tokidoki lurve

shamelessly ripping off tokidoki to brighten up the library...

yikes! flesh tone dried *orange*! will have to redo that bit

will be sure to include heart and crossbones so everyone know's whose work it really is :)

library complete!

It's taken a while to update this, but the library project is complete! With books, toys, chess set, carpet, chairs, table and everything!

library progress

A while back we started the quest to build a library - and we're very nearly done! Below is an update on the space we've been filling, and how progress has - very slowly - been going.

the two opposite walls we're filling with shelves, floor to ceiling:

the shelves start arriving in pieces...

and the shelves are assembled and fitted:

Next is the process of book-packing and categorizing and colour-coding... but that's a whole separate blog post.

to be continued...

a new room

A little while ago we started the process of building a library. It's so exciting! A place to store books, sip good wine, relax, and, well... whatever. It has so far acquired a carpet (from a really random auction we stumbled across), and a couple of Zodiac chairs - love those!


And right now, I'm sitting here waiting for them to arrive and install the shelves - a crucial part to any library! Updates will follow...

more storage options

In my search for bookshelves I came across this. It's not especially pretty or fabulously designed, but it is an interesting idea in using space you hadn't thought of before to store your stuff if you're space-anorexic.

shelf life

After much deliberation and back and forwarding on what to do with the odd "cottage" area, we've decided to turn it in to a library. I'm going to cover the two main walls with book shelves, floor to ceiling. Great! Idea in the bag, but now what?
Having shelves put in is not nearly as easy as it seems. For one thing, you can't simply google "shelf people" or "shelf installation". What you'll get is a myriad of companies who specialize in shelving for large warehouses and storerooms etc. Yuk.
And for another, the options on styling and design are almost endless!

What I have googled though, are a range of images of other people's shelves that I like. And I'm not just talking shelves here - I'm talking *library* - I want the whole schkaboodle, rolling ladder included (just because I'm going to relegate the cr*ppy books to the top shelf doesn't mean I'll never want to reach them again). Through my search I've managed to narrow down what I want - simple, elegant, light, asymmetrical, but not crazy-go-out-and-join-the-circus shelving. Simple, yes?

On Tuesday last week I met with a woman from a kitchen installation company - they do shelves of course - hoping that she'd be able to solve all my problems with a magical wand swish and a sexy design. Boy was I mistaken. I hesitate to even post her "design" it was such a cacophony of angles, wood and boxes. Added to which she missed the brief completely. So tomorrow is round two, with the people who made up my study desk for me. I'm infinitely more optimistic, but we shall see.

What I found on my searches...

Be asymmetrical with your verticals, but try to keep your horizontals uniform. Your books can then afford to be a bit messy, but it won't end up looking like your old school library.



Use all the space you never thought you had (these are built in to the ceiling). Above and behind doors is always sneaky for those pressed with space.



Aspire to owning the ultimate library ever, even if you don't yet have the space, finances or books :)



And this one is just a fantastic way of filing your books, so that they create a feature in the room too. Maybe unpractical, but very pretty.


Now what furniture to put in...