Home Library Makeover

Nothing is
more cozy
than a library with a wood burning stove! My parent’s lovely library needed just a bit of a refresh to make it everything it could be…both from a practical standpoint, as well as decoratively. In just a few
weeks time, we transformed this space in my parent’s California home in partnership with The Home Depot, and we couldn’t love it more?

The library is already a cute rustic space, but I wanted to bring in a little more charm and comfort. I also wanted to infuse the space with contemporary traditional pieces to add a level of sophistication. I searched for inspiration on The Home Depot’s
website, and
found some beautiful products to order for the Library. The perfect jumping off point to creating a cozy library!

The wood burning stove sometimes left embers that burned the carpet, so the carpet would also have to go. This stove is what my parents use to heat the house in winter, so this room is a pretty important space.
My goal was to maintain the things that already work for them in the
room, but
improve on it.

I made good use of The Home Depot’s Buy-Online, Pick-Up-In-Store (BOPIS) options. Everything from the curbside pickup option, to the pickup lockers makes getting what you need easier, and safer. I could order items online from across the country, and my mom would make a quick
pickup
at her local store as soon as it was ready.

In addition to the pickup lockers, we used the curbside pickup option, which meant you never had to leave your car! Talk about convenience! Many of the bigger items I had delivered directly to my parent’s home, which was incredibly helpful. Thank goodness The Home Depot has flexible delivery options, plus free delivery on over a million items online. It made our lives a whole lot easier.

I have something very similar in my home, and I love how easy it is to maintain. They are
beautiful, and
take whatever messes my kids throw at them. Not to mention the fact that if there is a water leak, or embers are sputtering at it, no damage will occur. But then of course, nothing comes easily, as the installers discovered a long large crack in the cement slab that had to be repaired and leveled before the flooring could be installed.

As soon as that was done, the beautiful new floors were installed in just a couple days. As a matter of fact, it was finished just in the nick of time. I flew out just in time to see them completing the last row of tile.

Honestly, I have never built a window seat or a wrap-around bookcase before.
So
it was a bit of a challenge to figure out. Thankfully I had my brother and dad to help me plan and build this unit. Granted, we are all novices at building…which means if we could do it, you probably can too.

A good bookshelf build to start with (if you are less experienced), are these simple shelves I maded for my office. But if you want to create an L-shaped shelf, make sure you have a plan for adequate shelf support across the back and front. That was our primary challenge building the wrap-around shelf, and ultimately we had to add an extra support to the front, and along the underside of each shelf.

Due to our inexperience, we frequently sent family members on Home Depot runs for overlooked supplies. Finally, we wised up and started using The Home Depot’s mobile app to locate the item we needed. Then when sending someone on a run, we could use the product locator to know if our store carried the item, and exactly which aisle and bay that product was in. It made life easier for us, and the people we sent to pick it up.

While there were many “adventures” along the way, we are all very pleased with the outcome! We also learned a lot along the way… I got a pair of very comfortable high-back armchairs for the room. It was very important to choose seating that an older person would have no trouble lifting themselves out of. My mom and dad often acted as honorary children to the seniors in their community, taking care of and entertaining them. All the primary choices for this space were very practical per my mom’s request, but in no way missed out on style.

While we built the bookcases to be filled with my parent’s extensive reading collection, I love that we could incorporate my dad’s fine art. Each shelf measured just over 13-inches… this allowed for books of all sizes, and some smaller pieces of Donald Towns Art prints to grace the shelves.

Remember that table that sat right in front of the window before? It only allowed two people to sit together and enjoy the outdoor view. As a matter of fact, this room had a serious lack of seating, which made it solely a storage space. Not ideal for entertaining… With a window seat, several people can lounge and enjoy that view, plus it provides more storage beneath!

A second armchair on the other side of the wood burning stove provided even more seating. And the beautiful brass  firewood stacking frame gave them a charming way to store wood for the stove.
The entire makeover is in essence a simple straightforward design. One that my mom and dad can add to over the years. I image a few pieces of dad’s art on the walls, and curated pieces they love added in the future.
But for today, they finally have a space they can entertain, or just enjoy a nice cozy fall evening with a crackling fire, and tea by the window.