What about corners?

I have a room that we have designated our library, so I've started building the bookshelves. I'm having a problem with two adjacent walls, which I would like to have covered with bookshelves. The problem is what to do with the corner where the two walls meet.

I've come up with 2 ideas and don't like either one.
1. Build one bookcase to the corner, and leave a gap between its front and the other bookcase.
2. Build one bookcase to the corner, and build the other right up to the front of the first bookcase which then creates this weird nook area.

Does anyone have any other ideas or suggestions? (I'm sorry if there's photos somewhere that I haven't looked at, but I'm on a slow dial-up connection and anything photo-intensive is an exercise in frustration!)

Thanks,
Linda (yes, I build -- hubby just buys the books!)

Why not build neither to the corner? I.e. If the shelves are 9" deep, stop both of them 9" short of the corner. This leaves a 9" square dead area cut off from the outside world.

If you're feeling creative, maybe you could have a secret hidden compartment in there, accessible only when you take some books out!

Alternatively, have the shelves go all the way around the corner, if you see what I mean. If you put in a vertical a little way from the corner on both sides, you can use the space made for objects d'art, pencil mugs, and other general gubbins which would otherwise be getting in the way of the books.

Does this make sense? Not sure I've explained very well...

Linda,
Have a look at my 'gallery'. I had a bookcase made to work in a corner. It was designed to be wall mounted (as you'll see in the picture), and free-standing on the floor (when I eventually sell the house and move out).

Thanks for the ideas!

I think #2 and #3, you have the same idea with an objects d'art shelf in the corner. That will take a bit of redesigning but I really like it. I had planned on not building to the ceiling so I could put some small sculptures up on top, but this would eliminate that need, plus when the big quake comes here in California, I'm not crushed by small sculptures -- just books. LOL!

Linda

Here are some bookcases I built in my former house. They were based on some that I knew about in an old Victorian. The case on the right goes all the way to the wall. The case on the left (with the ship) butts up against it. I then made the face frame so that it creates a nice frame where the two cases meet. I had to use bookends with the case on the right or else some would be hidden by the case on the left.

I set up my first library with book cases which met at the corner, leaving an opening about 12 inches square only visible/accessible from above the two cases. This worked fine until one day we came home after a weekend getaway, and could find no sign of one of our cats. Eventually I heard a soft, weak meow from the corner of the library. She had apparently been walking across the top of the cases and either fell in or got too curious, ending up sitting at the bottom of a 12 in. by 12 in. by 60" deep hole.

How to get her out? I didn't really feel like emptying two full bookcases (having returned very late after a long drive). I dropped a bedsheet down into the shaft and eventually she got the idea and climbed up the sheet.

If you decide to let two cases meet this way to form the corner, I recommend that the top include a cover for 'shaft' that is formed between the cases.

Os.

We have Billy cases in our great room, with the tall shelves along the width, and then short corners and shelves wrapping around. The short corners make great spots for lamps, one on each side. The corners are very deep and wide but with a narrow opening in front. We hide away the less attractive books in the recesses and put fun pieces in the opening. There is no shelf wall to hold up the books so we tend to stack them horizontally.

The only really elegant way I know of handling this is to leave a few inches and put a rotating bookshelf in the corner. Otherwise, you just have to get used to the fact that there will be some portion of your wall not covered in books, or some of your books will take some effort to get at - I find that one shelf right up to the corner, armchair or rocking chair, then more shelves, works okay if you have space to waste. Or accept the weird nook area. I've used three different strategies for those spaces: just stack the book against each other, and don't put ones you want to access easily/have on display in the hidden space; use the nook area and two-three inches on either side for non-book knicknackery (yes, I own a few), or take very large books - longer than the shelves are wide - and stack them vertically in the corner areas. They are still not too easy to get out, but they are at least still partly visible.

You would think that Thomas Jefferson would have invented something to solve this problem. :)

James

IKEA's Billy series of shelves has a corner unit.

We have an airship propeller sitting in a corner defined by bookcases--it took up just the width and made a nice display.

Of course, we also had a cat problem there. We were having our windows replaced and it freaked out cats out. We had to lock them in the library for part of the afternoon while other rooms were being worked on but they decided to hide. They jumped up between these two bookcases and slid down behind the propeller. We went into the room and couldn't find them. Eventually found them behind the propeller--one cat sitting on the other in the tiny space. We had to unload a case to get to them. Luckily they were only there a short time.

The most elegant solution to the corner conundrum is to buy/construct/commission a separate unit. It fits into the corner and in plan is a square with the front taken off at 45 degrees, producing a five sided figure with three right angles. The two short sides that butt up to your existing shelf units are the the same length as their depth.

In addition to producing a multi-function corner cabinet in which you can place your precious items, it halves the angle of the corner, making the room feel more harmonious. It would be easy to incorporate lights to both illuminate the objects and the corner of the room where you might sit in your favourite reading chair.

You could even put books in it.

I use open-ended Ivar shelves, so it's possible to fish any debris out of the corner space by removing a few books and reaching down - I can even stick a vacuum cleaner hose down there, when I remember.

Another solution I've seen used is to wall in the "dead space" in the corner with plasterboard to make a sort of fake chimney going right up to the ceiling - that avoids creating a trap for dust, cats, and falling books, and gives you a space for running heating pipes (etc.) to the floor above, should you need it.

The 45 degree shelf would definitely be the neatest option, if you can afford the loss of useful shelf length.

>12 scintillathepun:, 13

That describes the Billy corner unit exactly.

Well, the Billy corner unit is a 15 inch wide Billy with angle brackets to tie it to Billies along both sides.

Ah, you are right - they must have changed they system. Some friends of mine have the old version, which is the five-sided unit, and I didn't realize it wasn't available any more. A more efficient system, I think!

I didn't realize the billy corners weren't available anymore either! We have the old ones (post 7).

Yes, it could be. I know that I would have lost shelf space if I had went with the corner unit.

Hmmm. My dad built a bookshelf back in the 50's which used round 1" stock to support the shelves at the front. Pole supports, in other words. I suppose you could build the shelves open all the way into the wall corners and then use short pieces of wooden dowel to tie the exposed corners of the shelves from top to bottom.

Mulling .....

I put a lamp in the corner where my bookcases meet.

#6 & #11 -- The cat stories have settled any remaining doubt -- I'm going for the 5-sided shelf. I know my cats and if there is a possible hole for them to get into, they will. Even if I build the bookcases to the ceilings, they would figure out a way.

I'm thinking the angled corner won't be all wasted book space. I have a few large coffee-table sized books. Too few to justify an entire shelf, but then what to do with them? I could lay them on their sides in the nooks with a few things and it would solve two problems.

Edited for spelling.

If you own a small house that is cluttered with heavy furniture or items then getting a corner bookcase is perfect option. This piece of furniture is the most functional and stylish way of displaying your books, photographs or other content.
There are models in http://cornerbookcases.org So there are many verities of corner bookcases that offer maximum storage capacity with flexible shelves. It is better if you perform some research on the type of cases and their ideal placement before buying one for your house. This way you can choose perfect corner bookstand for your books.

Spam. The poster of #22 joined less than a half-hour ago to promote products.

I didn't feel that #22's post was egregious spam.
He provided some "commercial" info. on this threads topic. Suggested we do some research, and was flagged to death. Do I miss some "scatter spam" by him? Or what?

>24 guido47:

I have to agree with you. I don't think that #22's post was spam at all. I took at look at the website and I do not see where there is anything at all being sold. The post seems to be generic and the website looks like some interesting information about book cases. I did not see any products, nor a link to where any products were sold on the website.

If the person just joined today - I feel that unless I've missed something else, they were treated quite badly by the number of people who flagged them for giving some good information on a topic that should be near and dear to the hearts of those members on LT.

> 24, 25

I agree. I see nothing spammy about that post or the link. Contrary to the assertions in #23, no specific products are even mentioned, much less promoted.

Another creative solution. (Not mine)

Ennas, I actually LIKE that solution!

Here's one I found on the web:

24-26
Really?
The thread has had no traffic in over two months; someone joins LT, adds no books, sets her homepage to that site, and posts a single message that reads like and advertisement and includes a link to that site... and you don't see that as blatant commercialism? Frankly, I think she needs an editor - "verities".

And, she's not done anything since.

And, as there are no flags showing on #22, it is clear to me that "flagged to death" is a gross exaggeration of the situation.

I read the thread from the beginning, but somehow missed the commercial one, probably as I was SO enthusiastic over Ennas' solution...

(passing the buck) ;)

>30 WholeHouseLibrary: as there are no flags showing on #22, it is clear to me that "flagged to death" is a gross exaggeration of the situation.

A few days ago, there were several flags, and you had to ask to see post 22. Apparently, the flags were removed.

The thread has had no traffic in over two months; someone joins LT, adds no books, sets her homepage to that site, and posts a single message that reads like and advertisement and includes a link to that site

Someone who just joined LT is likely to ressurect quiet threads, since they are looking around for interesting topics on a new site. There are quite a few very active LTers that choose not to use LT for cataloguing, so not books added. Also, we are all invited to include a link to our own website in our profile setup. I chose not to. carissalucyland chose to. It means nothing, especially since the site appears to be a personal interest site, not a commercial site. Posts that provide links to a user's blog are not unusual. Again, how could it be 'blatant commercialism' if there's no commercial product or sales? Being new doesn't mean different rules, and level of actiity doesn't either - they are simply warning signs. But, with no commerical product/service/link being promoted, the warning signs point to nothing.

Frankly, I think she needs an editor - "verities".
Relevence?

And, she's not done anything since.
Is there a way to tell that? I'd like to know, as I've wanted to search for activity by a user I've lost touch with, but don't know how to tell if they've just not posted where I've been looking or if they've quit posting completely. I'd also like to search for my own posts, as I can't always remember where I posted a particularly informative bit that I want to refer to again. Can you show me how you can tell if someone is doing anything?

Os.

I still like the corner shelves in post 27...so much in fact that I showed a picture of them to my dh (hint, hint)...