Designer Loni Haskell Turned an Unused Space Into a Reading Nook With DIY Built

Sep 28, 2023

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She tells House Beautiful how to carry out the project yourself.

Any design enthusiast who has a passion for collecting books knows all too well that sooner or later, you'll have too many tomes to count, and you'll *need* to install bookshelves ASAP. While it's never an easy feat to build and install home projects, there are ways to make the process more manageable, budget-friendly, and customizable. And that's exactly what Loni Haskell—a Business Manager, Owner, and Designer at Haskell Homes Real Estate—did. She knew she wanted bookshelves in her home, but paying thousands for built-ins was not an option—so she went DIY and made it happen all the same.

Long before the project even began, Haskell had a love for all things arched—whether that be doors, furniture, or mirrors—and this ultimately jumpstarted her desire to incorporate custom shelving in her home. Given the costly expense of buying curved bookshelves, Haskell knew that making her own was a no-brainer, both financially and design-wise.

Haskell was intent on incorporating shelves in a space that's situated right off the dining room and is visible as soon as you enter the house. As this spot wasn't large enough to fit a dining table for a family of six, Haskell realized transforming it into a reading nook "made the most sense."

The most important step in creating the bookshelves, says Haskell, was choosing the right wood. Her ideal shelving needed an easy-to-clean surface and an "extremely smooth finish." So, she opted for Medium Density Fiberboard, or MDF, a composite made up of recycled wood fibers mixed with resin.

When carrying out this kind of project, Haskell advises that you always "put a light primer on the MDF before paint," but, be sure to "never use too much primer as it can swell the MDF." And once you're done with the thin coat of primer, you can use any kind of paint to customize your creation further.

For her shelves, Haskell used a purpose primer from Sherwin-Williams, followed by the Emerald Urethane paint, also from Sherwin-Williams. She adds that the latter is "by far the best paint we’ve found for cabinets, shelves, and surfaces that you’d like to be very cleanable and smooth."

Haskell's final product is a pair of 10-feet-high arched shelves that span from the floor to the ceiling, complete with custom trim around the top and sides, which "truly make it feel as if the space was built with them in mind."

Another clever design tip to keep in mind when creating your own bookshelves? Running an electrical cable and placing it within the wall behind the shelves, so that you can add more lighting at any point, Haskell advises.

If you, too, would like to add custom shelving to your own abode, follow Haskell's step-by-step breakdown below.

(For simplicity, description is based on one bookshelf; multiply as needed.)

We bought 4x8 sheets of 3/4 MDF from Home Depot and had them cut them to the sizes we needed to make the shelving units. Yes, they do this! Go to the PRO desk and submit a cutting request!

We had Home Depot cut the 3/4" 4x8 sheets as follows:

4 8’ x 15"

20 22 1/2’ x 15"

1 48" x 18"

1 14" x 18"

1 4’ x 8’ ( not cut)

You will also need to have a 1/4" MDF sheet cut into:

1 48" x 18"

Other materials:

9 10’ sticks of 1 3/4" raw double square edge MDF

1 6’ stick of of 5 1/2" raw double square edge MDF

1 6’ stick base of choice

1 6’ stick crown molding of choice

2 8’ 2x4

Finish Nailer - 16 gauge

1 1/2" nails

1" finish nails

2" screws

Lag bolts

DeWalt router

Milescraft Circle Jig Guide

Milescraft Edge and Mortise Guide

We made the bookshelf frame and shelves out of 3/4" MDF panels, 1/4" MDF panel for the decorative arch, and 1 3/4" raw, double square edge, molding for the shelf fronts.

Build a base. Our base was made with 2x6s. This is for the bookshelf to sit on to give it more height and room to tack the trim pieces on at the bottom. Make the base the same dimension as you want your bookshelves to be.

Our base is 48" wide by 15" deep.

You’re going to start by building two halves of the bookshelves individually and then put them together to make the unit as a whole.

Position the shelves upright. Place them on your base and secure the to the wall using lag bolts into the studs or anchors of your choice.

Place them in the top corners of the bookshelf. This is so the arch panel and trim work will cover them.

Now, we are going to use the 48" x 18" 3/4" MDF and the 14" x 18" 3/4" MDF to finish the space from the tops of the bookshelf to the ceiling.

Repeat all these steps should you choose to have 2 bookshelves like we did!

Final step! Fill in all your nail holes with wood putty, sanding smooth when dry. Caulk all seams and corners in bookshelf and trim pieces, prime, and paint!

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