DIY HANGING ROPE SHELVES
Working on the new studio has enabled a few realisations for me – namely that there’s nothing more satisfying than the successful use of a drill. Just like my ladder wardrobe, these shelves cost almost nothing to make but utterly transformed the space – I’m a total convert to anything involving nails and wood! Read on to see how.
You need:
- Four pieces of plank around 5cm (2 in) thick and 1.5 m (1.6 yards) long
- A measuring tape
- 20 m (21 yards) of thick raffia rope
- 10 cable locks
- A drill with a wood boring drill bit
- Scissors
- Hooks from the ceiling (we had our carpenter install these when they were building the office)
- Wrench
How to:
1. Start by drilling holes in all your wood planks – making sure to mark them correctly so that all the holes line up.
2. Cut four pieces of rope to match the height from the ceiling to the floor. Tie that rope onto the hooks in the ceiling so that the four pieces hang down.
3. Then, starting from the topmost shelf, begin threading the planks through the wood – we actually used a ladder to prop them up while we were doing this. Make sure you measure between the planks so that the shelves are spaced evenly. Chances are you’ll need two people to help you do this so that you can get the planks level.
4. Once you have added the first plank and propped it up (or got people to hold it for you), add the cable lock onto each piece of rope underneath the plank. Do this for the rest – we used a small table to prop up the bottom shelf.
5. Once all the planks are added and you are happy with the levels of them all, use a wrench to tighten all the screws so you don’t get any movement and can place heavy items on the shelf.
Voila!
