🖼️
The project:
We undertook this project to solve organisational problems throughout our home while breathing new life into an underutilised bedroom. Our office, gym and various 'dumping areas' had gradually commandeered valuable space throughout the house.
By creating a dedicated office, gym and library with an industrial aesthetic, we reclaimed these spaces through clever storage and organisation, creating a stylish multipurpose room that now meets all our needs.
We installed:
- Custom waterfall-edge hardwood desk with integrated under-desk cable management
- Custom bookshelf using 75mm Tasmanian oak and galvanised pipe
- Additional storage cabinets
- New gyprock and stained timber lining boards
- Architrave-less Blackbutt window reveals
- Materials:
Bookshelf Area
Desk
Gym Zone
- Tools:
Tools
- Step 1:
Planning
Before commencing, plan how the room will function. We wanted the space to comfortably serve as an office and gym, while including bookshelves for our library as well as additional storage.
Measure each area and determine the size of your desk, shelving and gym footprint. We settled on a 1400mm x 600mm built-in desk, three 75x280x1400mm bookshelves, and a 2m X 2.2m dedicated space for the gym equipment.
- Step 2:
Preperaing the room
We installed studs for the bookshelf frame along with new insulation, gyprock and VJ timber lining boards before painting the room. We then stained the timber lining boards using feast Watson Japan Brown prooftint mixed in feast watson tung oil, and painted the remaining wall surfaces. Lastly, we installed new laminate flooring and installed skirting boards.
- Step 3:
Build the bookshelf frames
Measure and plan your bookshelf, determining the shelf spacing and overall height. Locate and mark the wall studs, as these will support the shelving. We were fortunate to have the wall framing exposed during renovation, allowing us to position studs exactly where we wanted them.
Assemble the galvanised pipe brackets using the flanges, threaded pipe, 90 degree bend and Tee fittings to make an F shape. We used 350mm shelf supports with 400mm and 300mm uprights to create three shelves. Tighten each fitting until both frames are identical so the shelves will finish level.
- Step 4:
Finish and install the bookshelf
Paint the galvanised pipe frames with Dulux Metalshield once built.
Sand, stain and finish the Tasmanian oak shelves with two coats of hardwax oil.
Position the first frame against the wall and secure it into the studs using 75mm bugle screws. Drill pilot holes first, and ensure the frame is plumb and shelving level before fully tightening the screws. Be careful not to over tighten else the flange will crush into the gyprock. You want it firmly seated flat against the gyprock without crushing or any movement.
Install the second frame in the same way, ensuring it is plumb and level with the first, before securing with screws. Lastly, install the timber shelves by sliding them into the brackets. Secure from below with 25mm saddle clips if needed.
- Step 5:
Build the gym platform
We installed this platform to help protect our flooring whilst also distributing the weight of the gym equipment across a larger surface area, since we are on floor joists. We also positioned our gym equipment perpendicular to the floor joists.
Ensure any new flooring and skirting boards are installed before proceeding.
Cut the rubber mat with a utility knife, and cut the structural plywood using a circular saw. We made the plywood larger than the equipment for room to place weights around
Roll out the rubber mat first, ensuring you are square with any adjacent wall. Follow by placing the plywood on top, then finish with the gym tiles before positioning your equipment.
- Step 6:
Build the desk supports
Measure your desk location and cut 40 x 40 timber rails to suit. As this was a corner desk, we built an L-shaped support fixed directly into the wall studs.
Paint the support rails the same colour as the wall so they blend in once installed.
- Step 7:
Make the waterfall desk
Cut the hardwood panel to size using a guide (a level clamped to the panel worked for us) and circular saw. A 45-degree bevel cut creates the waterfall joint, ensure the bevel runs the correct way for the 'face' of the panel to face up once finished.
Cut the return panel to the finished height, remembering to allow for the desktop thickness.
Join the waterfall leg to the desktop from underneath using a length of 40x40 timber in the underside of the joint, ensuring the screws don't penetrate the finished face of the timber.
Drill a 60mm cable hole in the tabletop before sanding, staining (we used teak) and applying two coats of hardwax oil.
- Step 8:
Install the desk
Secure the timber support rails to the wall studs. Drill pilot holes and countersink the screws before fixing the rails to the wall studs. Check everything is level before tightening. Patch the holes and touch up with paint for a clean look.
Position the desktop on the supports and secure it from underneath using pilot holes and countersunk screws, taking care not to screw through the desktop.
Install the under-desk cable management tray close to the cable access hole, using the supplied fixings.
- Step 9:
Add the finishing touches and enjoy!
Assemble and place the storage cabinets, Fill the bookshelves, setup your workspace and position your gym equipment. We had a licensed electrician install hardwired LED lights onto the back of the shelves as well as a focus spotlight for the desk.
Through thoughtful design and organisation, we have transformed what was once an underutilised bedroom and multiple cluttered areas around the house to a dedicated home office, gym and library space that suits our needs while freeing up valuable space throughout the home.
