HandyMan wanted a 'tower' effect with the bookcase and file cabinets and lucky for us, the dimensions just about lined up. Those IKEA folks think of everything ;) To the left of the bookcase you'll see the wood strip that HandyMan had to affix to the wall. This will support the bookcase we'll hang horizontally...all 75 pounds of it! (Note to self: do not put heavy, dusty Finance textbooks on the horizontal shelf). We'll put in a few wall brackets too just to be safe. The L-shaped countertops will both eventually have similar supporting wood strips underneath.

I had planned on backing the bookcase with a thin hardboard covered in wallpaper. But when I priced it out ($40 for wallpaper, $20 for hardboard), it didn't make sense. Instead, I'll make use of some foam core, cut to fit the bookcase cubby holes, and cover it with some funky giftwrap scraps I have from Paper Source. Voila, a $5 solution that will end up looking the same. Only a few more things to do -- secure countertops, build supporting gable, hide the cables, and install curtain rod. Thank goodness we've got a long weekend coming up.