Creating our Home Library: Part 1

I said I wasn’t going to touch our upstairs area, and that was a big fat lie. Hear me out. A lot of my other projects are at a standstill until we can get the floor a little more stable. For instance, I don’t want to lay down tile in my kitchen if it’ll crack the next day. 

Creating a stable, somewhat level floor is not in my repertoire. I’m all for learning new skills, and I’ve been fortunate enough to pick up on a few during this process. However, I’m just not cutout for leveling a house and possibly screwing that up. I’m just going to leave that to the semi-professional guys.

Until then, I’m going to focus on what I can control and make progress there. If you’ve been around since the beginning of this chaos, you might remember my second living space right outside the master bedroom upstairs. 

I didn’t know what to do with that space, and I really wanted to live in my home for a couple years before I decided. Recently I was looking around, and we had piles of books and games lying around. It dawned on me that this would be the perfect space for a home library. 

It wouldn’t be the Beauty and the Beast library that dreams are made of, but it would be a nice, cozy space to relax and curl up with a good book. It honestly sounds so dreamy as I’m typing this. What’s not so dreamy is the green carpet that is impossible to keep clean with an Australian Shepherd that sheds more hair to create another dog each day. 

The first step – the easiest step – in this process is painting the walls. I’ve already jumped on that project and chose my simple, favorite white paint. In case you were wondering, there are many shades of white, but I gravitate toward SW Alabaster. It has a warm undertone without appearing too creamy. 

I chose white because I wanted this space to be light and bright. This space does have a couple of skylights that need to be replaced, but it’s still too dark on gloomy days. Opting for a lighter color will help brighten the room while tying in with other spaces in the house. 

I also created a new sign for the new library, which features one of my favorite quotes from one of my favorite books, Pride & Prejudice.

“In vain have I struggled. It will not do. My feelings will not be repressed. You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you.”

I absolutely adore Mr. Darcy in this literary masterpiece, so it only seemed fitting to highlight this Jane Austen quote in my new library. 

I’m still on the hunt for wood flooring to somewhat match the original hardwood floors downstairs, but that is a long story for another day. 

I also picked out a new light fixture because every library needs a beautiful chandelier. The fixture is a light, rustic wood chandelier that screams French country. It’s amazing how a new light and paint will transform a space.  

Your friend,

Laci