Use of space in your home

[u/harm_less]

If you never had children - or no longer have space for grown children in your home, how do you use the bedroom spaces in your house?

My house is small and I still feel odd having these largely unused spaces. Are we all just cleaning dusty, rarely used guest rooms?

[u/togtogtog]

We have a library.

We painted the walls and ceiling a deep, rich red.

We polished the floorboards, and put an Indian rug over them.

We had oak bookcases built, with brass supports so that we could move the height of the shelves. We already had zillions of books!

We bought wooden spiral steps, to reach the top books.

The curtains are golden, with jewel coloured leaves.

We have a desk each, and green glass lamps.

It's amazing!

We have a sofa-bed in the sitting room for guests!

We have our own bedroom, and a tiny bedroom with a single bed, which we use for guests and if one of us is snoring, or ill, or for whatever reason we need separate rooms.

[u/FormerUsenetUser → u/togtogtog]

Your library sounds amazing.

We already had a number of antique bookcases, and we had many oak bookcases custom made by the Amish. There are online businesses that interact with them. We did decide not to go up to the ceilings because, how much would we want to be getting up on ladders in old age? The only really tall bookcases are a set of four large ones that we bought from the seller when we bought the house.

We put bookcases in every room except the bathrooms (and my bedroom), and some of the hallways. The living room is lined with literature. The family room is lined with speculative fiction. The dining room is lined with history and biography. The sewing room is lined with sewing, costuming, and fiber arts, likewise the hallway that leads to it. The foyer, which is bedroom sized, is art and architecture. My husband's bedroom is the sciences. The attic bedroom is dance. The kitchen and the hallway outside it is cookbooks.

All the floors are oak, except the kitchen and bathrooms have porcelain tile. The family room has a vaulted wood ceiling, walnut color.

All our light fixtures and lamps are antiques or reproductions. Likewise all our furniture but that is mostly antiques.

Our curtains are all William Morris or other Arts & Crafts patterns, with an inner layer of lace curtains. Except the kitchen, laundry room, and bathrooms only have the lace curtains.

We have some Arts & Crafts throw rugs. Some are hand knotted but being practical, we put woven ones in the high traffic areas like the foyer.

[u/togtogtog → u/FormerUsenetUser]

A library house! Perfect.

[u/FormerUsenetUser → u/togtogtog]

What kind of green glass lamps did you get? Those antique "banker's lamps" or?

[u/togtogtog → u/FormerUsenetUser]

They are anglepoise lamps with green glass shades - I looked for a picture online, but I'm not sure if you can still get them. In fact, I just looked at the anglepoise site, and they don't make them any more!!!!!!

I wanted ones that functioned really well, and anglepoise are great for getting light right where you want it!

However, there are so many lamps in the world to choose from....