Get the look for less with this Pottery Barn Kids Inspired DIY bookshelf for a fraction of the price.
This DIY dupe tutorial will show you how I recreated this Pottery Barn Kids inspired DIY bookshelf for far less than the original outrageous price.
Pottery Barn Kids is an amazing source of home decor inspiration. But for this budget-conscious mama, the prices aren’t quite as impressive. I fell in love with this industrial style book ledge but dang that price tag. $129 for a 3-foot shelf! Bye Felicia!
Budget friendly DIY projects are my JAM because kids aren’t cheap and money doesn’t grow on trees. You can check out my scrap wood planter stand, handpainted wallpaper, and $5 spray painted countertop for more budget friendly hacks.
My Insta friend Jacki at Crazy Life with Littles and I have started a weekly Instagram #dupeitout series. Each week we bring you a higher end product that we recreate for WAY less than the store bought price. Be sure to check out her Pottery Barn Inspired Cloud Fringe Mirror.
The PB Kids version overall dimensions are 4″ deep and 10″ high so I worked out my plans according to this size. I wanted mine a little bit longer at 4 feet long.
I chose to use scrap pine wood. Whatever wood type you select using the straightest boards possible will make assembly so much easier.
Supplies / Cut List
- 1 x 3 Select Pine – 1 piece at 47.75″
- 1 x 2 Select Pine – 3 pieces at 47.75″ each
- 2 pieces of 1x thickness cut to 4″w x 10″h
- 4′ Steel Rod
- This rod comes with a black powder coating that will get all over everything so consider yourself warned. You can easily wipe it off. Another option would be to use a wooden dowel and spray paint it.
Once you’ve made all of your cuts, it’s time to piece them together. I chose to drill two pocket holes on the backside of each end of the 1 x 2 pieces with my Kreg Jig.
This way all of my pocket holes are hidden on the backside of the shelf.
You could also use nails and wood glue to attach the pieces if you don’t have a way to do pocket holes.
Before you piece all of your cuts together you will need to drill a shallow hole into each of the 4″ x 10″ side/end pieces. This is where your steel rod will be inserted.
I marked a dot on each piece in the middle and about 1″ in from the front. Then I used a 1/4″ drill bit (this is also the diameter of the steel rod) to drill a shallow hole in both pieces.
Make sure you don’t drill all the way through the board. About halfway down is perfect. The two sides of these boards is shown above.
Next, you’ll want to attach all of your pieces together. I found it easiest to attach all of my 1 x 2 pieces to one of the end boards first. Clamps or an extra hand can help to keep everything aligned
Then you can slide the 1 x 3 base in between the front and back 1 x 2 pieces. If everything was measured and attached properly this will be a perfect fit.
Finish off by attaching the other 4 x 10 end piece to the opposite side.
Using a nail gun or hammer and nails you can attach your front and back 1 x 2 pieces to the center 1 x 3 base.
There are a dozen different ways you can piece this shelf together. I did what made sense to me since I was simply working off of an image. Adjust to your personal preferences.
At this point you can paint or apply any stain / sealer of your liking. I chose to leave mine natural and simply applied a clear spray polycrylic for protection.
The final step is to insert the steel rod into the pre-drilled holes. I applied a little super glue into the holes first. Insert one end all the way, then you can slide it over into the opposite side. You should have just enough wiggle room to get the rod in place. Once the glue sets you’ll be good to go.
The store bought version was only 3′ long and made from MDF. This 4 foot version, from real wood can be made for a fraction of the price and customized to fit your personal style.
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