The Ultimate Guide to Designing Great Bookshelves: Cabinet Design 2.0

Building off his first cabinet video, Brent highlights how to make bookshelves look amazing. There are 3 tricks you need to learn. Come check it out.
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Design book for houses 1920- Architect Small House plan book: amzn.to/37XWaUI
500 Small houses of the 20's- Good designs for period revival homes: amzn.to/3DiH3kh
Samuel Chamberlain's drawings of Rural France: amzn.to/3utg15G
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[@dennisdean3925]

Another great job pointing out the simple, but profound design elements.

[@BrentHull]

Yes sir!

[@garyhenderson9303]

Brent Hull video goes live time to grab a mug of tea and enjoy. Now I realize my free time over the next few weeks just got reduced as I am going to be upgrading my 2 year old self built walk through bookcase. At least I got the odd numbers right.

[@BrentHull]

Nice! Have fun.

[@two4.six8]

Twenty years ago, when I remodeled my house the first time, I turned the wall between our living and dining spaces into a bookshelf with a doorway in the middle. But something about it has never looked quite right to me. Now I get it. It's all so uniform that the eyes don't know where to go. So, I guess I've got another project to add to my woodworking list. :)

[@BrentHull]

Nice. Good luck.

[@kevinbezat6417]

Great tips with breaking it up into odd sections, and bumping out the middle to see the molding profiles mitered around the corners to stand out!

[@BrentHull]

YES! Thx

[@tfmrotek]

At the end of the video, you perfectly defined the cabinet making niche I am trying to carve out. I will actually share this video with contractors to explain what I can offer!

[@BrentHull]

Please do! Thx.

[@dngriffiths8105]

Great video. Which goes to show that the principles of great design stand the test of time.

[@BrentHull]

So true. THx.

[@renuing]

Hope this helps?? Are you kidding!! This is pure gold, love the details you dig into, really appreciate you breaking out these details and showing where to put the focus, those were all beautiful examples, thanks again!

[@BrentHull]

Awesome, thank you!

[@richarddicktaylor219]

We live in a 1930's Lutyens designed block of flats in Westminster. Built to replace slums after a major flood of the Thames, they sadly didn't have bookcases but ours had several original features such as a large kitchen bench which had a full sized cast iron bathtub underneath (there was no separate bathroom and the separate indoor toilet was seen as 'insanitary' by of the original tenants in the 1930s!)

[@BrentHull]

Wow, so interesting. Thx.

[@markpalmer5311]

As always, fantastic.

[@BrentHull]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@mikeamboy7292]

I absolutely love this video! I have been building cabinets and furniture for years. This is pretty much what I think about when designing my work. You articulated what is in my head better than I could.

[@BrentHull]

Glad it was helpful! Thx

[@bertaboy]

Thank you for showing the last example, which brings the relevance of these concepts to situations where the space is more modest in sizing (ie 95% of the homes in the wild.) The challenge doesn't seem to be finding or being a good cabinet maker, but finding or being a good designer. Too many people are motivated by driving the lowest cost at the sacrifice of quality, without realizing the quality that they are forgoing.

[@BrentHull]

Totally agree! Thx.

[@tomcross9077]

I love the idea of "elevating with punctuation". Though the exclamation points on the shown cabinet may be a little too on the nose. 😉 I definitely picked up a couple of things, though, thank you.

[@BrentHull]

Good luck!

[@mattcable6379]

love that you take as much enjoyment and interest from out interior architecture as you do with the US styles.

[@BrentHull]

Yes, indeed! Thx.

[@jeremyturley1276]

Great video. Cool subject matter and extremely well put together. Nice job sir

[@BrentHull]

Glad it was helpful! Cheers

[@juliahelland6488]

Thanks for sharing this! I have been dreaming of building a custom library with built-ins. Academia style! Lots of research and planning and these tips are very helpful. 💯❣️

[@BrentHull]

Glad it was helpful!

[@SteveL2012]

Fantastic, so simple yet the details make all the difference. Got me thinking about where I can create bookshelves.

[@BrentHull]

Nice. Have fun.

[@tc9148]

Fabulous. Will add to my portfolio of bookshelf design principles.

[@BrentHull]

Great! Thx.

[@matthewhicks6895]

Perfect timing! Great explanation on hierarchy and using the chair rail to define space. You’ve changed the way I think about pretty much everything I build.

[@BrentHull]

Glad it was helpful! Thx!

[@dntflipmetit]

Cabinet maker in bismarck ND ever since I've seen the first video i watched of yours i have "longed to build better"

[@BrentHull]

Nice. So glad to hear it.

[@robthewaywardwoodworker9956]

Great discussion. Really enjoyed this video and your presentation style. New sub.

[@BrentHull]

Nice, thanks for following along.

[@user-vc5wf2ox4m]

Brent, I love your videos not only for the knowledge they give to me but also I often find proof in them of what I have already made .👍 Believe me or not but I have bult almost a similar library! And now you are telling me that I built it correctly🤘 Many thanks 🤝

[@BrentHull]

Excellent! Well done

[@sleepygrumpy]

outstanding as always --

[@BrentHull]

Thank you!

[@lizzapaolia959]

Fantastic video of yours as always. Your knowledge and craftsmanship is amazing. Thank you again for such great information. God bless 🙏

[@BrentHull]

Thanks for watching.

[@free_at_last8141]

Wonderful, I really enjoy your work. It's amazing how much thought, skill, and work can go into making something look simple.

[@BrentHull]

So true! Thx.

[@kyleemmerich2460]

Could you please do a video on the why of mouldings? I understand the proportioning of the larger elements, and I think these rules apply well to simpler, more modern designs. But where did these decorative shapes come from and can they be separated from the larger proportioning rules and still produce a good design?

[@BrentHull]

Ok, I think I've covered that, but can review again.

[@jeme7339]

The fancy trim is impressive! Some of it, however, takes up so much room that fewer BOOKS can be stored, an important detail for book "stewards."

[@BrentHull]

True! Thx.

[@SantiagogranadosR]

Really good video, as always, thank you!

[@BrentHull]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@robertfrancis4876]

Fantastic video. Really appreciate you sharing the craft

[@BrentHull]

My pleasure 😊

[@Bill-be7nr]

I just stumbled onto your video while looking for bookshelf ideas. I like the first one and the last one. I will incorporate some of those ideas in my bookcase. Moldings, pilasters... cabinet on the bottom with heavier moldings for visual interest. Thanks for the ideas.

[@BrentHull]

Glad it was helpful.

[@daneracamosa]

As I sit in my 25 year old production track house I see a lot of missed opportunity in the cabinet department...😊... I guess I know what I'm going to be doing in retirement besides gardening....

[@BrentHull]

YES! Have fun.

[@LaurieGo57]

Wish you were in my neighborhood so I could persuade you to look at where I want to put custom cabinets. A recent guest suggested IKEA. No physical harm came to him but he’s off my Go To list for home improvement advice. I’ll rewatch this and consider my options anew. Very timely that it was in my feed.

[@BrentHull]

haha, thx.

[@zionosphere]

I'm glad I clicked on your video. I've seen this design in many Federalist houses and similar things in Monticello. This design goes beyond just bookshelves. I've seen it on the more interesting fireplaces/TV areas with built-ins on the side. Your video helped explain why this concept works and how to implement it in the future.

[@BrentHull]

Very cool! Thx

[@petemclinc]

I want to see how you would address building bookcases with lower base cabinets projected from a wall that contains a centered fireplace surround with mantle and pilasters.

[@BrentHull]

There would be a lot of similarities. Thx.

[@jmhinescj]

This is great stuff, for this of us in an area with very few historical homes this is solid gold. Any recommendations for books that really get deep into this subject?

[@BrentHull]

Sadly, I don't know of any books that treat this subject. Maybe Jim Tolpin's book on cabinetry. Good luck.

[@robertbamford8266]

You didn’t mention the two considerations I wrestle with most often: shelf depth and vertical spacing. Tricky planning for current collection and what might be added. Once upon a time (in the world of paper manuals) my US company was sold to a UK company. Edict came down: all manuals will be A4 - not 8.5 by 11. We shot that down by pointing out our customers would need new book cases and we couldn’t afford A4 binders and paper.

[@BrentHull]

Interesting. Thx.

[@petemclinc]

When I built my bookcases with lower cabinets, I looked for my widest and tallest books. This coupled with sliding door track hardware determined my bookcase depth of 12-3/4 from the backside of the faceframe.

[@thischannelpointless]

Love the video, clicked on it as soon as I saw it. Could this be applied to a wall with a fireplace with bookshelves on either side? How would the pedestal/chair guard work?

[@kyleemmerich2460]

I’d also like to know this, that would help me a lot with my living room…

[@BrentHull]

Absolutely, it works throughout the house. Thx.

[@j10001]

Have the fireplace and mantle be the bump out in the middle. If there’s a design similarity (same routed edge, etc) carried through the pedestals and the mantle, that helps give a sense of connectedness to the horizontal pieces, even if they are not directly connected.

[@miketackabery7521]

What happened to Wednesday's design video? I'm jonesing Brent!

[@BrentHull]

Haha, coming soon. Vacation gap.

[@miketackabery7521]

​@@BrentHull oh! Good for you! Have a great time: you deserve it after all your labors in the service of beauty. Can't begin to tell you how grateful I am.

[@Backbehindbars]

I hope everyone here realizes this man is doing the lord’s work. He is passing down invaluable knowledge that is being lost by the second.

[@BrentHull]

Nice. Thanks.

[@Tony-InLosAngeles]

😊 👍🏻

[@BrentHull]

THx!

[@alanerpington5698]

I'm curious about the painting on that last one - the way the top of the lower portion is stained, but the rest is painted. Is mixing painted and stained parts something that was done much historically? My dining room table is like that, but I thought that was just a trend from the last 15 years or so. I've been kicking around the idea of doing something like that with the built-in in my living room, too.

[@scottspropertyservices6877]

Im under the impression that stain grade vs paint grade wood is also there to depict the hierarchy of the room. Painted is a cheaper wood & often in areas for “the help”. Maybe for the middle class that could afford only hardwood benchtops🤷🏼‍♂️

[@thetubekid]

Until 1900, there was no stain grade wood. It was all painted.

[@BrentHull]

Well, it is all for inspiration, so have fun with it. At the same time, it is just the counter top that is stained, which I like. Good luck.

[@marvinhaines9297]

@@thetubekid Look at late Victorian houses. Almost all of the woodwork is stained.

[@thetubekid]

@@marvinhaines9297 Thats roughly 1900. I guess late 1800s but I was rounding my years.

[@foggyroadie1807]

On Webb's Stanton house (5.55), if I'm not mistaken both 'A' and 'B' sections are subdivided into even segments (2 for A section, 4 for B section) which is counter to one of your guiding principles to having an odd number of sections. Does this not carry through to the subdivisions too?

[@BrentHull]

No, look again. Thx.

[@j10001]

You’re right, but the overall number of sections is odd. 7 total, with 3 in the middle. His point was that there should not be a column on the centerline.

[@haziqinayat]

lol- any cabinet makers in the dfw area that could work like Brent mentions, feel free to reply to this comment

[@BrentHull]

Word! Thx

[@jeremyemerson5694]

I am in Ohio and prefer to do traditional cabinet details with modern features in my cabinetry. If there ever would be a need please feel free to reach out. www.perioddesignscompany.com Thank you.

[@zephyr1408]

Every inch of my cabinets are hand made and I am slower than a dead car in a race! If I give you cabinets they are my cabinets ! I am having a hard time letting someone build my drawers ? I wake up thinking on it ! Now a cabinet maker is really a computer button pusher ! In flip flops ?

[@BrentHull]

So True. Keep up the great work.

[@zephyr1408]

@@BrentHull thanks Brett that means a lot coming from you!

[@petemclinc]

I took a tour of Kraftmaid Cabinets for a job interview. I was not at all impressed, everything was fastened with Staples and Hot Snot. The assembly department was a real sweatshop.

[@zephyr1408]

@@petemclinc yes; your better off just working in a small space and handcrafting your Cabinets ! Bespoke Cabinetry is great! I support myself doing finish carpentry and cabinets ! I am not (or hv a large enough space to do full kitchens) so I do lots of vanities, one offs, built ins, things like that ! It’s a passion I am not rich but I live a rich life , my faith and my carpentry ! I can do it !

[@Art-is-craft]

A lot of cabinet makers today are kitchen fitters. Any real cabinet makers that exist today are probably working on studio furniture projects that cost a fortune.

[@BrentHull]

Noted. Thx.

[@cottagekeeper]

Wondering what you think of the cabinets in this farmhouse where General Lee’s horse Traveler was bred: kzbin.info/www/bejne/j6q3lmNvZ7eLjrMsi=r3JXNMp8Vi0nB2xT

[@BrentHull]

I'll check it out. Thx.

[@IanSmithKSP]

It was moving and beautiful for its time. It’s time to take what’s timeless and move on. Today, it looks like shit

[@BrentHull]

ok

[@D0ggerel]

First project is absolutely hideous. Love Brent, but I wouldn’t sell that to a client. Been making custom cabinets and bookshelves for historic homes in NYC for 20 years.

[@BrentHull]

ok thx.

[@user-os7jz1oc5y]

The first time I've seen a video address these issues.Some really interesting material here & coming from the States you've been able to look @ the subject with fresh eyes.Your excitement is contagious.Well done!

[@neiliusflavius]

Lutyens definitely did some idiosyncratic designs.