Wednesday, March 21, 2012

    Bulldogs & Elephants & Sheep--Oh, My!

    Our new bookshelves are finally finished!!!!

    And of course, they're home to some animal photos and figurines in addition to the actual books. I couldn't very well leave the white ceramic flying pig sitting on a shelf alone in Z Gallerie, could I?

    Without further ado, the pictures. Because I know that's all anyone really cares about, anyway.

    BEFORE:

    And. . . AFTER!

    It's really difficult to get the entire wall in one shot since I don't have a wide-angle lens. So here are some close-ups of the shelves:
    Photos top to bottom: From our wedding day, 7/4/08. Taken by a photographer. Sheep in Ireland, 2010. Taken by me. A cairn in Switzerland, 2011. Taken by me.

    Photos top to bottom: In The Burren, Ireland, 2011. Taken by my sister. Donkeys in St. John, USVI, 2008. Taken by me. Gargoyle in the Napa Valley, 2012. Taken by me.
    I LOVE bookends:




    And the reading nook. This is still in progress, but it's getting cozier.


    I couldn't resist taking some close-ups :)


    So, there it is! I love our new bookshelves, and I'm excited to add some light to the reading nook. We have a wall of bookshelves in the family room, too, but I'll wait to post pictures of those until after I've done some rearranging in there.

    What do your bookshelves look like? How do you have your books arranged? I clearly chose to arrange the three new shelves by color, but I figure it's a small enough collection that we can still find what we're looking for. Please share links to pictures of your own shelves, if you have them!

    Source List:
    Shelves: Pottery Barn Holman Shelves, espresso color
    Paint: Restoration Hardware Slate
    Furniture under bookshelves: Crate & Barrel
    Wet bar: Crate & Barrel
    Ottoman under bookshelves: World Market
    Bookends: Z Gallerie & Homegoods

    8 comments:

    Anne Mackle said...

    Lovely! I live your book ends. We're in the process of looking for bookshelves or perhaps a bookcase and a comfy chair to make a reading corner, I like idea of putting the books in colours very attractive although as I used to work in a library I really want to label the spines, but I'll resist.

    Lori O. said...

    Thank you, Cassam!
    You made me laugh with your desire to label all the spines. Too funny.
    I was a bit nervous about arranging these books by color, but it's such a small amount that it really is easy to find whatever I want. And so darn pretty!

    Jason Runnels said...

    That was my first reaction too! You sorted them by color! How will you ever find what you're looking for? But I agree, the result is stunning. Very nice visually.

    I have a friend who organized her bookshelf by size. At first you don't notice, but you realize the bookshelf seems surprisingly organized. Then you see the smooth transition in sizes between the books.

    Mine? Ugly, but grouped and sorted by author, topic, genre, etc. Not Dewey Decimal, but my own organized chaos.

    Great pictures!

    Lori O. said...

    Jason--I'd think a Rubiks Cube genius like you would be inclined to sort things by color! ;)

    I've actually never sorted my books in any traditional way, now that I think of it. You'd cringe at my famiy room bookshelves--they're sorted by size in a way--I stacked them up in the back of square shelves so they fit the space perfectly. It's only a couple hundred books, so not too hard to find one when I need it.

    I rotate my books so frequently that I actually think color is going to turn out to be very convenient. Much easier to find a new book's "place" when I just have to look for the right hue!

    And I personally believe that a collection of books could never be ugly, no matter how you sort 'em!

    Allie said...

    Nom nom nom...I could EAT this post up!! So delicious. I love it!!! Our two small bookshelves are arranged by topic. Lane's are mostly by physics/chemistry/area of science or math while mine are Torah/liturgy/area of religious studies. Seems strange when I think about it too long. :-)

    And the flying pig is one of my favorite parts!

    Julia Tomiak said...

    Lori, I have never thought that bookshelves could be art, but wow have you succeeded. I love how you arranged the books by color, but didn't force a pattern. Although the Type-A girl in me agrees with the other comments - how WILL you find a book when you need it? I guess as you browse you may stumble upon something else you'd like too...

    Debbie Harris said...

    Love, love, love it all. I have the soft pig bookends that we bought when you guys were little if you want them...I would be more than happy to give them up.

    Lori O. said...

    Thanks, Allie! You have quite the eclectic collection, there. ;)

    Julia--Thank you! It's such a small amount of books that it doesn't really matter how they're organized--everything's pretty easy to find.

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