Friday, August 6, 2010

Daily Decor - Housing my literature

Since buying our townhouse nearly 2 years ago, husband and I have come to the conclusion that the work we want to do on it is truly never-ending.  The unfortunate part right now is that while husband is unemployed, he has all the time in the world to work on home improvements, but we don't have the money to fund them - the ultimate catch 22.  In the meantime, we're settling for the little things that are affordable without the financial burden of, say, granite counter tops for the kitchen.

The most recent upgrade was our living room bookshelf.  We previously had an old, totally dilapidated bookshelf gifted to us by husband's step-dad.  I'm thinking this thing might have be older than I am.  Our sizable book collection was wedged onto it, double stacked, with the risk that removal of a book would result in a literary avalanche.  IKEA was nice enough to reduce their pricing on this bookshelf, so last weekend we made the purchase and got handy with the hex-wrench.  We found a nice spot for it, in front of the large wall mirror, and even sorted our book collection into each cube by theme and author (yes, mildly obsessive I know).  It happily swallowed the books, even leaving lots of space for us to put pictures of family and other knick-knacks that haven't yet found a proper home.  We're really happy with how it looks including the cool effect of having the mirror behind it.

It may not be much, but it's amazing how the smallest things can completely change the look of a room.  Now, what to do next on our home improvement journey?

6 comments :

  1. Totally hear you on the home improvement rabbit hole! We have been working on various projects since we moved into our home almost 7 years ago and there is still so much we want to do. Best of luck with your improvements!

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  2. The new bookshelf looks great. You can find a lot of items that will help in home improvement at the local IKEA. My husband made us built in bookshelves for our finished off basements with a couple of the BILLY onces and a few boards.

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  3. I am really looking forward to buying my own house when I leave here. Bookshelves are so important, not just for putting books on! We're dreaming about having a library room, but will probably line a wall with squares like you've got.

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  4. I dream of a library room too! Floor to ceiling with a ladder that slides right? ;)

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  5. Your bookshelf looks great! I like how you've mixed the stacks and standing books. I totally understand the catch 22 - my husband was laid off and is having SO much trouble finding work. Frustrating! The saying is often true - you either have time or money, never both at the same time. : )

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  6. I live in a small rowhouse ... 950-is square feet, no dining room. Ikea has come through for me more than once, particularly with yarn storage ideas. Your bookshelves look great!

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