Lack cross-shelf

Materials: Lack shelves, Dioder multicolor LED light strips, angle brackets, circular saw, drill, screwdriver, paint, caulk

Description: We wanted a shelf or table unit to fill a narrow vertical space adjacent to the bed. My wife conceived the fusion of two Lack shelves in an uneven cross, mounted off the wall to make the shelf appear to float. We used two Lack shelves, a 43" and a 78", made two hemi-lateral cuts in order to fit the pieces together, and mounted the horizontal shelf using the standard IKEA Lack bracket, though keeping it off the wall by 2".

The vertical shelf wasn't going to support any significant weight, so we ditched the standard bracket and used a simple angle bracket at either end to hold it in place. The shelf brackets were primed and painted to match the wall color to give the effect of the floating shelf. The seam where the two shelves meet was finished with painter's caulk. Finally, two sets of Dioder LED lights were mounted on the back, giving the floating shelf a cool glow. A few lazy nights to plan and two half-days on the weekend to put together, one of our favorite new additions.

~ Matt Tremblay, San Diego