Hello,

I am new to Houzz and this is the second thread I am reading. Now I can't help wanting to ask carli8020 how things turned out with her room divider....what she finally did about the back of the narrow Hemnes bookcase....how do I do this?

if the back is facing the kitchen, options, place a peg board and hang kitchen items, create a message center or stencil a design on the back or use a cool wallpaper or a vinyl decal, lots of options,

another thought, get some bead board wall paper and then paint a cool color

Here is a new person question -- how do I send a message to the original poster for this (or any) question, other than just throwing it on the thread, which that individual might not even be following any longer?

Hi Karen ! I got email notification about new comment/question, so I logged on. I ended up not buying the narrow Hemnes bookcase... the reason being that it would look like free standing furniture that's closing up the pathway into the kitchen, and would seem to beg the question, there is a narrow bookcase standing here in the middle of the floor, why? I figured it out by having someone stand and drop a straight plumb line using measuring tape. So walking next to that, didn't feel comfortable. So all I have is the wide 36" Hemnes, directly back to back with the Samsung refrigerator.

The refrigerator vents are at the bottom approximate 8" of the appliance...which perfectly matches the bottom opening of the Hemnes. Hemnes bookcases are not flush to the floor, they stand on short "legs". So this allows for plenty of ventilation. It is not a perfect look, but I saw something similar in the Friends TV show apartment, I think they have bookcase behind their refrigerator. So I imagine myself in some kind of city loft :)

Ideally, my contractor would fabricate a non-load bearing sheetrock wall, like someone here suggested, separating the frig and bookcase. In which case, if it is made wide enough to accommodate the narrow bookcase too it might look more normal, and no one would say this is too narrow, because it would be a normal doorway.

How wonderful to hear from you how this story turned out! I kept thinking about what you could do with that space in the kitchen next to the refrigerator, backing up to the narrow bookcase. (Yes, I am sort of kitchen-obsessed these days!) But that was sort of silly since this was an old thread that I just happened to read when I first signed on and I had a Hemnes daybed question but also wondered about the Hemnes cabinet I have, from back in the days when they still made it. And I figured by now the situation was long since settled so then my curiousity got me and I had to ask how!! Anyway, my thought for you, if you ever do close up that opening to your kitchen any, it is always nice to have a "landing zone" next to a fridge, even if it is just a narrow counter or shelf.

I am trying to figure out the same. I will have a bookcase room divider in a large room over the garage. One side of the wall will be guest bedroom and the other side will be a home office. Not ideal but this is the situation. I have not been able to find photos of a wallpapered or bead board bookcase back. The other option might be back to back bookcases??