The Easy Hack That Makes Freestanding Furniture Look Like Custom-Built-Ins
As home design has veered away from impersonal minimalism and toward expressing individual personality, built-in furniture has become more popular. These integrated pieces allow for seamless transitions between spaces and give you options for detailed home customization that fit your needs and make use of awkward spaces. With the popularity of built-ins rising, homeowners have taken to budget-friendly, DIY methods, like this IKEA hack for gorgeous built-in bookshelves. Using existing freestanding furniture to achieve a built-in look adds a bespoke touch without breaking the bank, and by adding skirting, you can achieve a seamless finish.
"Skirting" is another term for baseboards, which can be found in most homes built in the past few centuries. These boards, which are installed at the lowest portion of the wall, are used to disguise the gap where flooring meets a wall. Since their introduction, skirting boards have become more than just a practical tool — they are an aesthetic piece that polishes off a room. Baseboard height and style can make an impact on your home's aesthetic, so adding them to your previously freestanding furniture increases aesthetic value and makes each piece a cohesive part of the room.
How to add skirting boards to freestanding furniture
Once your furniture is in place, skirting gives it a final touch. While your bookshelf, dresser, or cabinetry may technically still be freestanding, the addition of baseboards gives the illusion that they were always meant to be a part of the room. Adding decorative skirting will be one of the last steps in the process since you won't be able to easily reposition the pieces after installing the baseboards, and it's relatively simple to do — you just need it to cover the gap between your floor and the bottom of your piece.
If your chosen skirting board isn't tall enough to bridge that gap, you can precede it with a flat piece of wood painted to match your furniture. If your furniture doesn't have a flat surface to attach the skirting to (like feet, legs, or a recessed base), it may also be helpful to secure a piece of wood to the floor, running lengthwise. Using wood glue — and brad nails for added security — attach the board to the bottom of your piece and the stabilizing piece of wood, if using, which will keep the board flush to the floor.
@thehayebarn "Want to make freestanding furniture look built-in? 👀✨ Just add skirting boards! 🪵 Here's the easiest hack (using scrap timber if your furniture has feet!) #DIYHack #BuiltInLook #DIYHome #HomeHack #BuiltInFurniture
If you want to add skirting and don't have access to the original style of baseboards used in your home, you can remove the baseboards in the area where you want your built-in. This allows the furniture to sit flush against the wall, and you can reuse the baseboards for skirting around the base of your furniture piece.