There is a detail shot in this home's gallery. I designed the wall to accommodate the shelves by using a sandwich blocking technique. I slotted out the CBU backer to accept the 3/4" glass shelves. The stone was installed to support the glass from below on an invisible bed of silicon. The shelves were the last thing installed. They are stuck in to the wall depth about 4 1/2" total. There is no room for error but it looks great. The result will easily support 100# or more.

It was not terribly expensive. It was time consuming and required a great amount of attention to detail. Nothing I am unaccustomed to.

Totally worth the meticulous attention to the details Josh. Your concept and finished product are breathtaking.

Thank you very much.

What is the dimension of this room?

The room is 32' wide. The height to the bearing point of the trusses is 11'.

Where did you purchase the glass shelves... You say inexpensive and I am finding 3/4 inch hard to find and when I do it is costly. LOVE the look and trying to create similar.

I guess "inexpensive" is relative. Depending on what you want to shelve, you can go as low as 3/8". Some of my clients' pieces are up to 70# so I opted for the 3/4". I have a custom glass/mirror fabricator that I work with regularly so that might offer me savings not available to you as well.

This is a gorgeous concept and execution. I've designed something similar for a client who has an extensive pottery collection, but I'd never seen it done until now -- it looks fabulous! And you're right about the glass thickness: anything less than 3/4" is not only impractical, it just wouldn't look right -- not beefy enough to hold its own with the stone. .I'm so pleased to have your comments to give to our builders for when they start on my client's FP and display unit!

Josh,

The execution here is amazing. Your above comment about leaving a slot in the backer is helpful. Can you be more specific about what is actually supporting the shelves behind the backer though? I'm a noob/DIYer but hopefully handy and meticulous enough to pull this off.

I'm thinking of notching my studs and installing some kind of bracing above and below the glass, to create a pocket. I'd only be able to recess it about 1.5" (plus the backer and tile for a total of about 2.5") compared to your 4+" so I'm a little worried it won't be enough.

Thanks :)

You are on the right track. If your wall is a 2x4 wall, I'd consider installing a header across multiple studs, as well as a sill piece for your pocket. That would gain you a full 3.5" depth of pocket without compromising your wall. just think of it like a window that is 13/16" tall and ?" wide. Like any cantilever, the weight of the projection will try to pivot on the outer most bearing point and apply upward force on the most rearward top point. It is truly a lever. Like any lever, the force is increased on the shorter side side the longer you project outward, the more force is generated on the other side of the pivot. I would do all that is necessary to increase your back depth unless you do not intend on placing heavy glass or anything more than candles on your shelves.