M's layout would be so much better. And then perhaps you could put desk on the wall where the tv is now, and put the tv in the other corner between the sets of windows?

Good luck

What if you flip the rug around so that it runs lengthwise away from the window, then put the sofa facing toward the television with its back toward the desk (leaving, of course, a few feet for a walking path in between)? This will separate the "work area" from the social space, and position the sofa so that it faces the tv while taking advantage of the view. It will work especially well if you can pull the rug a few feet toward the other end of the room (in the direction of the dining table). Then you can take one of the chairs and put it next to the tv under that lamp (for a nice reading spot), and put the other chair at the opposite end of the rug, facing the newly arranged sofa. An end table next to each chair will ground them well. I would make sure to really center the furniture on the carpet as much as possible, since right now those chairs just look like they're floating off into space, with all that wasted carpet behind them.

What about switching the living room and dining/drafting table areas around? Place the table near the window for a nice view and less furniture pieces to walk around to get to the balcony.. and then have your "living area" closer to the wall where the table use to be?

How about going to an L shape with the sofa and chairs?
Perhaps with the sofa with its back to the dining area, and switching the draft table with the TV unit? If the back of the tv looks like a mess of wires inside from outside on the balcony, you could use contact paper in the window to block the view of the mess, but still maximise the light coming in. AT had links to pretty contact paper type stuff a while back. i dont remember what it was called though.

Is there any reason everything appears pushed to one side of the room?

Also, whatever you do, pull the front legs of the sofa onto the rug. That should make it feel like its part of the 'group' of furniture, and not sitting outside it.

I also like the idea of switching the dining area with the seating area, leaving the drafting table where it is it could double as a sideboard for serving if you have people over....

Lovely apartment, nice problem to have!

thanks for the great ideas. you guys are doing better with photos they I have done walking around the space.

i will send a photo from looking the other direction around lunchtime...

you've made me realize how strange it is to have the "conversation area" not centered on the rug.

flipping the rug orientation is intriguin and easy to try.

one thing about the sofa. it's *huge*. i had it flipped once and it was like this barricade against entering the living room. we have a real "pinched nose" entryway so you enter the room basically from the view of the 1st pic.

so I'll upload those 2nd photos and give away a gift certificate today.

It's always difficult to get a handle on a space without seeing it first hand. Can we all come over? just post your address.
seriously, there are somethings out of place, as you noted in your question.
I would first try the sofa on the mirrored wall, to open the room. Put the imac on the dining table, and move it off when guests are there to dine. it looks out of scale on the drafting table.

Seriously, patrik. I would leave work right now to go hang out with apartmenttherapy people on a day like today, in an apartment like that.

Get a media piece that has a back "wall" to hang your TV from, like this:
http://www.crateandbarrel.com/family.aspx?c=994&f=22294
and position it where the drafting table is. You can use that wall of windows as an actual "wall".

Then put drafting table where the TV is, but flush against the wall.

And definitely pull your furniture tighter all onto the rug as Maxwell suggests, so you open circulation aorund, not just through. I'd also get a side table for between the two chairs.

But, yeah, don't move the sofa or the chairs, other than onto the rug.

Wow, thanks for a great post. I'm with JV, wish we could have an apartment arranging party this afternoon. So much more intriguing than the contract I have on my desk...ugh. We did that at my apartment one time and it was great fun and the results spectacular.

Seriously, though you have great pieces and don't need to get rid of anything. Except, maybe the mirror tiles. But that's just me, I don't really like them, but a lot of people do, and maybe you can't because this is a rental?

Anyway, I love the dining table. What if that could be placed by the window? It might be fun to dine at night or place beautiful asian tea lights on for romance. Then the sofa could go on the wall with the mirrors. The chairs could go perpendicular to the side of the sofa opposite the table. Darn, wish I had a copy of photoshop at work. The TV and maybe a book shelf could go where the table currently is.

Great bones, though. You really don't need to get rid of anything. You have great taste. I might buy a pretty vase to put in there but that's about it. I am sure you will get it right. And please post your result!

Do you have a flickr site?

And another idea.

Keep the rug in the center of the room as you have it.

Move the sofa with the back to the dining area to help define the space.

Move the work area to the back of the couch (sort of like a console).

Position the two chairs facing the couch (where the work area is now) with the coffee table in the center.

Move the television to the window cove where the couch is now.

Maybe like this: layout.gif

I'd get some throw pillows and maybe some dummy panels for the windows? Something to bring the strong color of the rug through out the space and maybe introduce a complimentery cooler color to tone it down?

Good luck!

I like Chad's layout, only that putting TV against window may give you light issue when you actually watch it...

wow. lots of great layouts. i feel guilty.

here's the flickr with the two opposite views added.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/21124725@N00/tags/apartment/

1. Is it OK to put a TV in front of a window? Maybe I'm being too uptight about that. It might give me more options.

2. Moving iMac is a very interesting one. Goes along with Maxwell's idea in his book of using on end the DR table. I would have never thought of it.

3. The bookcase came out looking kind of weak/small but it feels right against that wall. It doesn't look so hot in the pic.

4. it's amazing how you can have a lot of space to work with and then end up worse b/c there's so many ways to go wrong. more tears are shed over answered prayers...

-adam

What is the red piece?

Adam, you have a great room and furniture. I agree with the others--- no need to swap out anything!
I also agree about centering the rug in the conversation/living area.
How about placing the sofa at an angle with one end towards the bookcase and the other towards where the drafting table is now? This positioning would let you have a big sweeping view of the windows, the dining area, the tv, and kind of into the kitchen---- great for flow during parties. Placing your sofa like this would also be a little bit of a divide from what looks like a bedroom leading into the living room to the right of where the drafting table is now. After angling the sofa, you could push it into the room a little, and position the drafting table behind it, so you'd have the same view while working. This would also cut down on the glare on your computer screen, and divide your work space from your living space. Then you could place the chairs, with a small table in between, where the drafting table is now. If it were me, I'd want something to put my feet up on.
You could also leave your drafting table where it is, too, and then tuck the chair in by the big plant, by the window.
good luck! Please post "after" pictures.

If this were my space, I'd...

(a) Pat myself on the back. I agree that the flow in this room needs some work, but you have a solid base to work from, and a wonderful backdrop. This isn't a bad layout, all things considered, and your room has a lot going for it.

(b) Move the bookcase to the wall behind the dining table. It does look good where it is, but I think it'll use the space better to put it back there.

(c) Your desk, while nice, is very small. I suspect it would be nice to have a little more room to work on projects, etc. Move the drafting table off the window wall onto the wall by the dining table so you can move easily between surfaces when you need to work. I think this would look really good if you had two bookcases, so you could put one on either side of the drafting table to balance it, but it might look alright with just the one. Doing this will give you a "dark" backdrop on that far wall (without a window, it's going to be dark no matter what you do, so you might as well embrace it); it will also extend the feel of the dark red kitchen wall into the living room and ground that edge of the room. Giving the room some interest along that wall will help stop it from feeling like the furniture is about to fall out the windows.

(d) If you use the TV in this room a lot, don't worry about creating a "theater" effect by having the couch face the TV. Move the TV stand to where the bookcase is now. If form is supposed to follow function, after all, and if your primary function is TV watching... If you don't use the TV often, you might consider getting media stand which will hide it. Considering the way the doors are along the wall which currently has the bookcase, I think you're right to place the couch where it is, even if it does take away from your views somewhat.

(e) I agree with the abundant comments about tucking the couch onto the rug, and I like the idea of perhaps switching the rug's orientation. But whatever you decide to do, try to keep the rug out of the traffic path between the kitchen and the bedroom (?) to avoid any unnecessary wear-and-tear.

I'm not sure what the tool cart is doing in the living room, but I kinda like it. Let us know how this turns out. I'd love to see the finished product. :)

Hey, MidCity Lofts! I used to own a mezzanine unit there--great building.

Is it possible to move the Mac into the second "room" near the entryway? It seems like removing the office aspect from the living area would open up a lot of possibilities.

I like Chad's idea as well, but I think the placement of the sofa is the best compromise right now given your unit location (northwest corner unit, right?). You're not blocking any light coming in from the windows, and you don't have to look at the somewhat depressing parking structure across the street while relaxing on the sofa (the next phase of the Centergy project is slated to go up in front of the garage, so the view should improve).

Whoops!

Don't know how I missed the toys the first time I looked through the pics--must've been the excitement of seeing my former home.

Guess the spare room is occupied by a small resident, which means a no-go on the separate office idea...

Now that I've seen all the pictures.

I changed my mind - I'd do this: layout.gif

You could even work the tool chest in and use it as an industrial type of dresser? It works with the other red pieces you have in your room (the awesome lamp, etc). Maybe you could hang some art above it and dress it in the same manner you would a dresser.

Moving the book case behind the dining area allows you for a media wall type of area. You could put your television unit there and maybe some of the beloved Lack floating shelves from ikea above it for more storage?

With the book case - and this is just a thought - it could be neat to mirror the back of it so that it bounces some extra natural light around your dining area and make your space seem even larger?

You have the best space in the world - lucky lucky!

Again, Good luck!

Widmerpool - don't feel guilty. This is great fun for us. Great post. Chad - you are amazing.

I looked at your flickr pics. Your place is even better than I realized. The red tool cabinet is so awesome. I imagine you need this near your desk, so Chad's layout really works.

I had imagined another scheme while walking at lunchtime. What if ... the dining room table were where the book case now is? And the dining room completely becomes your office. Book case, tool cabinet and desk can all go in there.

Sofa goes in front of dining table, forming conversation area with chairs on rug as stated in many of the comments. TV in front of window. I am not bothered by a TV in the window, just am not sure if it makes for difficult viewing.

Thanks for letting us play in your home today! Can't wait to see a final post.

Also love Beca's comments. Chad and Beca, my place tomorrow at noon? I'll serve sushi.

yeah, y'all need to come down and just move stuff around ;) you're not going to make me do this, are you?

1. the "red thing" is indeed a tool chest repurposed to store bills (which i actually now think is kind of a negative thing to have in the LR).

2. 2nd Christine,

So the drafting table would be facing into the room? The same angle as the sofa?

We have serious sofa issues. We're afraid of that thing. We moved it a few times and it wasn't happy.

3. Beca,

Good point about the drafting table. I think it's getting overwhelmed by that window wall. And I don't have much space to put papers etc.

I can see the TV where the bookshelf is now but with the current stand, you would enter the room and be greeted with the side of a TV. But I guess it doesn't have to be that way. There could tables or something else so it's encased somewhat. That bookshelf wall is angled FWIW.

There's a jut in the wall right behind the center of the dining room table. I've thought about bookshelves there but I worry about having no space between the concrete columns and the bookshelves.

Lance,

how many fingers am I holding up? you have an unfair advantage but that's a good point about looking into the parking structure. That's why I have those very opaque shades. View is better our the window wall.

Chad,

Great layouts. I'm actually torn.

I was thinking about putting the lamp on the craftsman (minus the top unit) and making some liquor cart thingy.

Beca,

thanks for the "clear path" idea. I think it's getting trod unnecessarily right now.

Boy, I have no excuses anymore. That's good and bad!

btw,

Sofa: Modenature "On Time" sofa
Chairs: B&B Dandy
Pendant Lamp: Noguchi
Red Thing: Craftsman toolbox
Dining Table/Bench: Crate & Barrel Basque
Rug: Danskina Nuance
Wall Lamp: Artemide
Bookshelf: DWR Index 3
Coffee Table: Scando Table (too small but child friendly!)
Shades: Hunter Douglas

This is fun - yeah?

Interesting about the different wall depths behind the dining table, I didn't even notice that in the photographs. I don't know if that would allow for the book case along that wall?

Going with the layout that I mentioned before (and I'm sure tones of people would normally oppose this) you could put the book case along the wall behind the sofa kind of like this pottery barn concept (give yourself room to get to the books on the lower half of course by shifting the sitting area closer to the dining area). The book case would act as a divider between the outside space and the inside space but still allow you to see through and light to pass through - give you just enough glimpse of the patio to want to go out there (and it looked as though the view beyond that is just a wall anyway).

The TV looks to be flat panel so you could even mount it to the wall as so it wouldn't be jutting so far out in to the room? There are some great ideas in home tech where people have minimized space with their entertainment area.

As far as behind the dining table I might do a grouping of four tall skinny art pieces in a row (two on each side of the 'jut') to provide some visual interest along that wall?

Again - let us know your end result, I'm sure it will be fantastic whatever it is!

How do you manage both the little owner of that Tonka truck and the white upholstery?

SYB,

they stain constantly but the covers attach by velcro and wash easily. they were pre-toddler purchases but they actually work well. we can live with stains and then wash them if we're having company or if they've become really gross. they were a sample sale purchase like most nice things we have.

oh, and that's a Chas Ray Krider photo of Dita von Tease above the TV (being overwhelmed and too small) :-)

Not to seem overwhelming and reply happy...

I was looking around the website of your incredible lofts to learn more about the building which I find fascinating and came across these two photographs:

http://gamlsphotos.listingware.com/2/16/02160916_00.jpg

http://gamlsphotos.listingware.com/2/16/02160916_04.jpg

I thought that was an interesting solution of pulling the dining table up to the sofa like that?

And I'm done - you have plenty of ideas now, eh?

Good luck again!

thanks to all. i got some "musts" and a lot of scenarios to test out.

i will post "completed" pics.

wish I could press "send to all people who replied" or something...

Personally I'd swap the desk and the TV - put the desk against that bit of wall - that way you can also use the desk chair as an extra dining chair

Then put the sofa opposite the TV with a chair each side - then you can watch the TV and look out of the windows at the same time - define this area with the rug

Or you could put the TV where the plant is - that would work quite well

If you want the entrance to be more welcoming it might be worth considering moving whatever that brown thing is as you enter the room - on the right - is it a bookcase? - you could put the TV there and then angle all the seaing towards it and it would be welcoming as you come into the room

You have a tricky living room, but I would consider a few things:

- move bookshelf to big wall in dining area and put desk against the wall the shelf comes off of
- try sofa in both positions: against window as it is now, and facing window so that it makes a little hallway along the backside where the desk is moved to.

Also, use the rug to define the circumfrence of the living room and don't worry about centering it in the space, just make sure the coffee table is in the center and the seating is all centered on that as well. This way you'll get a natural bare floor passage along the back of the living space where the tall shelf is right now.

But for the love of god, get that tool chest out of the living room.

The TV is probably where it is so it can be seen from the kitchen. I like P2's idea of that Crate and Barrel TV thing with the dark back on it, no kidding.

I'm assuming the TV would go to where the desk used to be against the window wall in M's new suggestion?

the fact that the wall where the shelf is now is angled makes having the sofa flipped feel very odd. b/c if the sofa is aligned facing the window, then the path behind the sofa narrows. feels kinda wrong and it's impossible to get that across in a photo.

i have bigger issues than the loved/hated tool chest cum office cabinet. maybe i will move it out to clear the slate.

-adam

Can your bookcase be moved to the bedroom? Books in homes (except for five or so frequently used references) are medium-to-long-term storage items at best, much like clothing -- thus not living room display items. They take up physical and visual real estate. You wouldn't have clothes on open clothesrods in your LR, would you?

I haven't read any comments yet, but my call is to do the following:

bookshelves on the wall between the concrete pillars
place rug on the floor in front of bookshelves
angle two white chairs to center of rug, backs to the shelves
TV where it is, coffee table in front of chairs and then the couch facing the chairs and bookshelves.

The couch will form a wall between the dining and the living room.

Tuck the computer desk into the corner where the couch is now and center your dining table in that space so you have a view and light while you are eating. Roll the storage bin into a closet and bring it out while working?

---

Extend the cord so the orb lamp is centered over your dining table for impact.

Get small lamps on either side of the chairs to warm up your living room area.

Alan, I so disagree! Books keep you company as clothes never can. You can lie on the sofa and look idly at the spines and think "mmm, time to reread that". With clothes that only works for clothes fiends who like to hang out in their closet...

i thought those windows looked familiar. i live right around the corner from you.

I think the basics are in place, and it's kinda silly to start lugging every piece of furniture into a new position.

And the bookshelves belong more in the living room than in the dining room, but they need a serious styling job, and some closed storage should be incorporated on the bottom tier of shelves.

The space and the furniture you have are "grown up" but the appearance of the bookcase isn't (nor is, as I sounded off before, the tool chest.)

i agree with patrick that the bookshelves need some styling. i'm not completely sure a "bookshelf" unit is what looks best. i think you could store and display your books with more stylish shelves or wall units.

grown-up or not, i like the tool chest. i live in a loft, and i have alot of tools, gadgets, parts, wires, etc. when you don't have a garage, these things end up in odd places. i think if your "work" area were more well defined, the tool chest might work better.

You've got a great apartment - I think it just needs to be pulled together. Since you have more than enough layout ideas, here are some things to consider:

- other ways to get a room to flow is to draw the eyes with art or color. The only color you have are the large rug, the red kitchen and the red chest. While I agree, totally, about losing the chest, I think that the rug and the kitchen should somehow be integrated into a color scheme that will move your eye across the space - maybe by putting something large and bold up on the dining room wall, maybe replacing the bolsters on the sofa with something which incorporates these and the neutrals colors. Also, having the only real color be a large, monochrome rug pulls your eye down. You need to find ways to direct it back up.

- replace the two light wood chairs with darker ones - too many different colors of wood reads as clutter.

- My guess is that you buy individual objects that you like, especially lamps, and not really think about them in the overall context of your space, including whether their scale is right. I love each of the lamps individually, but I don't think that any, except the ones in the kitchen, are right where they are.

- (re) move the little lamp over the bookcase - it just doesn't work in on that wall and it draws your eye towards an upper wall cluttered with utilties.

- the paper lantern bothers me, although that might just be the photos. What will it be centered on when all the furniture moving is done?

- the lamp on the dining table is great - but not there. It is too small and, because it is so interesting, it draws the eye to it but then your eye has nowhere to go.

Finally, I would consider replacing the dark wood shades with something translucent that more closely matches the walls - maybe UV filtration shades, which are very clean looking, although with limited privacy. These dark shades draw your eye in ways that disrupt the visual flow.

taureg,
-agree with walls. dressing up sofa
-light wood chairs are gone once we have a good layout. agreed.
-agree with small wall sconce.
-disagree on Noguchi paper lamp. it works, especially against a hard concrete ceiling. agree that it needs to be centered on whatever we decide on.
-lamp on dining table is just waiting for a place to go. it bugs my wife also.
-agree about shades. i was trying to warm up the room which is naturally cold with concrete everywhere.

other patrick,
-thanks. i half expect someone to suggest gluing the dining room table to the ceiling.
-i guess the bookcase is a compromise of sorts with a toddler. it really needs to be heavy at the bottom and i can't have curios or anything like that.
-i think you just want me to sell the tool chest on craigslist so you can scoop it up for a song!

widmerpool,

my living room has some similar issues (many doors & window openings, not enough wall space) but once i realized furniture did not have to go against the wall, that really freed me up to play around with the furniture arrangement. esp my desk, now instead of having it against the wall, it butts up against the back of the sofa.

re: the tool chest repurposed for bills. i needed filing storage in my living room and ended up buying leather storage ottomans on overstock so they act as seating and also hold files. in case you do take other patrick's advice... since you have a toddler, you could have one for bills & one to keep toys in...

Consider a white desk height Bisely multidrawer unit for your bills http://www.bisleyusa.com/multidrawer.htm - and look around their site for other designs which are visually cleaner. Not fabulous but with lots of 2 - 3" drawers, wildly functional - and probably heavy enough not to tip easily if a toddler grabs it.

Another option would be to see if you could remove some books from a shelf in the bookcase and use that space to store bills in translucent white plastic boxes - not as convenient as having something next to your desk but a way to visually clean up part of the book case and have a place for bills. Muji sells them as does the Container Store - but they don't have the letter size on their site http://www.containerstore.com/browse/Product.jhtml?searchId=8982517&itemIndex=81&CATID=226&PRODID=10016537

To warm up the space, consider painting it Italian teracotta, which has a slight peach tone and would integrate the rug. My loft is that color and everyone loves it.

Another option for your bills or stray toys is to find a dark brown rectangular woven or leather basket that fits and under your coffee table. I have a similiar table next to my chair and found a great basket at Crate & Barrel in which I stash all sorts of things.

thanks for the tips, taureg. i like the look of the bisley drawers.

still thinking the bookshelf is a good place for...books (with some objects mixed in).

other patrick,

is this the kind of thing you were thinking? I looked up arranging books:

"Having spent five years in publishing, my bookshelves were always a mess until I followed the publishing world's own system: organise by format/size. There are only about five or six. So mass-market paperbacks - small, fat, gold embossed writing (haven't got many, honest) - are all A formats and stored at the top, along with any small gift formats; B formats (literary fiction paperbacks mostly) follow in the middle, and hardbacks come next (can't remember their names) in size order. All the odd, oversize books are at the bottom of the shelves, helpfully weighing them down..."

The bookshelf is a nice piece. If you do keep it on that wall, I think it would look even better if it was up on feet (of about the height of the baseboard). I think Ikea sells metal legs about that height. Assuming of course that it will still be child-safe...

wow lots of comments
I personally would take the TV Stand and the bookshelf, get rid of both, and do a nice 'built in' looking wakll unit that will hold the tv and equipment and be surrounded with books-you can use Ikea's prefab units and combine them to make the most out of that one large wall where the bookcase is now....leave the sofa where it is( but pull it into the room a bit so it's touching the area rug, put the two chairs side by side ( with a small table in between) on the wall where the computer is- and relocate the computer to the corner where the TV is now- in a pinch that computer table can become extra seating or a buffet for dinner party's...I would invest in a nice coffeetable to tie everything together, perhaps a mid mod piece( noguchi?) but in a lighter wood to tie in with the table and computer desk- even invest in some new dining chairs, preferably in white!!

bball,

great comments. there's a lot of AT "momentum" towards something similar to your suggestion, at least as far as the basic layout.

coffee table is not ideal but kid friendly.

i think the white chair idea is very good. those light brown ones are leftovers.

FWIW, here's a friend's view. She's an architect and I thought she explained her reasoning well. I posted her drawing on the flickr site.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/21124725@N00/sets/72157600286297491/

"Reference my crappy little sketch.
What would you think of putting the bookcase in front of the balcony window? This plays a little with the transparency of the bookcase, engages that wall as usable space, but still allows for the rest of the layout to take advantage of the view. It should also preserve the books since it won't' have direct sunlight on them through the balcony. It would create a great path from the balcony door to the bedroom door as well. I personally like having bookshelves in a living room to anchor a layout and use storage as décor. You see that in our place with our Ikea Lack shelving. :) After that, the rest is easy. Move the TV so the wall that previously held the bookshelves is no longer so solid, a move that starts to open up the visual circulation to the kitchen and entryway. Pull the sofa in on the rug to create a more centered sitting area and allow for circulation behind it, and to possibly avoid the sense of it being squished by the low big windows. I think these windows will do much better if they have open wall around them to frame their shape. (You might also be able to play with the lamp orientation here too.) Split the chairs to opposite sides of the rug. That'll open your living space right there in two ways: by creating a formal layout for "living area TV" just by adjacency, but luckily there's so much space between the coffee table / chairs and the TV that it works as a corridor to the bedroom, play space, sitting on the floor, or just space for milling around. You could pull over the bench from the dining table to close off the sitting area opposite the sofa for entertaining larger parties (where you theoretically wouldn't use the TV). And finally, the wall between the windows is now freed up for the desk - a perfect framed setting for that piece, so it will actually look like a piece! Takes advantage of natural light from the windows too, without the direct glare. Put the toolbox in the corner next to the desk so it's accessible - I would not make this a prominent item in the room, but it needs to be anchored in a corner or something (I'd probably shift the dining table toward the kitchen a smidgen too, so it's not on top of everything). You should be able to wheel it out if you need to get into it."

Have you thought of putting the paper lantern over the dining room table, dropped further, so it would pull your eye towards it? Having it in the center of the room moves your eye up instead of across. It is hard to tell from the photos but the size of the lantern might work very well in the dining area.

I have 11' ceilings in my loft so I know what a challenge lighting and proportion are - I bought 3 Drink floor lamps in shiny white, which makes them much less visually intrusive. They also come as wall sconces. Ylighting has the best prices, by far http://www.ylighting.com/olr-rot-drink-f.html

I don't mean to harp on the lantern - it is great - it is just that the idea of moving it floated into my mind's eye so I thought that I would share it with you.

taureg,

that's a really good idea about the noguchi lamp. it's just in it's "easiest" spot right now, hanging down from the electrical box. it's lower than it looks in the pictures. you might be right that it will look even better lower.

would you even have a pendant over the living space if the noguchi goes over the DR table? of just use floor and task lighting?

you've more than earned that Amazon gift certificate (although 20 other people did as well...).

ATAdam@mac.com

i'm still puzzled by how to approach the "messy bookshelf". i agree but it's not like i only buy Taschen books or antique books. should i be boxing some of the books or just putting storage at the bottom for an anchor?