Just checking in with a HUGE thank you to pps7, Oak and Annie! There is absolutely no way I would have come up on this on my own. Bookcase install began yesterday and thought I would post a pic for you all to see. I was thinking they would go straight to ceiling, but happy nonetheless. Don't worry, won't be leaving the pinned curtains-just privacy for now. Thanks again!

Since I live with more than 10K books, I vote for bookshelves on both ends, but I expect you might end up with them down the hall, as well. (At least, that's what I have.) If you are considering painting them, may I suggest a using a dark green, not kelly of course, but a leafy, pine-y, well-stepped-on, green? It's a very restful color to combine with the spines of books, which often have a decided reddish-brownish bias among all the colors possible. It tones down bright whites, as well. And few books are kelly green, so it doesn't clash with blues or greens, either. And being a dark color it serves to help make the mass of spine colors into a more coherent design feature. I think white (or light grey/white shelves) make the grid-effect more prominent and natural-finished brown shelves play up highly diverse colors of of book covers, making the shelves seem more chaotic. I expect that certain very dark greys (almost black) or deep coal-y navy blues may also work in somewhat the same way as dark green. Whatever the shade, it should be a highly complex color, with plenty of complimentary pigments in it to make it really hang together with all the colors of the books. My late Mother had a wonderfully sunny sitting room with BM China white walls, red oak strip flooring (w/natural finish) and 40 linear feet of floor-to-ceiling, built-in bookshelves along the back wall. They were painted one of the BM dark greens and l can dig about and come up with the BM color number as I repainted them in the same shade before I sold her house. If you do paint your shelves with oil paint (preferable to latex which will always have the risk of remaining uncured and attaching itself to the books), please plan on having the shelves cure after painting at least 4 weeks before shelving the books. Even then you might wish to slip a layer of the type of plastic used for covering dust jackets (you can buy it in rolls from library supply places like Demco, it's like the proprietary material in "Brodart" dj covers ) under any particularly valuable books. It's invisible and you will then be absolutely certain that nothing in the paint is damaging the covers as oil paint (and latex, too) takes months to fully out-gas. Also consider having the shelves, if not the verticals, made with 5/4 lumber in order to handle the weight of the books. Look forward to seeing your room. L.

I would use 2 lower cabinets with some storage art mounted above them or the TV above one and art above the other no fake flowers and a piece of art above the sofa instead of a bunch of little stuff. IMO unless you great stuff to display on book shelves they just become a cluttered mess of stuff to fill them. I would look at painting the walls any color like the rug it just becomes a big beige box . Have you looked at som pale gray/ greens or just a nice white . I am sure there is electrical on that wall so just add a lamp or 2 on the cabinets.

I love your character filled space. I remember this and the work that you did with the kitchen area. Because it is a smaller space I don't think I would add another bookcase. As long as it looks balanced I think it will work with a table as you had planned. You may need to add some artwork to balance it out and maybe move some other art you have around on the other walls so theres not too much everywhere. I love the colors you have as well and the mobiles are a fun touch.