 | So you've finally got one entire room to yourself for your own personal use - and you've always dreamed of a personal library! But what can you do to convert that empty space into a quiet haven from the outside world?
Believe it or not, there's more to constructing a library than tossing a few books on shelves. But with a little planning you can quickly spend hours immersed in a good book.
First, assess your lighting in the room. While a single overhead light may be sufficient for a guest room it may not give off enough light for you to sit and read for hours at a time. Why not replace that overhead light with a rotating room fan to circulate the air and place a standing lamp in one or two corners? Depending on the layout of the room you can consider this a viable option to create a way for you to pick out books without squinting and relax in a comfy armchair while not going blind. A standing lamp can provide direct light on you and your book while adding a relaxing touch to the room. Then, when you wish to replace your book and move onto another one, you can either turn on more lamps or the overhead light to illuminate the room.
Now that you can see what you'd like to read, let's see what you want to sit on while reading. While it would seem like an obvious choice, it takes a few minutes to select the proper reading chair.
Let's go to the store and look around - do you like to sit on a hard surface? A soft one? Do you want to sink into the cushions and curl up with your romance novel or sit hunched over that mystery classic? And your personal health does need to be taken into consideration. Do you have a bad back? Do you need foot support with an ottoman? The best way to find your chair is to literally sit in each and every one that catches your eye, and to sit there for five minutes, at least. There's no use in purchasing a gorgeous armchair that you can't stand to sit in for the length of time it takes to read a single chapter! Depending on your decorating urges, you may want to choose a chaise lounge or a love seat to fill that corner of the room. Again, it comes down to personal comfort as well as visual appeal.
You may want to also consider picking up a small foot stool to make reaching the higher shelves easier. It may not seem a long way to stretch to the top of the bookcase, but after a few tries to reach that treasured favorite and swiping at it with your fingertips for ten minutes, you'll reconsider a footstool.
Usually a small table is mandatory to sit your cup of coffee or tea on as you ponder over the pages, or to place a lamp on. Find one that compliments your armchair and you're halfway there!
So we've got the chair and we've got the lighting - all we need now is the books and the bookcases, right? Well, that sounds easier said than done.
Bookcases can be purchased in a variety of sizes and shapes for almost every type of environment, fitting into corners and stretching to the ceiling. But you should look for some basics before ordering a set to be delivered to your new library.
First, consider the material used in the construction. Chipboard is common for most low priced bookshelves, but they can warp and bend over time as heavy books strain the lightweight material. As well, most chipboard bookcases are covered with a fake wood grain pattern that may look good for a college student's dorm room but may not be exactly what you're looking for in a personal library. But real wood is also heavy, and you'll have to consider the added expense of the real thing as well as paying for it to be delivered and put together. Your choice will have to take into consideration cost and appearance as well as practicality.
Adjustable shelves are a must if you can find them, making it easy to accommodate books of different sizes and shapes. Even if you think all you want to put on your shelves are paperback books, you'll come across something sometime that you'll want to place in a prominent spot and you'll rue the day you can't adjust the shelves to make it work.
But wait - what about the books?
Well, that's up to you. Some people will go out of their way to purchase expensive first editions of old classics; some will want to stack the shelves with old battered family favorites picked up at the local secondhand store. Just don't forget that books survive well in a dry room and not so well in a moist, damp atmosphere. That basement corner may be fine for the kids to play video games in, but it may be a moldy trap for your treasured books.
Converting an empty room into a private library takes more than a boxful of books and best wishes - but with a little planning you can create a unique private reading space that will deliver years of enjoyment.
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