Every book-lover’s dream (or *this* book lover’s, that is): a secret library behind a wall of built-in bookshelves! Ooh la laaa…
Guess what, Ravin’ Mavens? It’s MARCH! Even though we’re expecting some snow & ice tonight, spring is marchin’ in! ::SQUEE:: But guess what ELSE, Ravin’ Mavens? Tomorrow we get the keys to our new headquarters! Hyped does not even describe it! Darling Hotbuns & I halt, in whatever it is we’re doing, just about every hour on the hour and say, “Did you know…… we’re getting a new house tomorrow?!” I foresee very little sleeping going on tonight — it already feels like Christmas Eve and it’s only 2:27 in the afternoon. We’re going to be up giggling & whispering all night long. ::beam::
So, of COURSE I am already daydreaming & scheming about our new place. If you could draw up blueprints *just* for decorating, well, I’ve already done that. However, we just dropped a heap on the house, alone, and all our monthly bills have increased quite substantially, so we’re not going to be furnishing the house overnight. This actually excites me because I LOVELOVELOVE the thrill of a good hunt! I enjoy the quest almost as much as the find, and once I find something, I’m pleased as punch if it then becomes a project. Even as much as the bones of the house have me over the moon like the cow (as the dish & the spoon run away to brand-new cabinets with granite countertops!), I am reeeally — and reeling — looking forward to putting some sweat & sentimental tears into making it warm & wondrous for years & years.
One of the things I have ALWAYS wanted was a library in my house. That, of course, is a farfetched, unreasonable dream. Even though we have more space than we know what to do with, there are two other people living in it, so I wouldn’t hog a whole room all to myself. Yet, I DO need a place to store all my books. In our current residence, we have an office with one whole wall that is built-in bookshelves (::SWOON::), but I STILL have boxes and boxes of books in the closets. When I love a book, I save it forever. And because I love books sooo much — their texture, their smell, their hardbacks, their jackets, the crackle of their spines, the indentation of the printed ink (not just their content) — I underline words I may not know, highlight stanzas that resound through me, dog-ear pages I want to get to in a flip, and leave notes/names in the margins. Thereupon, I now have my own library-worth of books. ::covet:: I’d just faint from euphoria to have one whole room full of built-in bookshelves from floor to ceiling (with a card catalog!), but who’s to say I can’t have book storage just as keen?! No one! And this is when I started hoarding ideas for bookhomes in our new one. I’m going to share a few of them with you in case you’re a bookworm magpie, just as I!
This is one of the simpler ideas, especially for paperbacks. I was thinking certain shoe racks could store books quite well, in this mishmash sort of way. It would be a really swell idea for a child’s bathroom while potty-training!
I adore this snazzy idea of painting random pieces and adhering them to the wall in whichever wacky way you please. Such a lively way to save space by building UP instead of out!
How about THIS grand concept… Old shadowbox frames! Genius! Mind you, I recognize someone has handcrafted these, but different shapes and sizes, even different colors, would be just as unique and intriguing.
Here’s a multipurpose purchase! When you’re done painting those walls, once they dry you can just hang the ladder up! Wha-la! Take that Target, and your yawn-y particle board!
This is a bit more complex than the other ridiculously simple & foolproof ideas, but with the right tools and a steady hand, it would be easy enough to replicate. Your vintage hutch design could be anything your heart desires! I am strongly considering making one of these, but I am thinking in the formal dining room for our “china” & “crystal”. (Muhahahahaha! I slay me.)
And here’s just about the coolest, most obvious idea ever ~ books on top of books! Well, hellooo, that’s just commonSense & Sensibility. #ashamedIneverthoughtofthat
This is my very FAVORITE one of all! This is one I am certain I want to try. I wouldn’t change a thing, not even the color. Purple is my bag.
When all else fails?
NO! This is when all else fails! (Nevertheless, I don’t know about you, but I don’t think I want to move everything when my bookcase needs to pee, let alone am I in the position to be home enough to feed my furniture.)
Although, this *is* one I’ve already done with Mini Maven. 🙂 Makes ya wanna keep your tree up all year round! Since Christmas has come again and again for me this year, I think it seems quite befitting.
Keep calm & READ on, dollfaces! Happy March — be happier than a March hare.
~ Angelika Frangelico *Gros bisous*
Don’t forget to “Like” us on Facebook — that’s where all the hullabaloo happens — and to follow us on Twitter! I share all kinds of delicious & delectable finds there (I’m always trollin’ for sparkletacular goodies just for you).