A few years ago, we pre-modeled the (tiny) second bedroom upstairs into an office. I had bookshelves all along the walls and I built a desk into the closet to make use of the space. I say pre-modeled only because it was never really meant to stay that way, it was just something to tide us over for a few years until we got around to doing it properly.

I really was pleased with the idea of being able to use the closet space for something like the desk, but when it came time to actually do the remodel I had to make a change. That arrangement always put Jennifer and I in close proximity, which would never be a bad thing, but it also meant we had a pretty limited amount of desk space. That fact coupled with the thought that we wanted to make space for Brady meant we needed to rethink the desk scenario.

We ended up with a “U” shaped desk, for three, on the walls opposite the closet. That left little room for the bookshelves that are so dear to me. I had some wall-mounted ones but that just made the space feel even smaller. I decided on something completely different.

The bookshelves had to be in the closet, non-negotiable. I really didn’t want to have the open shelves gaping out at me lamenting a lack of orderliness and I quickly realized orienting the shelves perpendicular to the closet opening would triple the linear shelf length. Bonus points for being able to pretty up the exterior of the shelves.

We wound up with the picture leading into the article. Four rolling bookshelves, two double-sided, two double depth. They ride on casters straight in and out, but may be pulled completely out and wheeled around the room, if you were so inclined.

Here’s a look at each of the sections pulled out:

The above two sections are the double-sided shelves holding normal sized books, both hard- and paperback.

The bookcase on the far left side holds all of our board and card games.

The last bookcase holds the boxed photos, art books, and office supplies. In this view you can see the back side of the bookcase showing that it is full-depth.

This final shot is the closet area with all of the bookcases stowed fully. They all have the same twelve-inch cabinet pulls and the vinyl tree and bird graphics came from here.

The best part of these bookcases? I LOVE them. In a totally “still in the closet” kind of way.

No related posts.

I sheeted the walls with OSB for aesthetic reasons but also for practical purposes. I sanded off all the architectural markings and sealed it with a single coat of tung oil just to get a little shine.

It’s great since the light catches and shines at crazy angles and I can still use it in a very utilitarian way. Pick a spot, nail, screw, or bolt something on, no need to worry about finding a stud or other impracticalities.

The current workspace is about 250 sq. ft. but I would estimate that we’re only able to use about 1/2 of that for framing. We still have our hobby stuff in there as well (not like we’ve even seen any of that stuff in a year or more).

I have 3 sewing machines and all of my fabric, webbing, and leather tools in there. Jen has her kiln and pottery wheel and all of the supplies that go with that. then more space is occupied by the closets, which are nice, but still eat into our available area.

Speaking of the closets, that’s one of them in the above picture. The other is in the opposite corner. I really love how it turned out when I applied the corrugated metal to them like that. Kind of a tropical/modern feel, if that’s even possible.

Here’s a view from the doorway:

If I dared show a view of what it looks like now it would leave even the most hardcore cluttlerbug in fits.

Related posts:

1. Closet Bookshelves