Library wall - what to put next to it?
September 15, 2021 1:52 AM   Subscribe

I have a Big Wall of Books in my living room, filling the wall opposite the window entirely. I'm left with about 140 cm / 4.6 feet of empty wall between it and the sofa that I haven't been able to arrange in a pleasing way for years now. Searching for library wall corner ideas only gives me bookcases on two adjacent walls. Search term ideas also welcome!

I was planning a reading nook between it and the sofa on the perpendicular wall, but the "vibes" of that particular bit of floor aren't welcoming - I ended up not sitting in the armchair at all until I moved it elsewhere. Right now I have a table there that became a repository of random stuff.

I can't take photos right now, but the library wall is white Billy bookcases wall to wall, faux built in style. The sofa is black metalwork, with two white shelves above it for the cats to haunt. Putting those up was a Pain and a Half (reinforced concrete wall FTW, half an hour for each drilled hole), so I'd like to avoid screwing more things into that wall because neighbours might get drastic.

I don't have any particular Need in the living room right now - there's a decent amount of storage, cats have their climbing perch, collectibles have a display cabinet. But due to the "don't sit there" vibes of the nook, there's a very noticeable gap between sofa and library wall that looks weird, especially since it's directly visible from the apartment entrance door.
posted by I claim sanctuary to Home & Garden (11 answers total) 3 users marked this as a favorite
 
Hard to envision without pics, but my first instinct for filling space is always artwork, especially the kind that "holds" the space (not sure if I can explain what I mean by that term, but big messy non-representational painting is a good example). Art usually needs good hanging though: it took you 30 mins a hole using a masonry bit and a drill with a hammer function? Then sure, avoid, but then maybe it's possible to hang something from the ceiling in that spot? Would a giant spider plant (bonus cat fun to keep them away from this hallucinogen) in a fancy macrame hanger work here?

Any way you go, I sympathise: I abhor those household space vacuums too. Good luck.
posted by Ten Cold Hot Dogs at 2:19 AM on September 15, 2021 [1 favorite]


Ultimately, you may find that what that space needs is another matching bookcase! Right now, I think it sounds like a good place for an interesting feature floor-standing lamp. Something like, oh, this or this or this.
posted by ManyLeggedCreature at 3:42 AM on September 15, 2021 [1 favorite]


Sounds like you need something tall and not attached to the wall.

Plant stand and plant or a very tall plant
Tall/ornate mirror (leant against the wall is quite trendy but tricky if you have kids and pets) or a freestanding mirror
Freestanding corner unit / ladder bookcase
Tall freestanding lamp
Tailors dummy
Hatstand

I have a concrete house so I feel your drilling pain. I have used hanging strips to mount lighter artwork.
posted by Ness at 3:51 AM on September 15, 2021 [1 favorite]


I would try to do a very large plant with a hanging lamp above if I had a similar space. (If you go this route, a rolling base for the plant will make your life easier.)
posted by acantha at 4:09 AM on September 15, 2021 [1 favorite]


Combining the large lamp/large plant ideas - a vertical self-contained garden setup like https://mygardyn.com/

For me bad "vibes" almost always means bad light, so I'd be particularly drawn towards ideas that incorporate lighting in general.
posted by february at 5:37 AM on September 15, 2021


Since this is directly across from the entrance, I'd try to create a viewpoint that is pleasing to you. Some ideas:
--keep the table, but put a pretty vase with flowers or some kind of plant.
--Art work or photographs that you can mount without putting holes in wall (stick on hooks can carry quite a bit of weight).
--a fabric wall hanging could work.

Also, I wouldn't put a mirror there, I have a superstition about mirrors facing doorways. Good luck!
posted by rhonzo at 5:39 AM on September 15, 2021 [1 favorite]


Would the not-sitting there vibes be improved by a big fuzzy beanbag, a standing lamp to illuminate it, and a magazine rack to stack the books you're in the middle of? The beanbag would soften the space, the lamp would make it cosier and hide the sharp edges of the bookshelves a bit. Maybe a circular rug to further give it a sense of place?

Art on the wall put up with command strips.

Photos of the space would definitely help, if you can come back and add some.
posted by penguin pie at 8:05 AM on September 15, 2021


You say you already have a cat climbing perch —if you moved it to the problem corner, would the space where it had been before be easier to use?
posted by LizardBreath at 11:29 AM on September 15, 2021


Leave it mostly open, and put one, large, perfectly-proportioned, exquisitely-framed piece of art there. Possibly a painting, possibly a poster.

If your bookshelves are a dark heavy wood, then echoing that wood in the frame, on a white or off-white wall, could look good.

If the bookshelves are light-colored wood and full of old pulpy novels with lots of white on the spines, then a sleek metal-framed painting with lots of red or blue comes to mind -- but you need to love it whatever you put there.

For inspiration, maybe look at lots of photos of personal libraries or living rooms with shelves, and notice what's on adjacent walls. Just notice - don't worry about how people are labeling this.

Photos would help, but the busyness and detail of the books could be offset and, in a sense, framed by having a very simple, plain wall adjacent. Also, you'll enjoy having a visual palate-cleanser to all the complexity of the books' content.
posted by amtho at 12:46 PM on September 15, 2021


What about one of those ladder-style display shelving units? It could lean on the wall, and hold photographs, or even brightly colored blankets draped for visual effect.

Or a folding, decorative screen? Those can also offer a lovely visual upon entering your home.
posted by annieb at 2:48 PM on September 15, 2021


Because it’s what you see when you come in, I’d put a table or hook there and change the display regularly. Art, sure, or three books that reflect on each other unexpectedly, the first glorious pumpkin of the season, cut flowers, the knitting you do two rows a day of.
posted by clew at 5:26 PM on September 15, 2021


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