The Library Is Almost Done!

A quick review of recent posts in the "renovation" category will show a lot of progress on our library at Chateau Papillon; from the first two shelving units to the extension to the second wall, I've covered a lot of our work to-date on adding that most critical of rooms to our home: the library.  I've been remiss of late, though, in posting what we've accomplished in nearly completing said home for books.

As you can see in the photo above, the shelves now wrap around three walls of the room; I need only to add the above-the-window shelves on the wall to the left in the photo (I need more 3/4" plywood for that) and to attach some facing strips to several shelves where I ran out of the proper moulding previously to finish most of the first phase.

I still of course need to put in place the crown moulding above the units; that's going to be a challenge but a do-able one.  Also, the corners need shelves; they've been left open and have pre-drilled peg holes on two sides, but they need some back support and the shelves themselves put into place.  Then the room needs light; I intend to put some wall sconces on the uprights on the far wall (directly ahead in the photo) and into the ceiling a small chandelier we picked up on sale at Home Depot.  Speaking of the ceiling: no, it's not staying lavender; we plan to put up some fake tin tiles rather than painting it, as from painting my home office I've had quite enough of that chore already.

We've still got room for one more set of shelves, but we need to pick up a bit more lumber (another sheet of 1/2" sanded ply plus another piece of 3" case moulding for the front)--and we need to touch up some of the pink left on the walls from where I had problems getting the closet doors down when we first painted.  As for the closet itself, we eventually plan a fake fireplace and perhaps a fish tank inside it, maybe curtained off from the library proper.

The library is a lot more spacious than the wide-angle photo above gives it credit; we've got room for a couple of cozy chairs near the fireplace-to-be, and certainly well over two thousand books with a bit of room to grow on.  If I wanted the "stacks" look, I suppose we could add another set of shelves down the center of the room, but I like the open feel even when surrounded by books--something we'd completely lose by creating aisles.

Beth wants a leopard-print rug for the floor.  Hmm.  Have to think about that one!