I've missed my books. For four years, we've lived in this house, and most of the books have lived in the cellar. Oh, there were exceptions - like cookbooks, and kids books, and gardening books - but the vast majority are in countless tidy cardboard boxes in the (dry) cellar.
But soon, very soon, they will be free. The carpenters have finished building the bookcases I've been dreaming of and saving money for, and the painters should be done tomorrow. Sometime next week, after the paint is nice and dry, I can start hauling boxes up from the cellar, and caressing the books, one by one.
We did built-ins in two rooms - the dining rooom and the sun room. We archived a pair of french doors from the dining room, and built bookcases around the wide doorway, up both sides and across the top. The cookbooks will live in the dining room, alongside gardening, and travel, and I don't know what else yet.
In the sun room, we did built-ins on the two inside walls - so there are two walls of books, and two walls of casement windows. The television will live in there, together with all of the fiction and poetry. And music - all the many books on music will need to be in there, because the stereo will be in there as well.
I'm so happy to have finally been able to get this done, because a house without books is like a room without windows.
24 July 2008
My Books, My Books
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47 comments:
Oh, wow. That's really exciting. I love, love, love built-in bookcases. Especially the ones that wrap around a doorway.
I look forward to seeing pictures of all your books in their new home!
*squee!*
Gorgeous. I'm so in need of these.
LOVE built ins! The smartest thing we did when renovating our 2nd floor bathrooms was have the carpenter add bookshelves along one full wall of the 2nd floor landing. Now I wish we'd done more...
Congratulations, I am so happy for you! It looks great!
Sounds and looks beyond awesome. I am a little jealous. Congratulations! Enjoy your many happy reunions.
OOh, very nice! I'm quite jealous of those!
Oh, those are great!
My books are currently residing in the basement, too...someday they will be freed.
Built-in bookshelves are my absolute dream. I'm a book collector, too. I just like having them near me. It's comforting for some reason. I'd love to see an "after" photo once you get your books on them.
I feel the same way about bookcases. The built ins in the family room and study are one of the reasons I fell in love with the house we ended up buying. And I couldn't believe how many houses we looked at with not a single book in sight!!!
Oooh. You are so lucky. That's what I need, but I can't wait, so I'm trying to decide if I should go cheap (Crate & Barrel) or what. I came home from the library today with a book called "Storage." Hope it contains a miracle.
Envy!
That looks awesome!
How exciting! I hope that we can get our books out of boxes soon.
oooh, so purdy. I lurv the paint color too. used to have a dining room that color. enjoy
gorgeous.
built-in bookshelves are a dream for me and the hubs.
one day...
That is way cool.
What Now just did a post about unpacking her books in her new house, too. And here I am looking at shelves of books to be packed tomorrow. thanks for the reminder that unpacking will bring its own pleasures.
I am shallow, so I am dealing with my envy by thinking, "Why didn't she have them build a window seat surrounded by bookcases?"
your shelves are fabulous!
Our books are randomly crammed on shelves here and there, double rows b/c we don't have enough room. I daydream about one day organizing them but realize I'm too lazy and maybe it will happen in 20 years.
Built-in's make me drool. Those are AWESOME.
Yes! Our books are stuffed in piles and baskets and hanging out on tables and under chairs. No homes, but they're still present.
Just think of all the dusting...
This is actually really inspirational.
Its beautiful! My books are on shelfs too...but have been untouched for years!
well said. What is life without books?
I know you love to read!!!
We have a lot of bookcases and a lot of books and we never have enough room for our books. It's like as soon as you get them all on a bookcase, you need another bookcase.
I have trouble culling books, though. Well, culling anything...
Our books are trapped in our storage area in the basement too.
Oh, I shall have shelf envy!! My beloved books are relegated to a downstairs room that was meant to be a bedroom but is now a library - and while they're at least in a room of their own, they aren't surrounding me and they aren't nice and tidy. Books on shelves, yes, but also on the floor, some in piles and some toppled and in disarray. One day I will have shelves buit from floor to ceiling in there...one day...
Hurrah for your books, and for you!
Shade and Sweetwater,
K
Oooh, fabulous! The Original Owners of our house left their bookshelves behind, and we have extra shelves for the first time in our lives. Mrs. O-O was rumored to have had 5000 books!
I can't wait to see it with the books in it.
so inspiring! and i just love even thinking about books! :-) you must post pix when you've filled them!
Oh, that is so exciting! There is (almost) nothing better than built-in shelves!
oooohhhh. those are niiiice. its a bit like book p*&n.
I love it! The built ins are beautiful, beautiful. I wish we had some down in our main living area. Most of our books are upstairs in the seldom-used "bonus" room. Books in a house are so many things. Entertainment, information, decoration, self-identification.
How wonderful! Congratulations on your beautiful bookcases!
My husband built built-ins (that sounds funny) in one of our former homes, and I still miss them!
i would miss my books as much as i miss my kids. i'm excited for you in that i'm a book lover, i got new bookshelves kind of way.
Alas, most of my books are still in boxes in the garage. I'd LOVE to have some built in bookshelves to put them in. Very jealous over here!
Beautiful!
I know what you mean- all the "grown up" books in my house have been stored away, since the little ones like to "read" (and rip) them. I can't wait to take them out again!
Love the new shelves!
I know that feeling. May they breathe free.
Beautiful!
So true. Two years in many of mine are still boxed. Waiting. For shelving.
Am so stinking jealous for me of your built-ins. Am so stinking happy for you.
That's exactly what I've been wanting to do in between our living room & dining room. Thanks for blazing the trail! Now I can show it to my husband, who's having a hard time visualizing it.
Can't wait to see the finished room!
So incredibly gorgeous. They're going to be spectacular once they're filled.
Though I have to say, having had a whole bunch of built-ins put in, we're now, as they say, deaccessioning. Because, though at one point in my life I would have found it hard to believe, there is such a thing as too many books.
They look awesome. I love the pop of red in there, too.
You are one lucky woman.
I positively LOVE the idea of a library/dining room. dining rooms are generally a silly waste of space unless they have homework done in them, puzzles completed in them, and other activities besides turkey on Thanksgiving!!! If we didn't already have the luxury of a room with books floor to ceiling, I would have done the same thing. We had to save for the built ins also. No bookshelves in our house besides the basement when we moved in. Who lives that way???? Without books around them?
Oh...amazing. I am insanely jealous!
You built some insanely beautiful shelves!
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