species has a pleasingly fine, straight grain. Because of the trees’ large size, mahogany is produced in large boards. This makes it perfect for focal point furniture. Mahogany has a timeless look and adds warmth to the room. Any mahogany wood furniture will last generations with proper care.

Mahogany is native to Mexico, Central and South America, but it’s grown throughout the tropics and Africa. African mahogany has become more popular than South American mahogany. However, antique pieces are most often made of South American mahogany. Its color varies from pale to pink to reddish-brown with a straight grain. Mahogany is the best wood for furniture that is elegant and timeless, especially large pieces like dining tables.

Walnut

Walnut is a hard, strong and durable wood for furniture. It carves well and holds its shape for years. This makes it perfect for ornate furniture that requires a high level of craftsmanship. This wood is ideal for investment pieces and furniture you want to stay in your family for generations. Think Amish Heirloom furniture.

In North America, walnut grows from Vermont to the Great Plains and south through Louisiana and Texas. Its color varies from white to dark brown, and it’s known for its large burls. Common types include Brazilian walnut, Caribbean walnut, black walnut and North American walnut wood. Walnut’s grain is typically straight, but some waves appear closer to the roots. Walnut is the best wood for furniture that is ornate and requires a lot of detail.

Birch

Birch is an extremely strong and durable hardwood that grows abundantly in North America. The species’ beautiful appearance and blond color make it a great wood type for modern furniture. It has an elegant, clean-lines grain that complements simplistic interior design.

Birch grows in the Northeast and Great Lakes regions and along the Appalachians. Its color ranges from cream to light reddish-brown with a fine grain. The wood’s strong, durable nature makes it great for woodworking and detailed craftsmanship.

Bamboo

Bamboo is known for its eco-friendly nature and beautiful blond coloring. The species is actually a grass, rather than hardwood. Because of this, bamboo grows rapidly. It grows about 10-times faster than hardwoods do. Bamboo also resists swelling and shrinking.

Bamboo grows in every continent except Europe and Antarctica. Its color varies from very light to a warm medium tone, but naturally, it boasts a soft blonde color. Bamboo furniture is versatile for design but is most common in contemporary interior design. Bamboo is the best wood for furniture made for environmentally-conscious families and modern design.

Many kitchens or wall units include glass doors for places where you may want to display your kitchenware, photos, or other objects, but don’t want them completely exposed. Bookcases can also have glass doors to cover electronic components without interfering with the infra-red remote control signal. An alternative is wire mesh, which allows you to see what is inside, but provides a more decorative appearance.

We added some custom doors to one of our Traditional bookcases by replacing the glass with oil-rubbed bronze wire mesh.

Bookcase with glass doors converted to wire mesh

To install the mesh, the glass was first removed and replaced with a custom-cut piece of wire mesh. Most glass doors have clips that hold the glass panel in place, but we use plastic material that is inserted into a slot along the inside edge of the door frame. The plastic strip can hold either a glass panel or the wire mesh, or probably any other kind of thin panel.

Plastic strip used to hold panel in door frame (back view of door).

The wire mesh used in this piece is a 1/4″ thick round wire that has been crimped and has an opening size of 1/2″, which makes it fairly easy to see through without making it too open.

Wire mesh is generally sold in sheets that are at least 36″ x 48″, so you would need to cut it to fit your door openings with a good wire cutter.

Wire cutter to cut 1/4″ wire mesh.

Adding a good quality wire mesh to a door isn’t cheap, but it can dramatically enhance the look of your cabinets or bookcases!

This article describes the steps I took to create a built-in entertainment system using Arthur Brown Face Frame bookcases and cabinets with custom wood moulding used to trim it out and give it a built-in look. The bookcases and cabinets have a simple face frame style so that separate mouldings could be chosen and added to fill in the gaps between the cabinets and the wall.

This particular home has a step-down family room with a raised opening in the wall, which isn’t exactly your typical situation. This made it all the more tricky, since the base of the opening is 12 inches off the floor. The top bulkhead is 12 inches from the ceiling, leaving only 7 feet of vertical space to work with for the cabinetry. The opening is about 11.5 feet wide.

Step 1: Design of the Space and Ordering of Components

To start the project, I began by coming up with a design plan and then choosing bookcases and cabinets that would fit comfortably into the space without leaving too much space to fill on the sides and top. Since I wanted this to be used as an entertainment system, there needed to be space for a large TV, speakers to the sides and above, media components below, and plenty of storage space for DVDs, books, and other items. The center bottom piece is a CN4 entertainment console with a TV hutch above. The side pieces are Arthur Brown bookcases with doors at the bottom. Each piece has custom pull-out trays behind the doors. They were sized to fit rows of DVDs and Blu-Ray discs. The center console section has a pull-out shelf so that a heavy receiver can be rolled in and out to make it easier to connect the wiring.

Step 2: Preparation of the Area

First, I removed the wood flooring from this area since it was no longer needed. Plus, the extra 3/4″ of space gained by removing the flooring made sure the 84″ tall bookcases fit in easily. The photo below shows two 30″W x 84″H x 24″D unfinished bookcases, which just barely fit into the space after having removed the flooring. The bottom section has pull-out trays and doors, but I took these off so that they could be more efficiently painted. The other pieces were moved to another area for painting.

Step 3: Painting and Installation

I painted all the bookcases and other components, shelves, and doors, and then positioned them in the wall space, leaving some gaps between them. They will later be covered with crown, base, and side moulding.

Step 4: Installation of Wiring and Power Access

Before the pieces were permanently installed, it was necessary to run wires from where the media components go to where the speakers and TV will go. I cut holes into the back panels and installed connector panels to enable wires to easily pass through from one piece to the next. For some larger cables, like HDMI and power cables, I fed them through an open panel instead of using connectors. I then connected cables to the backs of the panels and fed them into the shelf above so that they could be quickly and easily plugged directly into the front of each panel. Power was run to the bottom cabinet.

 

Step 5: Finishing the Installation of Doors and Accessories

I screwed the outer two bookcases to the side walls to ensure they were not able to move, and then screwed the center pieces to the side pieces to make it a secure unit. On the floor, you can see the moulding that will be used to frame out the pieces and cover the gaps, thus making it a built in system of shelves and entertainment units.

Step 6: Installation of Equipment

I installed equipment into the entertainment console and connected the cables and power cords. At the bottom center opening of the entertainment cabinet is a battery backup/surge protector and a receiver. A pull-out shelf was installed to make it easier to slide the receiver in and out while connecting cables. In the short open shelf above are the media boxes, such as a cable TV box, Apple TV, and Blu-Ray player.

Step 7: Installation of Moulding Around Frame

Finally, I nailed unfinished moulding from Home Depot to the wall and face frames of the bookcases and cabinets. In between each piece is a custom-built column consisting of several stacked pieces: a plinth block at the bottom, a piece of fluted column above, and a rosette at the top. In between the plinth blocks are flat pieces of Maple wood with upside down chair rail moulding added to its top. Above the cabinets is an inverted piece of base moulding that was placed in between the columns. Finally, a piece of crown moulding was added at the very top.

Step 8: Painting of Moulding

I filled in nail holes in the moulding using wood filler and applied caulk to all gaps. Then I painted the moulding so everything flowed seamlessly together. You can’t even tell which pieces are separate from each other. As far as anyone can tell, it is a custom built in. The first photo below shows the plinth block with fluted moulding stacked on top. To the side are flat pieces of wood with chair rail placed upside down on top. The second photo shows the rosette block at the top of the fluted moulding, with upside down base moulding on each side and crown above.

 

Step 9: Finishing Touches

Finally, I installed all the rest of the entertainment components, added books, photo frames and other nick knacks to the shelving, and plugged it all in. No more hole in the wall–it now looks completely built in! Inside the taller doors are pull-out trays for DVDs and other items. It was a lot of work, but much simpler than a fully custom job since I was able to use pre-built component bookcases and cabinets from Highlands Designs.

This great Maple, Face Frame Crown style, white entertainment system was put together using a combination of bookcases, a center entertainment console, and a bookcase bridge. Here is how this was put together to create a cascading wall unit with varying depths and heights.

Design Elements

Entertainment System
Entertainment System

The central piece is a CN4 entertainment console 84″W x 36″H x 24″D, painted white with raised-panel doors. It has deluxe base moulding that wraps around the sides and is mitered to meet the moulding on the adjacent units.

The piece above the TV is a BR2 bookcase bridge 84″W x 12″H x 16″D set above the other bookcases with deluxe crown moulding wrapped around each side.

The bookcases on each side are stepped back, with the first 16″D, then 14″D, then 12″D. They have deluxe crown moulding that is wrapped around to meet the bookcase next to it. The pieces next to the center have a mini-miter so that the crown moulding overlaps the face frame of the bookcase bridge. On the outer side, they have a partial wrap with a mitered cut to meet the moulding on the next piece. The next piece has an inside miter cut to meet that crown, and so forth. The result is a seamless flowing sequence of moulding that appears built-in and connected. In reality, these were ordered pre-built to fit the design.

Had the homeowner wanted to go all the way to the ceiling, we could have used base units with tall hutches, but since this is a very tall ceiling, it probably would have been overkill.

Diagrams

The diagram below was used to specify how everything would fit together.

Entertainment System Diagram
Entertainment System Diagram

Final Overview

AWB FFC Entertainment System
Entertainment System

This large custom entertainment system is nothing more than a collection of pre-built units designed to fit together as a seamless unit. All that you need is the ability to envision your project and measure the space. Then, just order bookcases and cabinets sized to fit, pre-assembled, and ready to put into place. The center pieces are deeper, with the end units the shallowest of all. There is plenty of hidden storage in the middle, where media, and other items can be placed. The electronics area is in the opening just below the TV shelf or behind glass doors so that the remote controls will still work.

“There is no furniture so charming as books, even if you never open them or read a single word,” said the nineteenth-century writer Sydney Smith. A shelf full of books adds instant appeal to any room, whether in the form of bespoke joinery or stand-alone shelves. We’ve looked for the most inspiring designs for bookshelves in the living roombedroom or study. From modern designs, to mid-century classics and spy novel numbers which conceal hidden doors, there are bookshelves of every type in this gallery to inspire something as intriguing as the tomes that fill them.

Once you’ve decided on the bookshelf for you, have a think about how best to organize your books. Are you someone who likes them color-coded? Or by size? Take a look at our piece on how to arrange your bookshelf for more advice.

Entryway Bookcases

Entryway Bookcases
Stained Built in bookshelves around an entryway

In the library at Wolterton Hall in Norfolk, two panels of faux book spines, on either side of a door, drop down to reveal a drinks area hidden behind – aperitif bottles are on the left and digestifs on the right. Once closed, they are indistinguishable from the other shelves and you would never know they are there. woltertonpark.co.uk

White bookcases framing a home office entryway

In the painter Haidee Becker’s north London house, bookshelves have been built into the recess of the wall and along the top of the archway. In the fairly neutral space, the addition of hundreds of books adds color and texture.

Green built in bookshelves framing an entry door

Floor-to-ceiling bookshelves, in a bespoke green, frame the doorway with a view across the hall to a bedroom beyond in Thomas Dane’s Gloucestershire house.

Built in bookshelves in a passageway

If you happen to have a reasonably wide hallway or landing, adding bookshelves can be a brilliant way to add interest (and storage). At her converted schoolhouse in Battersea, Atelier Ellis founder Cassandra Ellis has created a library with floor-to-ceiling shelves in the hallway.

Stepped Library Bookcases

Stepped Library Bookcases

Work with the architecture of your room. The alcoves to either side of a fireplace are the ultimate spot for built-in bookshelves. In Kit Kemp’s new hotel Ham Yard, the designer has carried them round the wall and over the door-frame, (a trick also favored by our editor Sue Crewe in her home) and teamed them with a chic patterned paper in muted colors.

White bookcases stair stepped up a staircase and built in below the staircase

Kate Aslangul of Oakley Moore decorated this light-flooded library on the second floor of a Parisian home, in which architect Pascal Collange incorporated a bookshelf into the staircase, a signature style. The room is painted in Farrow & Ball‘s ‘New White’ while the pendant lights are from Mullan. Bespoke metal spindles create an arts and crafts feel together with a striped runner from Hartley Tissier, an Anglo-French carpet company.

Built in bookshelves in a winding staircase

In lieu of an actual bookcase, antiques dealer Sarah Fenwick installed this Cole & Son wallpaper in the stairwell of her London home. The effect is playful and adds a sense of depth to the space.

Fireplace Bookcases

Fireplace Bookcases

Floor to ceiling bookshelves add visual impact and character in the home of designer Beata Heuman.

Green covers both the walls and bookshelves in the eclectic, colourful London house of a novelist and lifelong collector. A vintage Venetian mirror from Tarquin Bilgen is flanked by paintings by Anne Rothenstein and a pink lamp by Cressida Bell. A flamingo from Graham & Green is beside an armchair in an Ian Mankin blue stripe, next to which is a statue of a boy from Bora Bora.

Bookcases around fireplace mirror

Try combining books with mirrors. Lulu Lytle, owner and director of the interiors shop Soane, uses mirrors on the walls that are not shelved to ‘maintain the feeling of open skies in our sitting room’. The clever use of storage, wrapped beautifully around the Peter Twining designed chimney wall makes the room feel lighter than air.

Breakfast Room Bookcases

Breakfast Room Bookcases

Hidden Door Bookcases

Built in bookcases creating a hidden door in a study

This eighteenth-century barn has been converted into a stylish sitting-room-cum-guest-cottage, by its owner Emma Burns, managing director at Sibyl Colefax & John Fowler. Emma adapted the internal configuration to create a striking way of displaying her book collection. The built-in bookcase equipped with a ladder also acts as a secret door to a hidden bathroom.

Built in bookcases creating a faux door

A jib door opens from the library into the kitchen in this London flat designed by Hugh Henry.

Source (with plenty of more examples):

http://www.houseandgarden.co.uk/interiors/bookshelf-ideas-living-room-study-design/frame-impact?previous#ViewImage

Crown Moulding
Crown Moulding

Crown Molding Basics

Crown molding is a decorative trim piece the sits on an angle, and is used to cover transitions between walls, bookcases or cabinets and the ceiling for decoration. It can be installed where the walls and the ceilings meet, but it can also be used to fill the gap between the top of a bookcase or cabinet and the ceiling, or sticking up at the top of a row of wall cabinets or tall bookcases. They can either be plain or sprung.

Most of today’s interior designers agree that every room benefits from the use of crown molding treatment. It is one of most important architectural elements used to define interior spaces. Moulding is typically made from solid milled wood or plaster but may be made from plastic or reformed wood. Installing crown molding to a room, or to the top of your cabinets or bookcases, instantly adds an aesthetically pleasing and classy look.

Varieties of common moldings include:

  • Crown
  • Cove
  • Astra-gal
  • Bead molding
  • Bed molding
  • Dentil
  • Scotia

The installation of molding improves the transition from wall to ceiling or bookcase to ceiling and defines the architectural style of a room. The size and style of crown molding used may vary widely, from a simple coves in a farmhouse kitchen to large built-up cornice in a grand entryways.

The size and style of molding used may vary widely, from a simple coves in a farmhouse kitchen to open top crown with rope lighting to large built-up cornice in a grand entryways.

Installing Crown

Installing crown moulding

Crown moulding, also known as ceiling trim, gives a wall depth and character. It’s a budget-friendly way to update the look of most any room. You can also use crown moulding to accent the style of your pantry or kitchen cabinets. Read on for the basic steps and tips on how to install crown moulding.

Plan Your Installation

Measuring for crown moulding

Learning how to install crown moulding starts with careful planning. The moulding pieces need to fit seamlessly around your room. The first thing to do is determine which crown moulding to use. There are a number of different decorative styles that you can install based on the decor of your room. You can also opt for cove moulding if you are interested in a look that is not as fancy but still neatly finished. 

  • Start your planning on the wall opposite the door (wall 1 in photo above). You want the first view of your crown moulding to be the best.
  • Plan your way around the room. The moulding on wall 2 in the photo above will be coped, or cut to shape, where it meets the moulding on wall 1.
  • The third wall is treated the same way as wall 2. The fourth wall is coped at both ends.

Measure the Room and Mark Studs

Marking Studs

Each piece of crown moulding will need to be custom fitted to your wall and each other. No room is perfectly square, so measuring accurately is essential. You’ll also want to nail the crown moulding into a stud for a secure hang. 

  • Measure the wall from corner to corner. Draw a faint line where the bottom of the crown moulding will lay. This will help you keep the moulding straight. Write your measurement down to use when cutting your crown moulding.
  • Use a stud finder to locate the studs. Make faint pencil marks high on the wall to guide you as you nail.

Measure and Mark Moulding

Measure and mark moulding
  • Put the moulding against a framing square, noting the distance between the face of the moulding edge and the corner.
  • Cut a scrap of lumber to the correct dimension and draw layout lines on the wall and ceiling.
  • When you install the moulding, align it with the layout lines.
  • Begin placing moulding against the wall opposite the door.
  • Mark the locations of the studs by holding the moulding in place. Transfer the stud marks onto the moulding.

Set up the Miter Saw

Set up the miter saw
  • When first learning how to cut crown moulding, position the moulding correctly on the saw.
  • Set the miter saw to cut at 45 degrees in the general direction of the angle you need. See Step 5 below.
  • Make sure the ceiling edge is flat on the bottom of the miter box. The wall edge should be tight against the fence.
  • If the blade and cut line won’t align, try turning the moulding upside down and try again.
  • Cut close to the end.

Tip: If you do not have a miter saw, cuts can be made with a hand saw and miter box.

Cut Crown Moulding

Cut crown moulding

Part of learning how to install crown moulding is figuring out which cut to use. You will make inside corner cuts, outside corner cuts and sometimes scarf joint cuts. The most common types of crown moulding cuts are:

  • Inside corner cuts have a long bottom edge and a short top edge. The cut on the left will angle left. The cut on the right will angle right.
  • Outside corner cuts have a short bottom edge and a long top. The cut on the right will angle left. The cut on the left will angle right.
  • Scarf cuts are used to join two pieces of moulding that meet on a wall. The cut will angle in the same direction on both sides of the moulding.

How you cut your crown moulding also depends on what kind of joints will work best. There are two kinds of joints: mitered and coped. Mitered joints meet at the corners in a perfect 90 degree angle. Coped joints work best when a corner isn’t squaring up or is not at 90 degrees. 

A coped joint is when you cut the end of the moulding square and install it flush into the corner of a wall. You then cut the next piece of moulding to fit the profile of the first. Most corners are not perfect, so it’s good to know how to make a coped joint.

  • Lay out the cope joint on a second piece of moulding. Start with a piece that’s a few inches longer than the finished length. Flex it in place.
  • At the end of the moulding that you will cope, draw a line in the general direction you plan to cut. Cut at roughly a 45-degree angle.

Tip: Cut the inside corner and outside corner moulding upside down on the saw. Place the ceiling side on the bottom and the wall side on the top.

Test and Trim to Fit

Test and trim to fit

You want your cuts to fit snugly together. As you cut each piece of moulding, look closely at each one. See if there is the excess wood beneath the profile. Cut away any excess with a coping saw. 

  • Tilt the coping saw back at a 45-degree angle to create a razor-thin edge where the two mouldings will meet. You want the mouldings to overlap flat.
  • Check the joint by fitting it against a cutoff.
  • Be prepared for an imperfect fit. Fine-tune the joint until it fits.
  • Sand and file any high spots to create a tight fit.

Installing Crown Moulding

Installing crown moulding

Once you’re sure the joints fit, you’re ready to install the crown moulding.

  • Measure the wall again.
  • Cut the moulding 1/8-inch longer than measured. The extra length will help push the cope joint closed when installing crown moulding.
  • Make a square cut on the uncoped end of the crown moulding.
  • Flex the moulding in place.
  • Nail or glue the moulding to the wall and ceiling. To prevent splitting, drill pilot holes the diameter of the finishing nails. Drill holes at each mark at the top and bottom of the moulding and nail in place.
  • Putty any nail holes.

Crown Moulding Installation Tips

Crown moulding installation tips
  • Purchase a few extra feet of your crown moulding to make practice cuts.
  • Before you install it, prime and paint the sides and back of the moulding. This will keep your moulding from warping. You can use stain or varnish instead of paint.
  • Wear appropriate hearing and eye protection when cutting your moulding.
  • If you’re painting the moulding after installation, run a bead of caulk in the seam. Wipe it smooth with a wet finger or damp rag.
  • Don’t guesstimate, calculate. Know exactly how much you need with our project calculators.

Now that you know how to install crown moulding, you can improve the look of any wall. Try out different ideas: Use crown moulding to create a picture frame or to border a built-in bookshelf. Use a few different types of moulding together. Different combinations of moulding are called build-ups. Learning how to install crown moulding means you can install build-ups the same way. 

Remember to measure and cut accurately for the best look. And don’t worry if you don’t own all of the tools needed to complete this DIY crown moulding project. Rent tools for any project at The Home Depot.

The bookcase. It’s functional by maximizing space and aesthetically pleasing by adding height to balance out a room. The bookcase is also not just for books. It is a wonderful place to add treasures that personalize your space. Here are some tips on how to style a bookcase.

Built-in Bookcases

Built-in Bookcases

A Clean Start
Remove all items from your shelves. Store or donate unsightly paperback books.

The study below is a beautiful example of how bookcases help maximize a space, while adding height for overall balance.

Stylish Study Bookcases

Stylish Study Bookcases

Add a Splash of Color
For visual interest, back your shelves with a contrasting wallpaper print or colorful paint. This gorgeous bookcase below is backed with Schumacher’s Imperial Trellis by Kelly Wearstler in Charcoal.

Bookcases with Wallpaper

Bookcases with Wallpaper

Some Up and Some Down

Books can be wonderful home accessories, so showcase the most beautiful ones in your collection. Arrange the books by size, subject and color. Create a rhythmic pattern by placing books vertically as well as horizontally. Horizontal books can also act as bookends. I love how the books and accessories are arranged in the built-in bookshelf below.

Bookcases with Accessories

Bookcases with Accessories

Make it Pretty
Adding objects such as shapely ceramics, decorative boxes, small sculptures, family photos and original artwork makes your bookcase more visually interesting and personal. When selecting objects, be aware of the scale and color. Objects shouldn’t blend in or get lost on the shelves. Below is an example of beautiful bookcases flanking a fireplace that showcase more decorative objects than books. It makes me think that “bookless” bookshelves may show up more often as people go high tech and move to the Kindle or iPad to read books.

Bookcases with Decorative Objects

Bookcases with Decorative Objects

October 5, 2006
Eight Rooms, Well, Nine, but That’s Their Secret

By MATTHEW SUMMERS-SPARKS
Winnetka, Ill.

ON a recent Saturday morning Cami Beghou, 13, pushed the right side of the tall, white bookcase that is built into one of the powder-pink walls in her bedroom. The bookcase, holding rows of books, a stuffed dachshund and a volleyball, silently swung outward, revealing a tiny, well-lighted room. Containing a desk, a chair and a laptop computer, it serves as her study area.

Cami Beghou swings open a bookcase to reveal her study area.

Cami Beghou swings open a bookcase to reveal her study area.

Cami, an eighth grader, considers the hidden room the best thing about her family’s five-month-old French colonial-style house in this Chicago suburb. “When I heard that I could have a secret room, it sounded like so much fun,” she said, noting that the room initially conjured images of secret passages from Scooby-Doo cartoons. “My parents told me, ‘You could just put curtains over the doorway,’ but that wasn’t nearly as cool.”

Since March, when the Beghous moved into the house, Cami estimates that she has had about 30 friends over. Not one was able to detect the bookcase’s secret without guidance. “Most people don’t even recognize that it’s there,” said her father, Eric Beghou, who owns a consulting company with his wife, Beth. “When the home inspector came by to examine the house, our builder shut the bookcase, hiding the room. The inspector went up and down the stairs a couple times — he knew that something was unusual — but he couldn’t figure out what was there.”

Soon, however, inspectors and other guests may get wise to hidden rooms like the Beghous’. Although hard data is not available, architects report an increase over the last five years in the number of clients installing concealed rooms.

During roughly the same period, at least four companies have come into existence producing doors that range from the very basic to the highly mechanized.

The Beghous’ architect, Charles L. Page, who is based in Winnetka, said he had designed seven other houses with hidden rooms since 2001, after designing none in his previous 40 years as a residential architect.

“Absolutely, there has been an increase,” said Timothy Corrigan, an architect and designer in Los Angeles, who noted that he has been practicing for 12 years but was not asked to design a secret room until four years ago. Since then, he has created five.

Although highly fortified rooms have become more widespread — and the idea reached a large audience with the release of “Panic Room,” a 2002 movie that starred Jodie Foster — many of those adding hidden rooms are more concerned with creating a sense of wonder than defending against a home invasion. “I think people like the mystery of them,” Mr. Corrigan said.

One popular trick is to hide a room behind a bookcase that looks like a standard built-in but is equipped with hidden hinges, rollers and handles, as at the Beghous’ house. Contractors can either build the bookcases themselves or buy a piece from a growing collection of companies, including Niche Doors, the Hidden Door Company, Hide a Door, Secret Doorways and Decora Doors. Prices range from about $800 for the most basic models to more than $10,000 for custom-made versions.

Steven Humble is the owner and chief engineer of Creative Home Engineering, a two-year-old business in Tempe, Ariz., that specializes in mechanized doors that conceal rooms or safes. He echoed others in the business in saying that his customers are evenly split between those who plan to use their hidden rooms for security (either to hide valuables or to hide themselves in an emergency) and those who just think they are “really cool.” His company has built about 25 customized doors, bookcases, safes and assorted pieces, for new and remodeled homes, including a fireplace with a rear wall that swings open to reveal a room beyond, for a house in Arkansas. Prices run from about $5,000 to $25,000.

Last month Mr. Humble installed a pair of hidden doors in a house in a town north of Sioux Falls, S.D., for ABC’s “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.” “Whether it’s for home security or people’s images of living like James Bond, it seems to be something people respond to,” he said.

Louise Kircher raises the staircase in her home in Mesa, Ariz., to reveal the secret room behind it.

Louise Kircher raises the staircase in her home in Mesa, Ariz., to reveal the secret room behind it.

James Bond, or Herman Munster. When Louise Kircher, a retired teacher, and her husband, Dennis, a former accounting manager at Boeing, moved into their year-old, 4,300-square-foot contemporary home in Mesa, Ariz., in January, the staircase in the master bedroom was “something extra that came with the house,” Mrs. Kircher said, and reminded them of something out of “The Munsters.” It rises to reveal a hidden room, where she and her husband store an antique bedroom set and a replica of a gilded mummy’s coffin. “The ceiling is only five and a half feet in there,” she said. “I think it would make a great playroom for grandkids.”

Secret rooms speak to the homeowner’s sense of playfulness and perhaps to something deeper. “When we started the company we thought we were going to only attract eccentrics,” said Krystal Strong, co-owner of Hide a Door in Humble, Tex., whose doors’ average cost is $1,600. “But I think everybody is on the eccentric side; they want to make their home unique.”

To Sarah Susanka, a residential architect based in Raleigh, N.C., and author of “The Not So Big House,” a hidden room is “a way to individualize your house.” She said, “For a house to feel like a home, people have to put more of themselves in their house.” She remembered a woman in St. Paul who asked for a room hidden behind the rear wall of a closet. “She said she wanted a secret room for her art studio,” Ms. Susanka said. “She was a very introverted person, and she had to hide in order to let this expressiveness out.”

A concealed room can also function as a direct passage to childhood memories. When David Lee and his wife, Daphne, moved into their house in Plano, Tex., in March, they found themselves with too many unused bedrooms. Mr. Lee set up a workroom with tools, a computer and a workbench in one of the empty rooms. But it did not take long for the couple to decide to install a bookcase door, at a cost of almost $2,000, and turn the space into a secret room. “I always wanted one,” he said, “since watching Scooby-Doo way back when.”

David Lee of Plano, Tex., got a bookcase door to hide the mess of his workroom, but also because he had wanted a secret room, he said, “since watching Scooby-Doo way back when.”

David Lee of Plano, Tex., got a bookcase door to hide the mess of his workroom, but also because he had wanted a secret room, he said, “since watching Scooby-Doo way back when.”

Hidden doors have their complications. Cami Beghou said that while the books stay put when she opens her bookcase door, the volleyball once rolled off, and she generally leaves the door open unless she is expecting company. Jon Coile, chief executive of a Maryland realty company, said that he has had some problems with the magnetic latch on the bookcase door at the house he shares with his wife, Wendy, in Crownsville, Md., and that they secure the objects on the shelves to make sure they stay put.

Ray Sullivan, a manager with a financial services organization based in Phoenix, has two hidden doors in his house and is working on a third. But he ran into a potential problem. One of the doors, a motorized bookcase, can be opened either by using a remote control or by knocking in a particular rhythm. “One time I accidentally left the remote on the other side of the door and forgot the knock code,” Mr. Sullivan said.

Fortunately for him, the hidden room has another entrance, so he took a circuitous path to get back in. He has since memorized the knock sequence. “It’s one of those things you do once, hopefully, like locking your car keys in your car,” he said. “After you do it, you won’t do it again for a long time.”

For Mr. Coile, building a home with a secret room was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Behind a bookcase in the library of his house is a compact spiral staircase that connects to an upstairs writing area overlooking the library and to a downstairs home theater as well as to a nondescript room with a view into a bar through a one-way mirror.

They have shown the setup to so many friends that its secrecy has evaporated, which Mr. Coile said is fine with him.

“What use does this have?” he said. “Absolutely none. My builder’s eyes rolled back in his head when I told him I wanted a secret room. What can I say? I watched too many Disney movies when I was a boy.”