Bookcases

The problem with having a lot of books is you can't really go and buy eight bookcases if they cost a thousand bucks a piece. I mean, you can if you have tons of money, but...

Anyway, here are some bookcases we've looked at.

The Copenhagen from Room and Board. Super pricey, but lovely. $1099.

The Moda Loft bookcase from Room and Board. It's actually from their kids' collection. Still pricey, though. $799.

If we just wanted to fit as many books as possible, this could be a good option. The 9' Wide Classic Office Shelf from Smart Furniture. I won a gift card from them a long time ago, and I liked their stuff. Might be hard to match wood tones if we buy a desk or other stuff from somewhere else... Anyway, this configuration (they're highly customizable) is $795 with free shipping.

A little more browsing of the Smart Furniture site brought up this beauty. Very expensive, but big enough to fit a lot of books? Maybe not enough... The Lax Series bookshelf. $1980.

The Nornas pine bookcase is from Ikea, so we could afford a ton of them. Also has matching bench and sideboard, which could be useful. Also is real wood (stainable) and fits baskets like the Expedit. $159.

I really like this shelf from Target. The Klyne: $240.

A cool low option from Target. The Mudhut Asmara: $160.

Ooh, mid-century style: $180 from Target.

One more basic one from Target. Comes in multiple finishes. Carson bookcase, $114.

The Oxford bookcase from Home Decorators Collection. Multiple sizes and finishes, this is the largest.  $269.

Apartment indecisiveness

We're moving! Do we replace the sectional? The bed? The desk? The coffee table? Lots of unknowns. But here are some things we've liked in stores. We'll start with sectionals:

The York sectional from Room and Board. Pricey, but lots of seating, and very comfortable. $2997.

The York as a smaller chaise sectional. $1999.

The Davis three-seat lounger from Crate and Barrel (Dave didn't love the fabric). $1999.

Henry sectional from West Elm. We weren't really considering full L sectionals when we were in the store, so we didn't really consider this, but I later found it online, and it's less expensive than the R&B options. $2397 for the cheapest fabric option, up into the $2800 territory for nicer options.

The Peggy from West Elm. We'd looked at the chaise sectional option. This is $2298.

The Ditto sectional from CB2. A little worried about cleaning the cushions, which are tufted. $1899. They don't offer it as a full L.

Living room ideas for class

I'm taking an interior design class at the Corcoran. Here are my musings for our final project. I'd keep the current coffee table and maybe the blue tapestry from my living room, plus some paper flowers from my bedroom, so I need to photograph those at some point.

On the western wall

Extendable table, comes unfinished. Would stain a medium walnut and distress.

Rotated 90 degrees

8.6 feet by 8.6 feet

5.25 feet by 9.2 feet

4 feet by 8 inches

For the sofa table (could extend over the sofa for reading)

Recliner from Room & Board in Natural or Oatmeal

I can't decide on the pair of lamps for the buffet:

Some smaller accessories:

Now what?

I need a new house so I can do more decorating and renovating. Major projects at my house are pretty much done. Next will probably be some window replacements in the spring (so not fun), and there are a couple small projects I'd like to do but don't know whether they'll happen ever (putting in a fireplace and a brick veneer wall in the living room). And I guess eventually I'll have to redo the kitchen floor (not all that fun, though I do like researching the different materials out there -- let me know if you have preferences), but I don't really have a timetable for that. Can't say I'm looking forward to the mess involved in replacing a kitchen floor when you already have cabinets and appliances. Oh right, and eventually I need to deal with the exterior, which is not in the best shape (except for the back walls, which have already been redone and look fabulous!).

Some pictures of things I'd like to experiment with in a future house:

Love the stainless steel backsplash with spice counter and green chalkboard above. From Design Milk

Pegboard headboard! From Design Sponge

Lotsa books everywhere! From Pinterest

Ikea hacking! From Better Homes and Gardens

Didn't you know? Stained-wood cabinets are so out. From Remodelaholic

Bathroom pictures

It's hard to take pictures of a bathroom this small. I may retake them later once I can borrow a nicer camera than my iPhone. But for now this will have to do. Behold! A working second bathroom!

This old coat rack was left in the house by the previous owners. I painted it with black chalkboard spraypaint. Will get around to buying chalk one of these days so we can write on it.

Mirror from Ikea, faucet from Amazon, toothbrush holder from Bed, Bath and Beyond, vanity from Home Depot, shower curtain from Fab.com, knobs from Anthropologie (and then spraypainted satin nickel).

White subway tile from a random dude on Craigslist (same guy who sold me the tile for the downstairs bathroom), black bullnose from Home Depot, awesome granite remnant for bench from Community Forklift. I think John got the steel tub at Home Depot, but not sure.

Mirrored medicine cabinet from Ikea, Kohler Wellworth toilet from Home Depot.

Borrowing Lucy's super comfy bathmat (I think it's memory foam!). Tile is matte black hex from the Tile Shop.

Note to future renovators: Shiny black granite is NOT a good vanity top material. Shows every water spot immediately (I cleaned up for photos). I do love the cross-handled faucet, though.

A must: the narrowest trashcan ever (from Bed, Bath and Beyond -- I think it's Simple Human).

I just realized the one thing that's missing from the photos is the curtain rod, which is a double rod so you can move the curtain and the liner separately. Got nice metal roller rings for the curtain, which I like so far.

My last project, the towel rack. Seems to be holding nicely with random screws I found around the house and some advice from Dad.

Oh and I forgot to take "before" photos (again), but I did find this one online from before I bought the place. I had done a little to make it nicer than this already.

Sneak peek

So the bathroom's done! But I haven't taken good pictures yet. Here's a sneak peek.