Need opinions on this book case design

[Mr. Lahey]

I designed bookshelves that will go on my living room wall. The big empty square in the center is where my fireplace and flat screen TV will be...so the shelves are built around it.

I can't decide what joining method to use or how to best attach the shelves to the living room wall. Anyone have any ideas or suggestions? Thanks

 

[Gotcha6]

Will any of the shelves be adjustable, or are they all fixed height?
Insofar as attachment, a 3/4" x 2" cleat below an upper fixed shelf should suffice to attach it to the wall. You may also want to use a toe space at the base.
If there is any base molding along the wall be sure to cut it back to the book case frame before attaching.
If you're having fixed shelves, a blind dado would work well.
If you are not putting a back into the shelf frame, be sure to install some temporary bracing to the unit while mounting to prevent it from racking.

 

[Travis Porter]

Personally, I like a "baseboard" at the bottom and a strip along the top of bookcases. The "baseboard" makes it easier to tie into existing baseboards for built in units. Are you doing frameless or will you have a face frame?

For attachment, I put a "nailer" strip horizontally along the top inside and bottom inside. As for assembly, it all depends on what you have as to what to do. Biscuits, pocket holes, Domino, etc. Whatever you are comfortable with and whatever works for you is what makes the most sense.

I would want my shelves to be adjustable, all but the top, bottom, and maybe the middle. If you don't have a line borer or jig to make the holes, I would use shelving standards recessed flush into the plywood.

I like to have backs in bookcases/carcass units to not have to deal with racking as Dennis suggests in his post. Makes it a lot easier to deal with.