the shelves are low-the book might weigh the room down if, say, you do put them only on the upper tall shelves, and leave the lowers empty or something. Also, metaphorically speaking-I'm kinda sure your books will elevate the room, not weigh it down ..that's what books usually do:) But if you're very concerned about colors, you can always wrap them. Just not this white/parchment trendy thing when you can't know which book is which. My Mom was actually into wrapping, and even refacing old worn books that lost their covers. she would try to keep the original illustrations where possible. So we had lots of books and some old ones had this "semi-handmade" look..I loved these:) And wrapping is much, much easier than refacing. Like, even I can do it. Which says a lot lol.

No it's not fine without glass because dust and other pollutants will ruin the paper. Art on paper needs to be behind glass or plexiglass. I speak as a colored pencil artist and I would never not put my art behind glass. Additionally if it were an original work of art on paper, or a limited, signed print then you need to use all archival materials when mounting the artwork and you need to put it behind UV glass or plexiglass.

Thanks so much for the suggestions and link, maddielee! They make hiding the electrical cords look pretty darn easy, but I'm not so sure DH would be willing to tackle that and would probably want a pro called in. I've been looking at wireless options (there aren't a lot out there), and came across this option by Method Lighting. It's gotten pretty good reviews, is said to be easy to install, but some people complained that the battery life is not as expected, and to eliminate the need to drag out the ladder each time you want to recharge the batteries (if ceilings are high), you have to buy their $50 extension wand. All told, this would be about a $600 "solution", so I'm not gonna rush to order until I explore all possibilities. Here's what the Method light looks installed ... It's not the sleekest thing I've ever seen, but would probably still be fairly inconspicuous mounted on the ceiling. I guess an uplight would have to sit on the floor, right?

When the striped chair arrives, angle it in the corner by the bookcase and use a floor lamp at that outlet. You'll have a reading nook and be able to flip on the lamp when you enter the door at night. I would move the TV to the sofa wall hung just above a credenza that is 25% wider than the TV. You might want to wall mount TV on an articulated arm or set it on a swivel so it can be adjusted for best viewing. Add art no wider than the firebox opening above the mantel. Pull the two swivels and hassocks a bit forward from their present location.. Facing the slider view, float the sofa & coffee table behind the swivels. Anchor the two seating areas with nautical feeling rugs that don't necessarily have to match. See if you can place a sofa table behind the sofa and add a battery lamp to serve the two chairs and sofa. You may also have room for a pair of smaller scale chairs at either end of the coffee table on the view side of your double seating area.