IKEA hacking for beginners: how do I extend these bookshelves?

[Garald]

The dominant species in my library is now the HAVSTA bookshelf (https://www.ikea.com/fr/fr/p/havsta-etagere-avec-plinthe-blanc-00388633/). As you can see in the picture below, I have plenty of space above the bookshelves, and the need to use it. As you can also see, just putting books directly on top of the bookshelves looks very untidy.

 

What would be some easy hacks for extending these bookshelves? (Note: I have a drill, but I am not an experienced handiman, so keep the difficulty level low. Of course one can always learn, but please mind that I cannot lose fingers - I need them so as to torture innocent pianos.)

One possibility would be wall-mounted BESTAs (https://www.ikea.com/fr/fr/p/besta-structure-blanc-00245917/). Downsides:

a) possibly too tall and shallow (though as you can see I have mostly paperbacks)

b) the tone of white and the material ( = not wood) may just be off by enough to give an uncanny-valley effect.

Pine in the same tone of white would be ideal, but I may be open to other colors (though that might make things look like a bookshop for hyperlexic children). I'm obviously open to sources other than IKEA.

PS. If only HAVSTAs came with just a bit of supporting tripping on top, like their predecessor (what was it called?)...

PPS. Yes, I'll get made-to-order shelves for the street-side bookshelves, which are more of a challenge. Saving for that by relying on IKEA for the rest.

[Bozza]

Havsta is stained pinewood, most Ikea units and shelves are smooth particleboard and unlikely to match (apart from Hemnes, but they don’t do shelves etc).   It’s totally possible to buy additional units and chop down the top portions to create add on units but that would clearly be very expensive and would require decent cabinetry skills in your part, or hiring a joiner.

 

If it were me I’d just get some bookends to keep the books on top lined up with those below.

[Garald]

40 minutes ago, Bozza said:

Havsta is stained pinewood, most Ikea units and shelves are smooth particleboard and unlikely to match (apart from Hemnes, but they don’t do shelves etc).   It’s totally possible to buy additional units and chop down the top portions to create add on units but that would clearly be very expensive and would require decent cabinetry skills in your part, or hiring a joiner.

 

I'm sure there would be cost-efficient ways to use other HAVSTA units as a source of matching material; one can take

https://www.ikea.com/fr/fr/p/havsta-plinthe-blanc-50388664/ , for instance - just three units like these could be repurposed to be build an open top shelf for these six bookshelves. The bottleneck is just the lack of cabinetry skills and tools on my part. Of course I could try to find a joiner...

[gaz_moose]

can you not just buy another 2 and lie them ontop.

[Pocster]

You can get custom made units to go above there that will match the ikea ones . I did this . More expensive but not hideously so . Let me know if interested and I’ll dig out the company I used .

[Garald]

5 hours ago, Pocster said:

You can get custom made units to go above there that will match the ikea ones . I did this . More expensive but not hideously so . Let me know if interested and I’ll dig out the company I used .

Sure, tell me (... and I'll have to chug the shelves along on Eurostar).

[Garald]

6 hours ago, gaz_moose said:

can you not just buy another 2 and lie them ontop.

 

There's no Havsta model that is both short and shallow.