Before we get too far into this post, let me be clear about the bookshelves. They are very basic. The only thing more basic might be boards and cinder blocks and I’ve had a few of those in my lifetime. Nevertheless, basic or not, I love them.
I’ve wanted built-in bookshelves in the den since we moved in. I had visions of beautifully constructed built-ins along the wall behind the sofa. But because other needs/expenses almost always seem to take precedence, we’ve never been able to do it. We’ve lived here nine years. Last year, I saw a post on another blog where the thirty-something owners had put up bookshelves using standards and brackets. I was immediately taken back in my memory to a house I lived in in my mid-twenties. I remember doing that very thing, on a more modest level, in my bedroom. It seemed a bit retro – sort of mid-century modern, a style I grew up with – it was just called contemporary in those days – and not necessarily a look that I wanted to recreate in my current home.
But I kept going back to that photo and eventually came to the conclusion that it would look entirely appropriate in this den of ours.
Why not? Why not, I said to myself, do something like this NOW, rather than wait for some date in the far-off future when I might have the funds to hire a carpenter to build a fancy bookcase? I showed the blog photos to Don, and he said, “Go for it.”
Even so, I didn’t get around to it until this year. When I decided that now was indeed the time, I measured the wall space and the length of the sofa, checked for the location of the studs using my stud finder, which can be finicky, so I checked it over and over again, devised one configuration, then scrapped it and went for another. I drew up a plan.
Then I figured out the length of the shelves, based on the footprint of the sofa and the location of the studs. Left side of the sofa: 37″. Right side of the sofa: 24″ Three standards on the left. Two standards on the right. Six shelves on either side. A total of 30 brackets. Last week we went to Lowe’s and purchased everything – the pine was special grade because I was planning on staining it and didn’t want a lot of knots. One very nice guy at Lowe’s figured out how much wood we would need and another very nice guy cut all the wood for us. I crossed my fingers and hoped all my calculations were correct.
We brought everything home and earlier this week, taking advantage of a very warm day for this time of year, I sanded and stained all the shelves-to-be.
Yesterday we put them up.
After sleeping through most of it, Scout decided to check out the action in the den.
That drill has to be about 25 years old. I bought it when I was living in Cambridge, MA. Someday I’ll upgrade to a fancy new one, but for now, it works.
I originally considered painting the wood, but I’m glad I decided to stain it instead. We have lovely pine floors and wood blinds and I felt that staining the wood would result in a warmer, cozier look. We really like it.
Late in the day: shelves in place, drill, chuck, wood, measuring tape, screws, screwdriver, and level scattered around the room.
Photo taken this morning, so it’s still darkish in this room. I’ve added a few books, but I’m going to let the shelves evolve. I’m not going to grab a lot of books from the upstairs bookshelves and move them down here. Both of us added a few favorite books, some signed by the authors, some vintage. My To Be Read pile moved from the desk to the shelves. I’ll eventually add some books from the shed (fingers crossed.) And let’s face it, I accumulate a lot of books, so these babies could be filled in no time.
I forgot how fiddly brackets can be. They don’t always fit snugly, they sometimes move to the right or the left. And I’ve learned, especially on these shorter shelves, that things need to be balanced, not necessarily visually, but most definitely in terms of weight distribution.
This room is very small, with windows on all sides, so it’s notoriously hard to get a good photo. But here’s my best shot this morning.
We never think that something like this will make the room look bigger, but, as is often the case, it does. And Don loves the way the shelves on the left and the window frame one of our favorite pieces of art. Me. too.
I’ll post more photos as I add to the shelves and one day I’ll take you on a little tour.
Total cost for everything was about $300.00. We used a prime grade of pine, bought stain and a paintbrush, screws, standards and brackets.
Oh, and one of the first things I added to the shelves?
The wooden egg cup Scout and Don gave me for my birthday. Isn’t he adorable?
Happy Sunday.
You’re right. Cozy and warm.
Thanks, Tana!
The bookshelves look great!
I like that you went with the warm stain colour rather than paint.
The den looks so cozy and inviting – it will be a lovely refuge from winter.
Enjoy!
The stain seems to really suit this room, Barbara. The den is fast turning into my favorite room in the house. The television is here, I blog here, and now books are here!
Claudia, the shelves look great and make the room feel like a cozy place to curl up and read. Doris
Thank you, Doris. I’m really happy with them!
Love the shelves. I think bookcases/shelves are something I almost could not live without. So many books and treasures I need to keep and display. Love how yours turned out and also that little egg cup is soooo cute! Love it! Perfect for your collection. I’m so happy you got this done. I’m looking at my shelves now and the couple of areas I decorate are ready for the Christmas decorations today!
hugs,
Linda
Good for you, Linda! Have fun decorating! I suppose we’ll get to it in about 10 days. Hey, I can add some Christmas decorations to the shelves!
The shelves are great! Why is it there are always too many books for our shelves and not enough walls for making new shelves? I have some of my mom’s books in the shed. Sadly, some of them are first editions.
I love how the sun from the window highlights the room. The focus because of the sun is on the shelves. The piece of art is wonderful.
Have you told us about the picture’s story?
I did, Trudy, but I’ll tell it again soon! Thank you!
Ya done good girl! No really, I think you and Don make a good team! These bookshelves will evolve and be filled like you said in no time! I do like the wood pine – stained . I can already see the collection bearing the vintage -y color scheme that flows throughout your home. Well done! Cute picture so my Scoutie checking on the progress!
Scout has to know what’s going on, you know, Pat! You should have seen her when we were playing cards the other night!
Yay! A house without shelves seems totally lifeless to me. I know the Minimalists will disagree, but it is on shelves that I see what a person is really all about. Even in cubicles in an office, if there is anything that resembles a shelf, what is on it tells a bit about the person who owns it. Window ledges and shelves,,,, I couldn’t possible be without them!! (which is also the reason why that “crap box” was so interesting to me!) :-)
I agree. We have shelves upstairs and shelves inside china cabinets and stacks of books, of course. But we needed shelves down here on the main floor.
Love the photograph of Scout supervising your project. She must have reveled in all that activity. I had those same brackets and shelves in my childhood bedroom. Yours look wonderful in that space. Now you can be surrounded by your old friends. What is the title of that book “Claudia The Story of a …….” ? When was it published, and did you enjoy reading it?
Googled it. “Claudia, the Story of a Marriage” by Rose Franken, 1939. The first book in a series.
Also a play on Broadway in 1941. You have shown us your original playbook once or twice.
It sounds like a time capsule. Wikipedia lists a1958 omnibus edition called “The Complete Book of Claudia.”
Oh she loves all the action, Nancy. Claudia was about Claudia and David, a married couple. The play program is upstairs in a frame. And my late older brother was named David. I was named Claudia. After the characters in the play and movie. So you can see what meaning it has for me.
great idea. the contents of the shelves are what we see. I like usable book shelves and not just decorator spaces. as one of the commenters said ‘we learn who you are’. but they do look good, too!
Yes, I’m not one for making a bookshelf about pretty pictures, although I want it to look nice, or about books being sorted according to color or, horrors, with the spine in and pages facing out. Makes me crazy. Books are decoration in themselves.
Well-done, Claudia & Don. With Scout supervising, of course. I think once the shelves fill up and those standards and brackets disappear, it will look just like you have built-ins on either side of your sofa. Pretty stain color too – very warm. A perfect cozy library. I bet you even find the room warmer this Winter with all the additional insulation the books will [inadvertently] provide. Who knew? A bonus! Enjoy your day…
Oh, that was one of my selling points to Don, Janet. Insulation!
Those are some good looking shelves!
Thank you, Cindy!
The warm stain on the pine shelves on your new shelves settled right into your livingroom. Love seeing The Girl of the Limberlost. Childhood memories. I packed my Dad’s huge library this week (with the help of a good friend). He had over a thousand books ranging from his youth to now at age 94. He particularly wanted all the books that had his parents signatures so packing involved checking inside the covers on any vintage book. Dad is a retired minister and the Bishop agreed to accept his huge religious library ( part of the entire collection) so that is packed and waiting for transfer as well. Liquor store boxes are a good size for such heavy loads. I moved all the other books into my basement as well as the stained pine wall shelves (which are now floor shelves – light, no backs, but very useable) and I will be unpacking and sorting and donating some in time (just want to make sure that the many boxes of books I packed to move to Dad’s assisted living new suite contain the ones he wanted).
Joy
What an experience that must have been for you, Joy. Bittersweet, but full of wonderful memories. I’m glad you’re able to keep some of them. What a wonderful legacy from your father. And he gets to keep some, too.
Oh Claudia..I love the picture of you holding a shelf..lol..you look so so happy..and you should be..sometimes we can’t have exactly what we want..but second best is indeed better than none..I am glad Dad had his little supervisor watching so that he got it just right..The new old egg cup is adorable..Have fun arranging your shelves!
And second best is turning out to be very nice, indeed!
Love them!
Thank you so much, Cindy!
Didn’t someone say…a house without bookshelves, is a house without soul? If not…someone should have! Love them….and they do warm up the room. They also make a nice frame for that picture and window! You two work great as a team! Hope you have a great day! ;)
I agree. I want to see books in a person’s home. If there are none, I assume the person doesn’t read very much….and that’s not a good thing.
Looks so good! I can picture you curled up on the sofa with a nice cozy quilt and Scout at your feet. Great job. Love the egg cup, so cute.
hugs
That’s what I plan to do this winter, Nancy. A good book, a quilt and Scout.
I love them! I had shelving like this years ago. We loved them, because we could fill in the holes and take them when we moved. I think books always give a room a homey feeling. I always wonder about people who have these modern houses with no books around….what kind of people are they and do they ever read? I love the look of books the feel of them as well as the content.
I totally agree, Balisha. It’s the look and feel of them that makes reading them and looking at them on a shelf such a powerful thing.
The shelves look great. A Girl of the Limberlost …think I’ll pull it out and reread it for the 300th time. The “Claudia” books – and films – are interesting , if odd. I’m sure that in your marriage Don doesn’t treat you like a backward child.
I have two copies of that book. One is exactly like the one my grandmother bought for me many years ago. The other is the more vintage edition. I have to reread it myself! I don’t really care about the content of the Claudia books, the play or the movie. My brother and I were named after those two characters, so they have a powerful meaning to me.
I’m so glad that you went ahead and did it, Claudia. We so often wait for what we think will be just the right thing and then it never seems to happen. Your new shelves look wonderful, and I bet they will fill up quickly. Great job. xo Laura
I was tired of waiting, Laura. I’m glad I finally saw the light!
I think this shelving is absolutely perfect for this space. You and Don did a great job. You will be so happy to have more of your beloved books surrounding you.
I know you understand, Melanie. I’m already so happy just gazing on them. I added a few more books today. Sigh. Happy.
I think putting bookshelves up with brackets is a great idea, you get so much more height than with regular bookshelves and they frame the room nicely, so open looking. Love your little wood cup giving you attitude. So cute!
Isn’t that cup the cutest? I really love it. I’ve never seen one like it before.
Looks great – love it!!
Thank you, Liz!
All your hard work paid off they look great, and it will be fun to decorate them seasonally, with fun pieces around the books.
That’s what I was thinking, Dawn! Great minds think alike…isn’t that what they say?
Looks great! You’ve wanted those for so long. Glad you and Don got in there and got it all done. You will thoroughly enjoy filling those shelves with all of your books and goodies. Did Scout mind all of the noise and confusion?
Judy
Scoutie sleeps through a lot of that kind of thing these days. Then when she wakes up and sees we are up to something, she gets very interested. She likes the stimulation of new things, Judy.
You two did a great job. Those shelves look like they were meant to go there! Doesn’t it feel good to get a project done (and then wonder, why didn’t we do this a long time ago??!!).
It sure does, Vicki!
Very nice! I see a Gene Stratton Porter book there in the last photo. I love her books and have all her novels. Just wish I could afford her non-fictions books. I do have ‘Homing with Birds’ that I found for a ridiculously low price online, whoopee!
I had shelves like this in my room as a teen, takes me back to a simpler time.
The shelves look wonderful in your den. I can only imagine how excited you are to finally have them!
So very nice…proud for both of you
This is such a great project, Claudia! Looks so nice and the books are going to give a warm, cozy feeling to the space. I love your vision here!
They look great Claudia and Don! And I love the picture of Scout at the beginning, taking in all the action with a puzzled look. Sweet!