BOOK THOUGHTS
Home Library
The story of a library . . .
Back in 2009 when my husband and I bought a then almost-100-year-old house, I really wanted a home library. We could live with a dark, rabbit warren of a kitchen and a couple of outdated bathrooms, even with Burnt Sienna tile counters. Converting a bedroom into a home library was my priority. Well, along with getting rid of the asbestos pipe insulation in the basement. Before we moved in, we spent eight months on crucial renovations. And yes, the library was one of them.
We converted one of the bedrooms on the second floor by removing a closet and installing built-in book shelves on three walls. The fourth wall had an existing bay window that definitely had to stay. It was quite a project, made more difficult (no doubt) by my insistence on fixed shelving. Fortunately, we had an incredible architect/builder who designed the library and had a finish carpenter build the shelves. Each section of the shelves was built off site, installed as a piece, and then trimmed out with crown moulding, etc., when they were built into the walls.
The big problem was that the section pieces wouldn’t fit up the staircase. All ten of them had to be hauled up through the window on a complicated, counter-balanced, sled-like contraption built for the purpose. It was quite a project.
After all that effort, we hit an impasse. I really wanted to hang art from the shelves, in front of the books. I love that look. My husband was adamant that I should never hammer any nails into the shelves. That made sense, given what it took to get the shelves in there.
But since then, I’ve always had in the back of my mind the idea of hanging a picture or two on those shelves. The other day, I found a framed picture at one of my haunts. It was pretty, went with the room, and was lightweight enough for what I had in mind. Yes! It worked! I hung the picture from the wire on its back over a very heavy, well-balanced, bronze knickknack sturdy enough to hold the picture. No nails! And I can move it easily when I need to reach the books.
But since then, I’ve always had in the back of my mind the idea of hanging a picture or two on those shelves. The other day, I found a framed picture at one of my haunts. It was pretty, went with the room, and was lightweight enough for what I had in mind. Yes! It worked! I hung the picture from the wire on its back over a very heavy, well-balanced, bronze knickknack sturdy enough to hold the picture. No nails! And I can move it easily when I need to reach the books.
I have loved and used the library for 15 years. It is my favorite room in the house. Now I finally finished decorating the shelves the way I envisioned so long ago. The new picture is the cherry on top. It might seem like nothing to you or anyone else who sees it, but it makes me happy every time I go in there.
