If Walls Could Talk: A Large Bank of Shelves

The people who had this house built could have added a third bedroom but instead opted to have more living space in the main part of the house. I think they got it right. I put an office area at the north side of the living room as soon as we moved our stuff into this house.

From the first time I saw it, the north wall of the living room screamed out to me, 'Put a bookshelf here, youse!' So eventually, that's what I did. 

 

When I proposed this idea to 'the hubs,' he was not enthusiastic. So I told him that if he would cut the wood and help me get the edge boards in place on the walls and ceiling and floor, I would take the project the rest of the way. The bookshelf soon started to take shape.

I fully expected Bill to jump in and help further, after the outer parts of the bookshelf were in place, but he kept his side of the bargain: He left me to it. 

Our son Allen jumped in to help me, though, and I am so glad he did. After all, I had never built such a thing before. The bookshelf is made of MDF, by the way.

I designed one side of the bookshelf to accommodate Bill's stuff, and the other side I designed for me - with room for my computer and such. 

I painted the bookshelf to match the color of the wall. I pre-painted the shelving to match the color I wanted to put on the rest of the wall. 

Painting those boards before I installed them saved me a lot of work. 

We eventually added beautiful old wood to the trim of the bookshelf. [Note: We have painted our walls many times since we moved in here. Our son Allen says we are making the rooms smaller with all those layers of paint!]

If the kitchen is the heart of our home, this bookshelf is the nerve center of our home!!