Friday, November 30, 2012

Bookshelves, out with the old and in with the new

- I admit - I feel a bit of wistfulness, looking at this photo.  These bookshelves were three sectional pieces I bought at a store called Storehouse years ago and my dad bolted them together for me.  They were inexpensive, but served a purpose.  But as you can see, they were bursting at the seams.

- There they are cleared out and looking a bit dingy.  My friend Robert took them and ended up giving them to his nephew, a busy college student who needed some shelves.

My late parents left me some money - most of which I have saved, but I set aside a little to spruce up my condo.  You already saw the laundry room cabinets.  I'm still very proud of those and LOVE the storage.  So I decided to replace the old bookshelves, and with a twinge, out they went and in came the new bookcase, custom made by my friend Shelley's husband, Ron.

- I was so alarmed when I came home that day and saw them.  Ron and a helper had loaded them in and said he'd be working on them all week.  Oh my - they seemed huge.  I kept trying not to look at them that evening and kept wishing I had the old ones back.

But then - when it was all said and done, they are wonderful and look as if they've always been there.  

- Those cabinets are already loaded up and I've enjoyed placing books and treasures in the shelves.  I've loaded up Goodwill with a lot of books I'd already read and about half the record albums.  (The other half are in one of those cabinets.)  And I finally have a place for that chiming clock from my parents' home.  It doesn't work, but I'll have it fixed.  All is good.

Thank you for indulging me in reading my saga of the book shelves and case.  :)  I hope you all have a lovely weekend.  Yay - it's Friday!

23 comments:

Jannie Funster said...

They look AWESOME!!

LOVE reading this and any of your "sagas" Lynn!

And it's nice to see you've kept some vinyl -- they're actually making new players for the old discs now. Afficionados swear by that warm old sound.

happy weekend.

xoxoox

Louvregirl said...

The new ones look awesome, Lynn! Things are like that, tough. Change (of any kind) gets more and more difficult to accept the older that you get!

I should have you come to my place and help me clean out! My husband collects books (he is a writer/reader) and never gives them up. We could have book shelves all around our home and (eventually) fill them up.

I have seen that view of your condo before and I felt right at home! Love love the trunk; it was pink, wasn't it? Have a great weekend yourself, Lynn!

It's getting chilly here but it is still sunny (thank God.) We have had our firebox going for about 2 weeks now.

P.S. My 21 year old son 'demanded' that I restart my bog and he offered to pay for it (which he won't be doing...) But I thought it so sweet that he was so concerned.
lg!

Louvregirl said...

Now you can keep 'treasures' safely in the bottom :-)

...Wishing you many treasures, Lynn.
lg

Chatty Crone said...

I think they are gorgeous and you will remember your parents every time you see them. And the other bookcase is going to a good cause. Sandie

Riot Kitty said...

Those are gorgeous! I never have enough space for books. I keep accumulating them.

Sparkling Red said...

They're beautiful! To me, nothing makes a room homey and welcoming like a wall lined with bookshelves.

Fireblossom said...

The new ones are nice, but will you hate me if I say I like the old ones? They had a lot of personality!

Ileana said...

Great job of out with the old, in with the new. I have an ancient bookcase that needs to go but nothing exciting to keep my books in. My brother built a shelf around his living room (about 15" high just below the ceiling all the way around the room) which is loaded with books. That's what I want. No clutter and a good use of the space.

Elephant's Child said...

Books breed. We have many, many bookcases and they are ALL overfull. I find culling books hard and the skinny person finds it impossible.
I do love your new shelves - and the storage beneath them. Some day... Thank you for giving me something to aspire to.

Snaggle Tooth said...

Those new cabinets n case do look like they belong there. Congrats on the successful remodel!
Have a good week-end

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

Hi Lynn .. well it's great to know Robert's nephew will be happy with his bit of kit - can't fail with bookcases.

Ron has done an amazing job - the new cabinet looks wonderful and fits better ...

What a wonderful Christmas present - so pleased .. now for some holly and lights around please!?

Just great and such fun to see the transformation ... cheers Hilary

Joanne said...

The new cabinets are gorgeous! I always hate making changes like that, but it generally is pretty refreshing afterwards!

Granny Annie said...

All of my bookshelves are the "bulging at the seams" kind. All my life I have wanted a sturdy library in my home full of all my favorite books. However now I read on the internet or check out books from the library and listen to audio books so my book collection isn't growing and doubt I will ever have my home library. Yours is simply perfect!

Leonora said...

The new shelves are gorgeous! They change the entire look of the room!
I like the cabinet storage on the bottom. You can stash items that may not look tidy enough for the top.
Your friend does beautiful work.

G. B. Miller said...

Excellent!

Reminds me of the wooden cubes that I have for my record albums.

Need to get something like that for my den when the time comes.

Ain't nothing like having something custom made to spruce up a living area.

Mountain Mama said...

Hi. I found you at GrannieAnnie's. I love your new bookcases. It' so professional looking and makes your library look very organized too. I got rid of some open shelves a few years back and replaced them with a really pretty cabinet to hold my pretty dishes and some books too. It just takes a little time to adjust to the change.

Lynn said...

Jannie -

Thank you and I say if you have them, play them. I kept the ones that mean the most to me and let the others go.

xoxo

lg -

So true about change. No worries - I still have cleaning out to do. I was inspired by cleaning out my parents' home. They had a lot, but it was pretty organized. I started thinking how disorganized my place truly is (inside the closets, etc.) and so this saga began.

I like that you feel at home with my home photos. Yes - someone had painted that trunk pink at one time. It doesn't have a good spot now - it's currently in the dining room with the more formal dining room furniture.

Lovely of your son to offer to do that - what a good son!

Sandie -

Thank you - I do love them.

Mama Zen -

Thanks MZ - I'm proud of them.

Riot Kitty -

I got rid of a bunch and kept the ones I either treasure, or haven't had time to read yet. I'm trying to use the library more and I have one of those eReaders, too, so I don't accumulate so many. But I love the look of books on a shelf.

Lynn said...

Sparkling Red -

I agree!

Ily -

I like that idea of your brother's. Less clutter is always a good thing.

The Elephant's Child -

Just do it! It didn't cost as much as I thought it would, but I kept it simple, with the painted white cabinets and shelves.

Snaggle -

Thank you!

Hilary -

I'm slow decorating for Christmas. I do need to find some holly. Hmmm.

Lynn said...

Joanne -

I keep gazing at them now, but it took me a bit to really love them.

Granny Annie -

My first job was at the county library in my home town, so I continue to be dedicated to it. I use the library as much as possible. I admit I used to buy hardback books a lot, but now only if it's something I want to keep and reread.

Hope you are OK today - I've been thinking about you.

FB -

I skipped you - not intentionally! Of course I don't hate you for saying that - I liked them, too, but felt the call of storage. I have so much in those cabinets - one is dedicated to hodgepodge, but mostly paperback books and DVDs. The next one is full of boxes of photos and photo albums. The third contains CDs and record albums and the fourth has picnic basket and board games, etc.

Lynn said...

Leonora -

He put it on his facebook page as an advertisement. I love it.

G -

Ain't nothing like it! :)

Mountain Mama -

Love that blog handle. Welcome and thank you.

LL Cool Joe said...

I think they look great too. New things always take a while to get used to. I love the closed cupboards at the bottom. Makes it all look less cluttered I think.

Lynn said...

Joe -

I agree. I'm enjoying them very much.

Unknown said...

Your new shelves look more spacious, Lynn. As a collector and a reader, one should take up the responsibility of taking care of their book collection by providing a space to place and organize them. How is it now?

Fletcher Hevey @ Concord Supplies