My room is what some people might call spartan. I have this really great south facing window however, that I’d love to put some books, plants, and bottles on, but I don’t want this to just be a window length shelf. I’d love if it could stretch the whole length of the room, so I set about making one out of cheap pine (again from Lowes.)

I bought these two 10’ 1x8 boards and a 12’ 1x8 with only a rough idea of what I wanted to do. Making the shelf out of only these boards was actually a nice parameter that helped me figure out the specifics of how this was going to go together.

I cut out the pieces in the garage and brought them up to install in place. The top shelf is 12 feet long son I pretty much had no option but to build it in place.

I knew something this large needed to be well anchored to keep it stable, and the heavy headboard of my bed bed was the perfect thing. Inside brackets hold everything in place and keep the outside nice and clean. I had a shelf run along the top of the headboard then the supports run past that to support the long shelf.

Moving the bed back into place against the wall was actually quite a challenge, so I’m glad I took care of that before installing the top shelf.

I think it’s important to mention parts of these projects that don’t work out so well. The top board was pretty badly warped by the time I installed it. As a result, it twisted the support on the side opposite the bed. This leg would bump into the trim and cause damage, so I attached a bit of foam to protect my very large security deposit. A bit of weight on the shelf will help keep that in place…maybe?

Generally, I’m pretty pleased with the finished shelf. It’s perfect for keeping my desk clear, and though my room is still a bit spartan, I think the plants help give it just a bit of life.