Another practical, solid, minimal project for making the most of living in small Vancouver apartments. There’s room for numerous shirts and jackets, and a shelf for shoes and infrequently used items.

open wardrobe shelf installed

The shelf was made of pine plywood, glued and screwed together, with the edges sanded and filled for a smooth finish.

open wardrobe shelf under construction

The body of the piece was painted with a high-gloss water based enamel, and the dowel was finished with a water based polyurethane to add a contrasting warmth and allow it to stand up to scratching from the metal hooks of hangers without looking worn out.

open wardrobe shelf ready to install

I installed the shelf with countersunk screws, and filled and painted over the screw heads for a seamless finish. Notice how the piece was designed to interact well with the IKEA dresser below, in size and finish. The dowel extends through the end gable, and has a subtle indentation to allow a bag to be hung without slipping off.

open wardrobe shelf