Tuesday

The Curtained Bookcase

Last week, I posted about book storage solutions, and one of my favorites (and yours too!) was a curtained bookcase. A curtain-covered bookcase is such a versatile idea - why? Well, it gives you two completely separate walls for the price of one, it protects your treasures (or conceals your clutter), and it can completely change the feel of a room. Let's pull back the curtain, shall we?

Here's a GREAT curtain option from Elle Decor. Notice the wonderful combination of color and open space shelving. Note the bed in the lower RH corner. Now look through the shelves... what's on the other side?

Ta da! There's a living room! This is such a great idea for studio spaces or too open room plans. Very similar shelving is available at IKEA - and with some clever curtain and mirror placement, you can give the illusion of a wall while retaining all your natural light. An enthusiastic two thumbs up.

And now a little Old World inspiration - this page from the 1705 Frauen-Zimmer Bibliotheckgen (or Little Lady's Library, as we like to say in English), a guide to book-collecting for women. Obviously, this German damsel was ahead of her day: her bookcases are duly swathed, and the material appears to match the cloth cover on the desk beside her.

Flash-forward: here's a welcome solution for infrequently used books and other items. The curtain takes on the personality of a wall, with a decorative mirror hanging as wall decor. Note the cheery lining on the curtain. (P.S. If you're storing large quantities of books out of sight, it might be helpful to have a record of where things are. I recommend Library Thing - an awesome online version of your library. It includes cover views, subject categories, and for $20, a tool to scan your books directly into the system. It's like having your own library catalogue).

More storage solutions, for mini cases. Curtaining smaller bookcases is a great way to add several square feet of storage space. The stuff you stash doesn't have to be pretty, or even organized: the curtain hides all.

Last look: country chic over at Cote de Texas. With this design, the curtains remain stationary, softening the look of the cases.
By the way, be sure to visit the Cote de Texas page on bookcases for a marvelous selection of book storage options and libraries.

Pic 1 and 2, Elle Decor via Apartment Therapy, Pic 2, http://beineckeearlymodern.wordpress.com/, Pic 3, http://www.bhg.com/decorating/small-spaces/strategies/live-large-in-a-small-space/?page=2, Pic 4, http://www.passingopenwindows.com/. Pic 6, http://www.cotedetexas.blogspot.com/2008/08/living-with-books-lots-of-them.html.

5 comments:

tinkalicious said...

I am so making curtain for my miserable disorganized bookcases!

P.Gaye Tapp at Little Augury said...

Of course I love the old world inspiration. it may do a commanded performance on la- at some point. I loved curtained anything, I think the aesthete might have done something about a curtained library- oH Oh! I remember it was a magnificent doll's house that employed the device. Find more, Find more. PGT

Beth Connolly said...

Love this idea.

Sarah Klassen said...

This is fantastic! How chic and surprising! This is one of my favorite posts and such a unique idea ~

Laura Casey Interiors said...

I love the way the top one was treated- so smart and it looks so chic. Always great ideas on your blog!

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