To maximize the usability of the (limited) space in my college apartment, I designed and built custom furniture. It was practical endeavor, but also challenged me to consider the specific design requirements of the space and users (roommates) within it.
I started each piece by measuring the space where it would go and creating a design in Google Sketchup. With the exception of my bed, I built everything from scrap materials and used leftover paint as finish.
An unpainted shelf and box
I’m a self-described compulsive shelf builder. The challenge of creating efficient vertical organization, all within a structure that must resist bowing, racking, and a myriad of other failure modes is, in my opinion, highly underrated.
I built all of these shelves out of scrap plywood I got free from a local importing company. My roommates liked them so much, they've now found a permanent place in someone's house!
Each unit is assembled using dados, interlocking grooves which give the shelves mechanical hold in addition to glue.
The shelves
I designed this double-decker unit in order to take full advantage of the horizontal and vertical space in my room. It even featured storage above the radiator, which would have otherwise been unusable.
TR to BL: the original design in Google Sketchup, a close up of the bed frame, the completed unit, drawers under the futon
I made this coat hook module on a slow day in the machine shop. When I brought it home, I realized it wouldn't stick to my wall, which had a 1/4" dip in it. I scribed the curvature of the wall onto the module and carefully trimmed it on the bandsaw the next day. 9 command adhesive strips later, I had more coat hooks than I even knew what to do with.
The coat hook module
