So here's the before:
Ikea's Expedit series is the greatest. Cheap, heavyweight cubes in various arrays, all the perfect size for records. That being said, they're not the perfect size for any components. Most receivers, record players, etc are around 18" wide or more, and each Expedit cube is about 13", which means you need to keep the components for the stereo somewhere else.
So in my case (sorry for the crappy Craigslist-style photo), that meant laying a 2x4 Expedit on its side and stacking my components. A screen on the receiver, denting the top venting, the record player on the CD player, constantly slipping its back feet off since it's just slightly too small, not to mention the wasted space.
I decided to resolve this issue, but to limit myself to a budget, since it wasn't a huge priority - just an annoyance. I took all the records and junk out of the Expedit (not fun), unsecured it from the wall and slid it so that the distance between that and the adjacent wall was 23". I then shopped my options - brackets? Build a full bookcase? Bracketing system?
The cheapest of my options, since I had leftover 3/4" wood from the entertainment center project, was to do a railing system with clips, like you see in a lot of bookcases. All the rails and clips came to about $25, so it was within my cheapo budget.
They didn't have black rails, only white, so I decided to spray paint them the same color as the loveseats in the room to make them pop a little.
Because the walls aren't even close to square, my best measuring efforts didn't help make them square. It was a game of trial-and-error, putting the clips in and testing one shelf till I got it right. I spaced them so they were the depth of each shelf almost exactly, so the shelves didn't go all the way to the back wall. If they had, I'd have to cut access holes in each shelf to run wires through. The Expedit is about 16" deep, and most components' feet are about 10-12" apart. The wood I had was about 12" deep, so that worked out perfectly.
I had one extra piece of wood that was much larger, so I cut that down to 16" for the turntable, which is deeper than the rest. The plan was to add adhesive wood strips to the front, but because the shelves aren't secured in any way, it would be easy to accidentally pull a shelf forward an inch and have the component fall off, so I opted instead to cut some spare 1/2" plywood into 1" strips. That way the clips would be hidden and it would prevent the shelf from slipping. It also gives the appearance of the shelves being thicker than they are, which is nice.
Just some wood glue and 4 brad nails across the front, and they were secure.
Now we're able to put the chair right in front of it, moved an end table from the spare room down here and everything is much, much better. Easier to access, better flow in the room, all around a welcomed change.
Next up, Becky's working on the front door!
