apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I do the same thing in my studio apartment - but the expedit is white.

Me too. I lowered my bed and got the smaller expedit in white and laid it on its longer side. It is not as distinct a separation, but in a room that is less than 200 square feet, the large expedit was just too much. I put a lamp and a bunch of framed photos along the top to add a little more visual separation. Definitely helped.

that is a wonderful bookshelf. does anyone know the name or vendor that sells the primary bookshelf?

my place is way too narrow for the 5x5 and 4x4 expedit shelves, but the smaller one might just work in my place.

I'm thinking switching my bookshelves to act as a room divider too, but I am concerned that the bright light hitting the spines directly will cause fading. Has anyone had this happen?

Sholwa - if you are referring to the bookshelf next to the bed, it's from Ikea and is part of the Expedit series. It comes in different sizes and colours and can be placed on its side, as well. I believe the other, narrower shelf is also from Ikea.

Enmnm - are you referring to your book covers fading? Mine do fade a lot in the sun, so I've started rotating them. I do the same with inexpensive prints I have hanging if I don't want to invest in fade-proof glass with frames. You could make inexpensive book covers out of paper.

It's the Ikea Expedit.

And I love this layout. I can't wait to get my Expedit for my office (in white and not a room divider though). It's been WAY too long since I had a proper bookshelf.

Love the prints on the walls too.

is this apt in the contest? if not, it should be!

i was just thinking the same about it being in the small cool contest! i think its great!

I agree. It should be in the apt contest. I love the reading area. Genius!

I agree. A great candidate for Small Cool! I enjoy all the prints and the black lamp behind the reading chair.

Meg's apartment is actually going to be featured on Monday at http://rearrangeddesign.blogspot.com

Great apartment ! Where is the little loveseat from?

If you need to separate the bed from the rest of the studio, this is a great solution. It also provides space that probably could not be found otherwise for keeping books. However, my own preference would be to integrate the bed and living areas, especially in this case where both spaces are a tad claustrophobic.

Hey, guys! Meg here...thank you so much for all the compliments!

First, please be sure to check out the house tour on Ana's blog on Monday - she's going to share a ton of cool shots, too. http://rearrangeddesign.blogspot.com. (Ana's blog is pretty awesome in general - see, for instance, the Eames lounger she found on the side of the road. Lucky girl.)

@emnmn: i haven't had trouble with the spines fading, but i've only just started keeping books on the side facing the windows. something to keep in mind, for sure.

@JasmineIsDomestic: the narrower bookshelf is actually two stacking shelves from the container store! i do have some ikea billy bookshelves in full effect in the sleeping area and the kitchen, though.

@sassydo: the loveseat is from crate&barrel. i bought it when i moved in about three years ago, and recently covered it with a slipcover i had made through etsy's alchemy feature (no space for a sewing machine chez moi, sadly).

What is the sq footage of your studio? This is really lovely. I'm even more motivated to live in a studio. Keep things simple in life : )

My only problem with using an Expedit as a room divider comes from its width -- my space is so small I need every inch. I've fantasized about sawing it in half, because I have a rich inner life.

I've thought of doing this, but moving two sets of four-stack oak barristers is not a small task, and I'd need to be sure. I've also thought about the concern raised by Usbek de Perse.

@nycbound: thank you! my studio is 350 square feet; the living space in the photos (i also have an eat-in kitchen) is about 210 sq ft. living in a small space keeps you very organized and helps you prioritize - though i wouldn't mind a guest room. :-)

I have those stacking cases from the Container Store. I love them!

I am really concerned about fading, so what I think I am going to do is to buy some fancy paper and cover my books. Of course, this will no doubt irritate half of the AT community who will not like that my bookshelves will be color coordinated...but that's ok. I intend to label the new covers, anyway. This will also be an inexpensive way for me to play with the field of bookarts without investing in book rebinding tools!

Meg, I think I'm going to paint my white shelves dark like yours. I thought when I bought them that the white would be better since I have a small place. But yours is smaller and the dark wood looks just fantastic!

What a great use of such a small space; I love how the books are used to break it up into rooms. And that chair next to the bookspace sure looks cozy!

Agree that this should also be in the contest!

Two thoughts.

One, I think if the shelves were white (it would be a lot of trouble to cchange these, but someone else starting out might just BUY white...) more light would bounce thru the shelves from the windows. (It makes a great room divider, but the reading side is kind of dark.) I wonder if lining the inside walls of the cubes with something reflective like silver contact paper would also help with that -- it could just be done on the upper sections...)

Two, Expedits are pretty deep, so you could have books on one side and books (or something else) on the other side, "back to back" so to speak. So even if you need "every inch" you could get double duty out of the storage.

It should not pass without mentioning that placing a free standing bookshelf beside your bed in Los Angeles is a bad idea. One shake from even a moderate quake would send that shelf crashing down on the occupants when they are least able to react and get out of the way. As an earthquake can strike at any moment (Northridge hit at 4:30am), the odds are greatest that you will be in one of those places where you spend the most time: at the office or in bed. Unless you have a really cushy job, you are only unconscious and unable to react at one of those locations.

Take particular care with earthquake safety issues as they relate to the bedroom. You spend at least 25-33% of your day there.

Where did you get the great bedding?

Thanks, Richard. I wonder about many of the CA posts for just that reason!

I have done the exact same thing in my study desk on one side reading nook on the other

@Somethingpi: the duvet cover and pillow shams are pottery barn's pearl embroidered (the shams are monogrammed) in pink. (like all white bed linens, they look about ten times better/less wrinkled in person, i promise!) i'm not sure if they're still making that color, though. the throw pillows are from marimekko!

I was going to buy the 'Expedit' bookcase to divide the space in my studio but then I read RichardinLA's post. Now I have a crippling fear of this bookcase being the last thing that I see when the 'big one' hits. It does come with some type of anti-topple hardware but I think it's only for when the case is directly against the wall. Dammit California! So I guess it's plan B, unless anyone knows how to secure it correctly?