Sellers Home Bookshelf in European Oak

This bookshelf is made to Paul Sellers’ design for the living room of the Sellers Home series. It is made from European Oak with its characteristic flecking, especially on the sides and front.

The Sellers Home Bookshelf is one of the first pieces Paul designed for the Sellers Home Series. The bookshelf is held together primarily by three divider shelves – top, middle and bottom – that connect to the sides in a peculiar way. The shelves are housed into the uprights, as you’d traditionally expect on any bookshelf made from solid timber, but this one comes with a twist: the ends of the shelves feature two tenons that go beyond the housing and protrude past the outside face of the side pieces, effectively making the joint five times longer than a regular housing dado. And as if that weren’t enough of a feature, the tenons are also dovetailed thanks to wedges driven from the outside to ensure the joints will hold a few lifetimes at the very least. 

The combination of the above mentioned joints for the basic structure render any cross rails unnecessary. These tend to be clunky looking and take up valuable space, so the clever design in the joinery pays off in the maximising of usable shelf space. That said, there is one arched rail on the top of the bookshelf, which is only there to further grace the designed piece. This arch follows the style of the already present pieces in the Sellers Home living room. The spacing for the top shelf -used mostly for the smaller books anyway- was also carefully thought through considering the reduced height due to the arch. 

The dovetailed tenons on the divider shelves guarantee the structural integrity of the bookshelf, but alone do not stop lateral flex if, for instance, someone were to lean against the side. This is easily resolved with the addition of two diagonal braces attached to the back that make the bookshelf a completely rigid unit. They also blend in nicely to the cross pieces which offer a good registration surface for seating against the wall, whilst stopping the books from sliding back too far and hitting the wall. 

Having no (full) back frame also results in the inside of the bookshelf looking more lit up, especially if the wall behind is light in colour. As for the very top of the bookshelf, it comprises a single board with two long recesses that house the top ends of the side pieces. Though unnecessary with regards to structural strength, it does contribute to the simplicity of the design, whilst making it easy to dust on occasion. Also, the thinner edge along the front produces a fine contrast with the other thicker edges on the shelves and sides. These have the appearance of being considerably thicker, but that’s only a clever design feature that gives the intended impression yet without making the finished piece as heavy as it would, had it been made entirely from thicker material.

Technical Specifications

Wood Species – European Oak, 7/8″ stock, (can be slight variances in thickness as all parts were hand planed)

Dimensions

• Height 77 3/4″ (197.5cm)
• Width (at the top) 40 3/8″ (102.5cm)
• Depth (at the top) 13 1/4″ (33.5cm)

Note: The top of the bookshelf protrudes 2″ to each side and to the front.

Finish – Clear shellac applied by hand, waxed and buffed.