After three weeks of basically working non stop I finished my dream ‘budget’ library!
Loving the set up even though the rainbow shelves probably won’t last very long. They are so aesthetically pleasing but they really make it hard to find anything. I’m going to keep them for a little while though because they took me ages to do but also, as I said, they look super pretty.
To be honest I’m finding the whole room aesthetically pleasing and it is so cosy. The couch I got is from Ikea and when I started on the library journey I was determined to have a couch that would convert into a bed so the room could be used as an extra guest room if needed. The HOLMSUND Corner sofa-bed fit with my vision, the space and my price range so we went with it. There is a tiny issue though. It’s SUPER uncomfortable! We have a memory foam topper that we use when it’s converted to a bed and it’s really comfy when that’s on but as a couch it is not great and it actually hurts my back. So, foam and fleece material have been purchased online and I plan to make a couch cushion for the longest part of the couch and keep the shortest part as is because it’s so hard it works well as a table when I put a tray on it. 😀
For now I use lots of blankets and cushions but I’m really looking forward to making it softer and hopefully it will help make the room even more cosy. Fleece makes everything cosy!
At the start of Lockdown I bought a desk to go along the back wall of the room and when it came time to add it I decided I really didn’t want to look at a wall for another however many months I’d be working from home so I turned it to look out one of the windows with the shelves behind me. It’s a little tight and the library ladder has to stay up most of the time but there is room to take it down and access the high books and the front of the desk rolls in under the back so when I’m not using it, it is very neat. I’d love to share the website where I got the desk but the service was so bad that I don’t feel like I can recommend the company to anyone. I’m pleased with it, it was really cheap and the quality is fantastic but I don’t want to add the company to this post in case someone thinks it’s a recommendation. The reason my back is to the shelves is pure vanity on my part, the shelves look AMAZING at meetings! 😀
To add to the cosiness I also decided to start going the way of wax melts instead of candles. I want to do this for two reasons. Electric is safer than flame and candles tend to mark walls and well I have this lovely fresh painted room and I really don’t want to mark the walls just yet. This burner is the Cello Porcelain Electric Melt Burner from Amazon and I’m now in love with melt burners and I’ve decided to source one from an Irish company for our living room. I’ve also found lots of companies on Etsy and I’ll be doing a separate post on these in the future.
So I managed to stick to my timeline and finished the room on schedule. I spent the entire bank holiday reading and staring at my shelves and now that my home office is also in the library I’m spending every day in it. I actually don’t mind work being in the same room as it’s easy to step away and the work day ends as soon as I roll the desk away. I just need to keep that habit up.
Shelf paint: Zinsser B-I-N Shellac-based primer and Dulux Satinwood – Pure Brilliant White
Room paint: Dulux Signature Collection – Mid Kelp Diamond Finish
mindforbooks.ie 