With the help of some thin MDF, there are now false walls between the top of the Ikea Billy units and the ceiling. There is a slight gap (we did that on purpose), but that will be covered by the new cornice. If you’re not sure what cornice is, look up at the connection between the wall and ceiling of the room you’re currently in. Unless you’re in an ultra-modern apartment or industrial style warehouse, there will probably be a curved or decorative piece which acts as a joiner between the wall and ceiling. That’s the cornice. And to complete the upper part of this built in bookshelf, there will need to be cornice.

We also fixed into place false walls on each end of the Ikea Billy units. These pieces will be painted the same colour as the walls to give the sides a built in look.

After the new false wall went in, we cleaned up (very important to keep the workspace clean as it makes life so much easier) and stood back to admire our work (very important to acknowledge your accomplishments), all while having a cuppa (very important in life in general).

Then, back to the hardware to order the cornice for tomorrow and a long, straight piece of pine.

Remember how we were trying to figure out how to attach the ladder rail to the bookshelves when the rail brackets were fixed in increments which didn’t align with the spaces between the bookshelves? Well, dad figure out the answer. We tap into the existing strength of the bookshelves and the supports we’ve created which transverse the main Ikea Billy units and the Ikea Billy extension units. All we need, is a single long piece of timber which can be secured where we can secure it, and the rail can then attach to that. Make sense? If not, stay tuned. I’ll explain as we go. But off to the hardware (and then to order my sliding library ladder).