Almost a year ago, I decided I really needed to address the stacks of books that had been moved from room to room since our move.  I had dreams of built-in library shelves in the dining room, but it became clear that project wasn’t going to happen anytime soon.  Even if we were ready to tackle it, I needed more time to live in the rooms to decide if that was even what I wanted.  So, I ended up buying four Billy bookcases from Ikea to use in the studio.  You can read about that HERE.  I was able to fit two on either side of the antique hardware counter and they were the perfect, inexpensive solution.

I went with the thinner bookcases since I have a lot of heavy books and I knew wider shelves would likely sag over time.  So far, that has been a good choice.

I haven’t bought a lot of books this year, but I have added to my art book library and it was becoming evident that I was going to run out of room.  I still had a few places I could squeeze books, but if books are too tightly packed and stacked too high, they become difficult to use.  If I’m going to have the books, I need to be able to see what I have and to access one when I want it.  I also like my books to be somewhat organized and it’s easy to start sticking books in open slots instead of where they make sense as room becomes scarce.  So, I started looking around the studio to see where I could add more shelving.

I finally identified some wall and floor space that wasn’t being well-utilized and, over the Christmas break, I ordered some more bookcases.  I actually ordered five, so I could put two in the studio and three in the basement.  There is a built-in bookcase (and I use that term loosely) in the basement and I used that for my home decor books and Jeff’s books.  I’m hoping to give the basement some attention this year and getting those books organized will be a part of that.

I set up the bookcases over the weekend and moved some books into them.  Even though it’s more furniture I’m fitting into a space that’s already pretty full, it does feel like it created more space.  I now have more room to grow.  It’s still limited room, but it is room.

When I’ve looked at the studios and creative workspaces of my peers, most of them, especially spaces in a home, seem to be packed to the brim.  As I’ve worked and reworked my creative spaces over the past few years, I’ve decided to embrace that.  It’s like setting up a buffet of books, materials, supplies, and creative goodies that can keep me busy and inspired for as long as I need them.

I know it looks like I didn’t take much time to fill these shelves, but I relocated books from other shelves so they were organized a bit better.

The antique bamboo shelf I found at a bargain was able to stay where it was.  It really needed to because of the air return, but I like how it breaks up the space between two taller pieces.

If you’re interested in seeing the books in my art book collection, you can find them HERE.