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Reader's Paradise

Protecting the kitchen books

10 years ago

last modified: 10 years ago

I've mentioned our two terriers here before. Archie and Nero are cute as can be, and wonderfully affectionate. They love books, too, which is unfortunate. We have a built-in bookcase under the corner windows of the kitchen which is where the dogs stay when we are not with them. I keep cookbooks there, along with assorted other nonfiction. For the past year those books have been piled up on a table in another room to keep them from being destroyed. They made an untidy pile we had stopped even seeing.

Meanwhile we went back to the cabinet maker who did our kitchen 15 years ago. He has now made doors for our bookcases, doors with sturdy decorative wire panels. We chose wire rather than glass so we would not constantly be wiping doggy nose prints off the glass. Now the books back in their proper place. We even used our newly cleared table for a family jigsaw puzzle session this past Thanksgiving!

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Comments (4)

kathy_t
10 years ago
What a great idea to use wire rather than glass. I bet that looks great!
carolyn_ky
10 years ago
That sounds lovely, Rosefolly. I long to push out my double windows in the eating area of the kitchen and have shelves put on each side of a window seat to hold my cookbooks. (I think we're talking a lot of money here. I saw something similar in the library of the castle at St. Michael's Mount where we were told that the family who own the castle have lived in it longer than the current Royal family have been reigning.)
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Ah, I didn't even think to check on this after the first response, because it took so long - but I definitely should have. Thanks for the idea of book covers -- I'll look into Brodart, cat tail. Yes, we're happy about that :) At least our years in academia didn't go completely to waste LOL... I'm very aware of the value of DJs, too, thanks cat tail and jemdandy. I also very much appreciate the instruction to put them on shelves rather than back in boxes. So on shelves, in Brodart book covers for the best ones...is that the quick version? Thanks so much for your help.
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So glad you asked this lax. My travertine backsplash was just installed and we did a herringbone pattern behind the range, it is just gorgeous. The expert tile guys put on two coats of sealer, they said you can get it at HD, so probably the same that you used. I am fearful as well, I cooked an italian type dish tonight and wiped it all down afterwards, just in case oil splashed. I do agree with others that the tempered glass would look odd and take away from your beautiful backsplash, but have to be honest that something like that crossed my mind. I asked my husband if there is something we could put up temporarily with cooking, he laughed at me and told me I was ridiculous. I plan on sealing again in 6 mths to be safe. And I will wipe it down after cooking something messy to be safe. I will be so upset if it stains, not like you can just replace it or replace a tile.
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I second GreenDesigns. You want new cabinets? Take care of them. Take the time to wipe up water spills. Minor food smudges can be wiped away later, but you are talking about leaving dripped water or food on your cabinets until you.... get around to it, whenever? Whether stained or painted, you should make the attempt to care for them or why bother with wood at all? And now you wish to hang some kind of thin plastic around your sink to protect your cabinets... again, why even bother with new cabinets. I don't mean to be harsh, but I'm an admitted 'mess' in the kitchen, and I have learned to keep wet hands wiped off, grab a towel from the counter to dab off drips.. it's not hard and takes but a second. I'm not sure what type of plastic you're referring to, but if you can stand how it'll look just so you don't have to briefly mop up your drips, it might scratch the back of your cabinets, it might, as you worry, create moisture buildup over time that you can't see until the damage is done.
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Sorry. The top is my table. The second photo is the sprayed tray and the bottom is the brushed tray.
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Rosefolly z5
Original Author
10 years ago
Well, we've only lived here for 20 years, not 200 or more! There always seem to be more great ideas than money to support them, alas. We certainly did not spend anything like castle money to do this, though the wire cost more than we had originally budgeted.

When traveling I've seen some of those gorgeous ancient libraries full of leather-bound books. So beautiful! It makes me happy just to know that such libraries exist and survive. I don't need them for myself, or want the burden of caring for something that rare.
carolyn_ky
10 years ago
My cookbooks are far from rare, unless you count my red and white checked Better Homes & Gardens that is circa 1953 and sadly bespattered, but I would still like to have kitchen shelves to put them on. They are presently in a small bookcase in the eating area and in the kitchen cabinet over the refrigerator where I would have to climb on a stool to reach them. As you can guess, those are the ones I never use (includes Julia Child's Art of French Cooking, which was a gift that I did read but never attempted a recipe).

I love those beautiful old libraries, too, and just saw the one at the Royal Monastery of St. Lawrence in El Escorial, Spain, this fall. It is listed as one of the most beautiful in the world and left me speechless.

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