My childhood home on Vermont Street was filled with love, but sorely lacking in square footage. I wanted so badly to have a reading space of my own that when I was nine or so I created a ‘library’ at the foot of my bed: a wicker chair, a TV tray (remember those?), and an old lamp, crammed into the space between the end of my bed and the wall.
Although I didn’t have a bookshelf (all of my books were from the library), I had just created my personal reading space. It was in a 2×3 feet walkway, but it was my space.
It looked nothing like this photo, but I was thrilled with my creation.
Now my husband and I share a home that’s nearly three times the size of that little 900 square ft bungalow, and I’ve turned our spare bedroom into a library with one large-ish second-hand bookcase, an antique chair, a table, and a small cabinet with writing utensils. The photo to the left shows some of my most cherished titles.
This is why I was excited when Ryan Castillo with Redfin asked Your Book Group to contribute to an article on building a library into any size space; I was doing this when I was nine years old! I and thirteen other bibliophiles contributed to Redfin’s inspiring post; I especially like Number 1, 5, and 9. Take a look at Redfin’s 14 Expert Tips to Create a Functional Library in Any Space of Your Home.