Sorry young-gardener, my house does not have any nice details like that, lol I have always loved built-in bookcases around and under the windows. During my wild delusions of 'being flush with cash', I always picture them in my L/R. I hope someone post some pics.

Yeah, me too! I see the all the time on the Building forum, but the houses there are so huge. It makes it hard to think of how they would look and function in a home in my size range.

I don't have any photos; my "built ins" are still in the planning stage, but here's what we're trying to do.

The living/TV room is long and lean, 11'8" wide by 25ish feet long. This space is broken up with a 33" wide arched doorway in the far northwest corner, a 9-foot wide opening toward the south east end, a 7-foot long window to the east, and a front door to the south east. The main thoroughfare cuts through the upper 1/3 of the space.

From the front door to the south wall is about 3 feet wide. This 3-ft. space runs the length of the south wall and ends with a short wall to the kitchen. Right now it's totally wasted space. We're building in the entire 11'8" x 36" space.

From left to right will be a 44" wide broom closet, a 19" wide cabinet/bookcase unit, a 60" wide window seat, and another 19" cabinet/bookcase. I still have to decide if I'll run a shelf between the two bookcases, above the 58x58 window, or just leave the 14" deep soffit open.

This is the south wall as it looked on the day we closed on the house. Those horrible "things" on the windows are not mine. The beautiful puppy is! LOL

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This is the north end of the TV room. The light fixtures have been swapped out; I've gotten a new ceiling fan, too. Now we're trying to decide whether to keep the arched doorway (leads to the hallway, bathroom, and two smaller bedrooms) or close it in with drywall to hopefully open up more furniture placement choices.

I have a friend who has a similiar setup as yours. She is also considering closing off one of her doors. But after thinking about it, she decided to re-arrange the furniture to block the doorway for a while to see if she will miss having it.
It sounds like a great use of space. Please post pics when you are done.

Loretta, that's a great idea. We cut another door into our kitchen when we added the back door, and I bet it's been used all of 5 times. I guess we are creatures of habit and are used to walking through the kitchen to get to the door. I blocked off the original door to make us use the other door and it was terribly inconvenient. I'm sure it will be used more when the dining room is added. It'd better be because I really miss that wall space.

We're still a long ways off from being done but the link below will take you to a blog were I've posted pictures of the cabinets I've finished so far and the Murphy bed.

Here is a link that might be useful: Yonderosa

Nice cabin, blog, and photos, Yonderosa!

Someone has the frame for an original "Murphy" brand bed for sale in Detroit's Craigslist.

The house I bought in 1994 had a great built-in. It was a bookcase that was built into the wall in the dining area of the living/dining room. Nice enough on its own, but nothing special. When my dad walked through the house, he asked himself why the bookcase had a piano hinge, then walked over and gave it a tug. The bookcase was actually the door to a cedar closet! I had not noticed the piano hinge, as it had been painted many times.

It turns out that a traveling carpenter came through the neighborhood in the late 50s, after all the houses were built. He offered to do built-ins to make use of the space above the end of the basement stairs. When you get to the bottom of a stairwell, there is a lot of "dead space" above your head. He put in bookshelves, china cabinets, and cupboards in that space, leaving enough room at the bottom of the stairs so that only the tallest people had to watch their heads.

As I mentioned, our bookcase was quite caked with paint. When we readied the house to sell, we had a carpenter re-make the original bookcase with oak, which I stained and finished to match the recently re-finished floors.

Here is a link that might be useful: built-in bookcase is really the door to a cedar closet.

Nice blog yonderosa; that is one really nice cabin!
nancy_in_mich, what a cool find! I love it.

--"I guess we are creatures of habit "
You're so right Marti8a. When I re-arranged my
kitchen cabinets, I was forever looking in the wrong cabinets for plates! It takes time to learn a new habit, lol

Nancy that bookshelf door is really cool. Did you know the cedar closet was there when you bought the house? I want to build a bookshelf on a door to a closet in our den because the door is in such a bad place.

Marti8a, no, I did not know about the cedar closet, it was a bonus.

The thing to remember is that if the recessed bookshelf is going to open, the back of the bookshelf has to be smaller than the front, in order for the deep shelves to clear the frame around it, as it swings open.

Idie2live, I have to tell you about my test for how to know you've moved too often - not only do you have no clue what kitchen drawer holds what utensils, but you keep reaching for a drawer where there is no drawer at all! I also believe that you better move into your final house when you are young enough to remember where the silverware drawer and junque drawer are.

Good tip, Nancy. I'll try to remember that when & if I can talk dh into it.

" I also believe that you better move into your final house when you are young enough to remember where the silverware drawer and junque drawer are."

That is so true. My in-laws just moved here at ages 83 & 84. They are having a tough time adjusting to an apartment after having a home, and everything in a different place.

My bathroom has a full size bookshelf door like nancy's, except the closet behind is large enough to hold the electric water heater. It was in the house when we bought it and is kind of cool. The bookshelf itself is the size of a door and 12" deep.

DH stores all his bathroom items in colorful Ikea square wicker baskets that sit on the shelves and hide the strange items within. It is really amazing what boys keep in their bathroom (screws, flashlights, pellets from a pellet gun, washers, pennies, old receipts, etc. lol).

Hi!
Here's a pic of mine. It's not the greatest, but you get the idea.

Vanessa

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OH Vanessa your built in's are lovely!!

Love the way you have displayed some very ordinary things and made them look like works of art. Who would have thunk a meat grinder upside down would look so Cool.

And your fireplace is so pretty. Did you do the tile?

Chris

My 1913 home's dining room hutch:{{!gwi}}
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OH How lovely martia. Pretty chandelier too with the slip shades. AND your wonderful deco windows. Woo Hoo I could explore your lovely home for ever.

Chris

hippieindenial, your bookshelves are lovely. I've always loved rooms with fireplaces.
marita40, I simply love that room. The wall color and the buil-tin are perfect!

Oh Marita,
I love your dining room and the chandelier. But most of all, the built in is exactly like the one in our living room when I was a child. Fond memories. Would love to see more of your home.

idietolive and emagineer, thank you for your kind words about my house. I plan to take more pics soon, and will post. The home is fairly new to me, and I've been working room by room to restore it. It is actually a condo on the second floor of a 1913 home, built originally as a duplex. I feel like I'm living in a tree house since it is surrounded by beautiful, mature trees. Again--will post more photos soon!

How neat marita. I like your built in hutch too. It has a modern yet old feel to it. Took me a few minutes to realize it was a mirror behind it. I also like your paint color in there.

A few more photos of my 1913 home:
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Drool, leaded glass windows! And those great frames! Your place is lovely. What color is the paint in your living areas?

A condo? I never would have known. It seems so spacious.

Beautiful! That window trim is gorgeous. You have a very soothing decorating style and color pallete. Thanks for sharing.

marita - I love you older home! and i love your chairs - the reddish ones and the ones by the tv! are they new or re-upholstered?

wow what a beautiful house marita. I am in love with that sitting area in the 3rd pic with the chocolaty chairs and the stained glass lamp. did you choose the wall colours? they are sensational and really suit the style of house. There is so much great design and architecture in your lovely home it's just gorgeous.

Thank you all for your kind words on my home. I know the photos are not the greatest--very hard to take photos in the variable winter light, it seems. To answer questions:

The paint in the living/dining room is a combination of Laura Ashley Gold #3 and #4. I think it was one part Gold 4 to three parts Gold 3. I wanted Gold 3, but just a bit darker.

The dark red chairs in the living room were new purchases from a local furniture store.

The chairs and ottoman by the TV were also new purchases, last year, from HOM furniture. I think they still sell the same ones--saw them on the floor about 8 weeks ago, at least. They are very comfortable. Sadly, my cats just love to claw on the material, so I'm not sure how long they will last. The stained glass lamp in the same room is from Penney's, bought many years ago.

Yes, I selected all the wall colors (and did the painting!) myself. I like warm, rich colors. Some that were used are: BM Plum Raisin for the bathroom; BM Shaker Beige for the hallway; BM Kennebunkport; BM Decatur Buff; SW Breezy for the three bedrooms; Muralo Prairie Path for the kitchen.

desert and trance, FYI I just went to the HOM furniture site and the chair mentioned above is still there. It is the Bagley Club Chair.

marita you painted all of that yourself? that is awesome and such beautiful work you did. I really wish I'd seen this in progress it would have been great to watch unfolding. I just love that plum you used in the bathroom and who would even think to use a colour like that in a bathroom? it looks fabulous. I know what you mean about the cats mine has made a terrible mess of two chairs I have, nothing like sticking your claws into some nice soft chairs lol.