Materials: Malm Chest of Drawers and Billy Bookcase
Description: Buy the units that will fit your space. I chose the 4 Drawer Malm Chest and the 3 shelf Billy Bookcase to get the height I wanted.
Buy a 5 inch bolt from the hardware store and a matching nut.
Assemble Malm Chest and Billy according to directions except for backing on both and leave the drawers out of the Malm.
Place your Billy on top of Malm to see where best to start drilling.
Remove Billy and drill a hole large enough for the bolt you selected. A 5 inch bolt should be sufficient. Place Billy back on Malm and mark where hole needs to go onto Malm. Drill your hole into Malm.
I chose to countersink the bolt into the Billy Bookshelf so that the bolt would be flush with the bottom of the shelf unit and books could sit there without disturbance.
Before connecting Billy and Malm, first put your backing on both Billy and Malm. Then attach Malm dresser to your wall stud for sturdiness, especially important if using in a small childs room or play area.
Attach Billy to top of malm using the Drilled holes and the Bolt/Nut.
Attach Billy to your wall stud for extra security.
Your unit should be super secure now, you can add your drawers and start decorating your shelves!
EXTRA's, This was done in 1 day, but in the future I will be adding crown molding to the top of the Billy as well as some moldings around the edges to give it a more finished look. I am also planning on building a window bench between my two units, to make it a full built in look. However I have the heat register to contend with and plan around. Right now we have a couple of Expedit Cubes sitting there for a little seating and storage.
The other option is to take my son's crib mattress and build a platform under the window for that and use it as a toddler bed. the mattress and the window happen to be the same width.
Keep an eye out for an update on the finishing of this unit and the window seat/bed!
See more of the Malm-Billy combo.
~ Rachel, Chesterfield, Michigan