How to: Make a Rustic Built-In Shelves with Plumbing Pipes

If you spend any time in the craft and DIY blogosphere, you’ve likely seen your fair share of galvanized pipe furniture and storage projects. Which, of course, are all cool and affordable and very customizable, and we approve.   But, I’m sharing this built-in pipe shelving project not because I think the concept is revolutionary, but because I’m impressed with how the whole thing came together. Usually, the use of such materials give off a modern industrial vibe; the whole Ace Hotel look, which I dig. But this effort by MonolithFab, through clever design and appropriate use of materials, brings in a whole Victorian, antique, almost steampunk sort of vibe… like a radiator/time machine that got stuck in a wall and then the homeowner put a buncha books and stuff on it. 

Planning the design around the wall studs led to some clever interplay of sizes and angles, and the rich stain on the wood and the paint of the piping brings the whole thing together.

This project serves as a great reminder of how important design choices can be, and how much they interact with concept and materials to affect the final outcome. Great job.

Get the full tutorial at Instructables: Industrial Pipe Shelving Built-In