DIY: Pipe Shelves

On the 1st of this year I moved into my very first ONE-BEDROOM apartment in Manhattan. For those of you who don't understand the excitement of that mere statement, simply scroll down to see the pictures. But for the rest of you, picture if you will two rooms likely equaling less than 300 square feet. Now, granted this is more space than I have had to myself in the last 4 years of room-mate living, but still, I knew I was going to have to get creative with my spacial design and storage. 

Approximately a month prior to my big move, I headed to the internet for inspiration ideas.  Apartment Therapy was my first destination. For those of you who aren't familiar with the website it contains a fabulous montage of decorating ideas. I came across 2011 Small Cool Contest which contained numerous apartment inspirations for spaces under 400 sq ft. *Jackpot* (If you're like me you'll want to check out '10's/ '09's). Upon my search I found myself scanning through countless blogs, but halted my mouse clicks when I saw this number:

Apparently, these galvanized plumbing pipe custom shelving units were first done by the Ace Hotel.  Then The Brick House figured it out for the masses, my simplistic DIY inspiration Manhattan Nest did it....and after googling, I found countless other variations of the unit. Cut to: as a true DIYer from a young age, I knew these shelves NEEDED to be in my new ONE-BEDROOM apartment.  

...and with the help of my sister and mother, the shelves started to come to life. 

I just finished getting some of my junk on the shelves and I LOVE it, but I feel they look a bit cluttered. I'll probably redecorate often to keep it looking fresh. 

Few notes:

• I stained only one side of each pine plank because my mom had to head back to Massachusetts and wanted to see the 'big picture' so I stained the flip side when the unit was put together.
• Brick House cost came to $200. I went to multiple hardware/lumber stores costing piping and wood-I have no idea how Brick did it for that cheap. I would say expect to pay nearly double that.
• I did my calculations maybe 20 times, but I still encountered problems with sloping ceilings and the plumbing pipes not 'threading' into each other to create level boards. Feel free to e-mail me for specific tips! 

- New apartment: check

- New 'custom shelves': check

- 100 more DIY projects: uncheck