My daughter, Dot, and her boyfriend, Pete, spent my birthday week with me. The birthday was just an excuse; I really wanted them to build bookcases for the living room and my bedroom. With all the books I have, I just can't have enough bookcases. And, even with these two wall-to-wall, I still need more for the rest of my books, half of which are in storage.
When I asked them to do this, I envisioned some oak or pine, nailed professionally to the walls. What I got, instead, are two beautiful bookcases built of a mix of South American hardwoods Pete salvaged from a floor installation.
Here's a picture for those who haven't seen my Facebook photo album:
Sorry--the picture is slightly crooked, and you can't see the top shelf, but you get the general idea. This is the living room; the bedroom, unfortunately, is too dark, and my camera doesn't have a flash. The bookcase in the bedroom is about half as wide as this one. Both are seven feet tall.
They measured, cut, sanded, stained and waxed every shelf and support. Each of the shelves in the living room is made of three pieces of wood, as are the side supports. The books glide on the surface. I'm awed every time I look at them. The bedroom shelves have a slight variation--the middle piece of each shelf has four different, shorter pieces of wood. The picture, below, shows these shelves before gluing.
They put so much time and effort into these; it's almost a shame to put books on them. But, now, I feel as though my books have a worthy home--support that's as beautiful as their contents. I love them.
Thanks, Dot and Pete! This is one of the best birthday gifts, ever! And I loved the company, too!
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