In an effort to qualify for an Australian DIY competition show called The Block, one couple built a very impressive, one-of-a-kind display for their books — and it’s now getting attention from more than just television producers.
As they were scheming how to make it onto the popular television series, Jess and Sinclair Breen came up with the idea to build a geometric bookcase, which they ended up creating in less than a day for about $705 (£510). Soon after sharing the final design on their Facebook page, Jess & Sinclair for The Block 2019, it quickly went viral.
Jess was inspired to create the unit after she saw an image of something similar on Pinterest. With some help from a coworker who specialises in graphic design, the pair created a sketch of what they wanted it to look like with all the necessary measurements and angles. From there, they gathered supplies, mapped it out on their wall, and got to work assembling the bookcase.
When it came to execution, precise measurements made all the difference. “It’s really important that the wall space is measured first before ordering or cutting or buying panels,” Jess told CountryLiving.com. “Be very careful when measuring, ordering, cutting, or buying the shelving as every millimetere matters.”
To ensure the bookshelves had enough support and would stay in place, she and her husband attached a thicker, faux wall to their existing wall. “Make sure that the wall you mount the boxes on has enough studs inside the wall so the panels can be drilled and secured where you need them to be,” she says. (Their added wall is made from a series of secured medium-density fibreboard [MDF] panels).
And yes — the couple really did complete the construction over a weekend. After the faux wall was built and painted, assembling and affixing the shelves to the wall didn’t take much time at all. “We started creating the boxes from the panels at 8 am on our 11th wedding anniversary — not our usual idea of fun! — and finished at midnight that day,” Jess says.
Now the family have a fun place to store their favourite books. “We find that it holds a lot of our books and [it’s] accessible for my boys, Jack and Ollie, to reach their own, which are all positioned at the bottom of the bookcase,” Jess adds.
