And The Winner Is?
Make A Rustic Sawhorse Table For Under $40
Mitchell Gold & Bob Williams
...Mitchell Gold & Bob Williams answer:
Yes. With these master multi-taskers, getting organized can be a beautiful thing. Among their benefits:
Nice height: Most furnishings are low; so a tall piece can be a great addition to a room. However, remember to balance it so it's not the only piece that size. Similar stature can be achieved with a chest topped by a mirror, for example. And you can further tie tall pieces to lower ones with mid-height elements like a standing lamp.
Amicable separation: "Back-less" bookcases or étagères make good room dividers, visually defining spaces while letting light through. They can divide an open-plan living room and dining room or separate a loft's sleeping and sitting areas.
Traffic control: We like bookshelves behind a sofa -- they add interest like artwork. In addition, they can also help create a new traffic pattern in a room: Move the sofa away from the wall, put a pair of bookshelves behind it, and leave an aisle between the two for people to pass so they don't have to walk through the middle of a conversation area.
Smart storage: Manage your media by hanging your flat-screen TV over a buffet or entertainment center and flanking it with a pair of étagères or bookcases. Then put attractive boxes, bins, or baskets on the shelves so you can stash stuff in style. Bob loves linen or leather-covered boxes for tucking away small necessities -- from reading glasses to pad and pen, to TV remote -- so you can find them quickly. We've also used bookcases as "hidden" storage in a small space. Line several up against a wall and hang a curtain from a ceiling track in front of them -- thus gaining extensive closed storage while giving up an area only about 18" deep.
A chance to curate your life: Guests love to look around when they visit, and we like leaving them clues to who we are: our favorite collectibles, gallery of family and friends, what we're reading. Bookcases offer a neat way to do this. Don't forget to change things up from time to time. Make life more interesting for you and your guests by showcasing something new.
A few quick notes on display:
1. To create an easy eye-pleasing arrangement, use a balanced group of three objects in three heights -- tall, medium, and low -- so your eye moves in a comfortable circular movement from one to the other.
2. Keep in mind that shelf style comes from a great mix -- books both standing and piled, unique objects used as bookends, gallery in frames, beautiful lacquer boxes that add a few bright spots of color.
And a few bookcase dos and don'ts:
1. Don't let shelves get cluttered. If you can't let go of collectibles (or people keep giving you new ones, as happens to us with bulldog statues), rotate. Pack some away for another time.
2. Do remember your local library. Although we like to appear as well-read as the next guy, we're not big on bulging shelves. Cull your collection periodically.
3. Do dust. Nuff said.
