Pair IKEA's BRIMNES Bed With BILLY Bookcases For A Custom Built-In Look That Wows

If you're a book lover, chances are you dream of waking up surrounded by your book collection. Luckily, thanks to IKEA, that's more than possible. You'll need four BILLY bookcases, one BRIMNES bed frame, and paint in your favorite color. Oh, and a whole lot of books. 

First, measure your space. This will help you choose the right size BILLY bookcases — IKEA sells narrower and wider options in different heights, starting at $39. You'll need to be able to move two of the bookcases into a square shape in either corner of the room, with one facing out toward the space and the other facing toward where the bed will be. From there, ensure you can place the BRIMNES bed in between the positioned bookcases. Once you're happy with how it all looks, haul the bookcases back out, and get to building some supports. In addition to screwing two, 2-by-4-inch planks along the width of where the bed will be, fashion two wooden boxes to be placed on either side of the bed, as bases for the bookcases. Woodworking with DIY Tools has a great tutorial for beginners. These boxes should be screwed into brackets along the wall itself, for more support.

Once your supports are done, attach some more 2-by-4s to the wall, and screw your bookcases in using corner brackets and hanger straps. Be sure to cover anything that is open (like those support boxes) with plywood. Finally, secure the BRIMNES bed frame to the 2-by-4-inch brackets against the wall, and the built-in is complete! 

When your bookcases are secured, and the BRIMNES bed has been built, you can add extra detailing, like trim. You can also pop on some crown molding, but base this on how much space you have and how comfortable you are with the process. There's no question that if you can properly install crown molding, it'll elevate the entire project. Having said that, simply applying some peel-and-stick trim (available on Amazon for $37) over the plywood portions will look great, too.

Once you're happy with how the set-up looks, it's time to paint. To really emphasize the idea of it being a built-in, picking the same color for the wall, bookcases, molding (if used), and BRIMNES bed frame is a good idea. That could be the same color as the rest of the room, but you can also play around with different hues for a nice contrast. Alternatively, borrow from another IKEA hack and elevate your DIY built-in with wallpaper. Amazon sells a selection of peel-and-stick options in a range of patterns, such as the delicate floral wallpaper from Dimoon, starting at just under $1 per square foot.

From there, all that's left to do is pop those books into place. Decorate your reading nook with anything else that would add to the experience of having your very own library (a dreamy rolling ladder could be a perfect add-on, and you can grab one on Amazon for $50), and you've got yourself a book lover's paradise.

Dying to try this hack but not too keen on constructing all the supports? There are ways around it. Instead of building the boxes, simply opt for BILLY bookcase extensions. These cost just $25 on IKEA's website, and may add enough height to the bookcases without you needing to do anything further than assemble them. Of course, if you're creating a home library in a small space, you might not even need an extension, and a regular BILLY would do just fine. 

Either way, if you are using this hack, adding some plywood to open sections will go a long way in making everything look more built-in, so be sure to have some on hand. As with the original instructions, you can then customize your build using stick-on trim, paint, or wallpaper. 

One thing worth noting, if you do go for the bookcase extensions, is that you won't be able to use the bottom shelves facing the bed. However, you will be able to make the most of the extra shelving space facing outwards, which you wouldn't have been able to do with a DIY support box. Does that mean you can acquire even more books for your collection? We'll leave that up to you.