When I started sharing the progress of my shiplapped media built-ins, I received quite a few messages from people sending me pictures of their own shiplapped built-ins! If it is a trend, it is one that I am definitely on board with (weak attempt at a shiplap joke). I first saw my friend Almafied recreating the look in her home and she was inspired by Chris Loves Julia who was inspired by Studio McGee’s design, so basically it is one big love fest of shiplap and televisions and I love it!
While I didn’t DIY this and instead hired out, I had to figure out all the measurements and materials beforehand so I could relay exactly what I wanted. So I am providing all those details below and sourcing everything I can!
Shiplap and Shelves
The two stand-out components of these built-ins are the shiplap and the contrasting shelves. I chose to use the same shiplap that I used in my breakfast nook since the two spaces open into each other. These shiplap planks came primed (so I only needed one coat of paint), they are pre-spaced to give you the nickle gap look, and I specifically chose them for their larger 7.25″ width which makes it a little more modern.
For the shelves, I chose to work with Shelfology again because I was so impressed with their quality when I used their floating shelf system in my mom’s living room makeover. I chose their Nearly Naked White Oak (has a clear satin finish) and customized the length to 24″ and the depth to 16″ while the shelves themselves are 2″ thick. I originally ordered the wood slabs thinking that I wouldn’t need the floating system since the shelves would be boxed in on either side. Long story short, I later ended up ordering their brackets and it would have been easier if I had just chose their Aksel Floating Shelf system in the first place (which includes pre-drilled shelves so that the brackets easily fit into them and float). When correctly mounted, it can support 45 lbs per hollow rod and my shelves have two rods, so it can hold a decent amount of weight! I really feel like the quality of these shelves add such value to the overall look and I am so happy with the result!
Where to Start Measuring
Obviously measurements depend on your space, but I am providing my measurements so you will have a better idea of where you need to adjust to achieve a similar look. I started with measurements of this IKEA Besta TV Unit since I was using it for the center floating console. I chose this unit because it had some cord cutouts that made organizing the electronics inside easier but it also has a cord cutout on the top of the unit itself. This was fine since I knew it would be covered once I added the Shelfology painted white wood slab (1″ thick) on top since I wanted to add height to the unit to make it more proportional. But you may want to choose a different Besta unit if you don’t plan on adding a separate top.
I had some messages asking why I chose IKEA because wouldn’t it just fall apart. I actually have a Besta unit that is in great condition after every day use and I was only using the frame of the Besta unit and then installing Semihandmade doors in their White Supermatte Shaker Front. Semihandmade sells doors (in more color/style/finish options) to fit popular IKEA products and I was really impressed with the quality. They feel heavy and durable. When it came to paint the shiplap, I took the Semihandmade door to Lowe’s to have them color match it and chose an eggshell finish.
I purchased these IKEA soft close/push open hinges since I was not going to be installing any knobs/pulls on the outside of the doors. The unit itself is attached to the wall but I also had them put a support ledge at the base attached to the wall so that it had additional support.
The “columns” on either side of the shelves are about 5″ wide.
How Far Apart are the Shelves?
I have 8 ft. ceilings and once I added in this 5.25″ baseboard to the bottom and top (I inverted it on the top instead of doing crown moulding since I wanted a sleeker look) and then added 3″ of shiplap on top of that to both the bottom and top to create the look of a thicker base and top, I was left with about 14.3″ spacing between the shelves (since I did 2″ thick shelves). So, the messy math sentence is 96″ – (5.25+3+5.25+3 (the base and top)) – (4×2 (the shelf thickness)) divided by 5 (4 shelves creates 5 spaces) equals 14.3″. They are all equally spaced but I have seen other built-ins that leave the bottom shelf taller than the rest to accommodate a larger basket.
Depth
The shelf towers are 18″ deep and my shelves are 16″. I chose 18″ because I wanted the center Besta console (which is 15.75″ depth) to be set back just a little bit and I also liked that the shelves would be set back in the towers.
The contractor used 2x4s for the framing and I had them install 3/4′ plywood backing (not pictured) to the shelf towers because we have a pocket door behind one of the towers and I wanted to make sure there was enough “stud” support when it came to installing the shelves. Adding the plywood did not take up any depth because it was within the frame of the 2×4.
Other Helpful Measurements
The console floats 5.5″ off the floor. The distance between the top of the console and the bottom of the television is 11.5″. The television itself is a 48″ TV (measured diagonally) while the width itself is 41.5″.
Shop the Look
I have tried to source everything I used to style my shelves, but some are vintage flea market finds and others are HomeGoods finds. You can click here to shop the room or click through the items below!
I also found these bins that fit perfectly within the Besta and are made of fabric so they won’t scratch the shelves.
Love this! Looks soo good! What is the white paint color you used?
Thanks! It was color matched to the same shade as the Semihandmade Supermatte white shaker doors. I just took the door to Lowe’s for the color match.
I absolutely love how this turned out! It adds so much depth and interest to the wall and creates a clean look at the same time.
Thank you so much, Brooke! And the middle cabinet really does hold a lot of the media stuff, so all you see on the outside is just pretty which I love!
I love this so much Erin! This is serving as inspo for a client project I’m working on 🙂
That’s so awesome to hear!
Hi Erin – this turned out so beautiful! My husband and I are looking to build a similar unit in our living room and initial quotes from contractors are between $8-10k…yikes! But I love that you were able to find someone to manage the install but still work with well priced materials like the ikea base cabinet and semi hand made doors, etc. what type of contractor did you work with and how did you find them? I’m not sure how to approach the conversation asking them to use similar products to achieve this look and hopefully at a lower price. Thanks!
Hi, Carpenters and craftsmen will most likely charge more so I looked for a general contractor and laid out all the materials and measurements. A little more work on my end because I was also in charge of buying all the supplies, but then I was mainly paying for labor.
Do you mind me asking what the rough cost was on this? I’m dying to do this but I have no idea what to price out!
Hi Jamie,
I think it largely depends on where you live and if you are using a carpenter or a general contractor. Carpenters will most likely do very quality work but are probably more expensive whereas a gc could do it but you will have to be more specific on what materials and measurements you need. We used a gc and I did a lot of research and procured all the materials needed and did all the measurements and the labor cost was around $3K. Hope that helps.
Hi there. I LOVE this design and have been wanting to recreate this in my first home that I just bought. I saw some other questions inquiring about the cost of the project as I’ve had several quotes of > $5k. You mention the cost was ~ $3k but I’m confused because when I looked at the Shelfology shelves, the cost for 8 shelves alone was > $3k. I hate to be all about the money but I’m trying to see if the estimates I’ve gotten are legitimate or if I should procure the materials myself. Could you please clarify the cost of materials + labor that were associated with this project for you? Thanks in advance!
Hi Kate,
The cost of labor was around $3K (materials including the shiplap/shelves/Ikea unit with doors were additional). There are a lot of options to reduce the cost of the materials (for the shiplap, you can use thin mdf boards and cut the them to length instead of buying the pre-primed planks. I have also seen people build their own shelves for a similar look to save on cost). Hope that clarifies things.
I love what you did here which is inspiring me to do it for my brick fireplace. Finally got to your website and found this article. I usually follow your instagram everyday 😄
Thank you so much! I am so glad you found this helpful and I hope your fireplace project looks awesome!
Hi! Where is your cable box? I am currently doing this and want solid doors but we need to have access to the box with the remote thanks!
It is inside the cabinets. Our remote control can signal through walls.
This is just beautiful!
This turned out beautiful! I came across your feature on Semihandmade.com. Just curious how you were able to cover the entire top surface of the Besta unit with the Shelfology wood slab. The depth of the Besta is 15.75″ and the greatest depth offered for the Shelfology slab is 12″?
Hi, thank you! Perhaps they don’t offer it anymore, but I was able to customize the slab length to fit the 15.75″ depth.