Solid wood bookcase

[zinninge]

Duane, do you have any suggestions about where I could find a decent wood bookcase? I'd like to get one for my husband's 60th birthday, which is June 19, and I don't trust any furniture stores around here, primarily because I don't know enough about furniture construction to distinguish between good and bad pieces.

So if you could point me somewhere in the McLean/Tysons/Alexandria area . . . I'm looking for something with a cherry or other dark finish that's got 3 or 4 shelves--something that will fit to the right of the fireplace. (You probably don't remember my family room, but it's where you delivered the Somerset chair with blue leather that I get about a million compliments on all the time. Even my dad loved it, and he's tough customer).

Thanks!

Lisa

[zinninge]

Duane, another thought as well. Do you have anything like this in stock?

[aaron]

I had this custom made through Duane. (A bookshelf with a drawer at the bottom).

[drcollie]

Come on down to the store! I have some of the J L Treharn units in stock that are ready to go. These two in tiger maple (I don't have any in cherry right now):

http://www.jltreharn.com/proddetail.php?prod=SBS510
http://www.jltreharn.com/proddetail.php?prod=09SGB

I could probably get John Buchanan (same craftsman who did Aaron's) to have one ready by June 19th, built to your specs - but we'd have to get moving really quickly on it as its only 4 weeks away.

[zinninge]

I think the smaller one would fit--but I will send you some pictures of the space it will go into in just a minute. Can you tell how much the smaller one costs? And how much it would be to have one custom built? I won't be able to get to your store without him knowing; I don't drive much and I want it to be a surprise.

(We had to cover our beautiful Somerset chair so the kitten wouldn't scratch it.)

The measurements are as follows: horizontally from the wall to the fireplace is 54 inches. From the floor to the top of the fireplace is 63 inches.

So do you think it would fit? (I have to look up how to add pictures!)

[zinninge]

Finally figured out how to attach pictures! One is from right after I got the Somerset chair and the other one (whose name I've forgotten). The bookcase will replace the hatbox in the pictures.

Thanks!

Lisa

[zinninge]

I keep replying to myself :-) I think I like the Buchanan word better, having read your tale of two cabinets. I like the fancier foot too. My husband loves tiger maple, so that won't be a problem.

[drcollie]

I think part of putting a bookcase in that space is volume requirements, that is - how many books do you want to keep in it? That's largely going to determine the size, and what is the DEEPEST book you want to shelve in it? Typically I like to see things flanking a fireplace in balance, but I can't see what - if anything - is on the left side of the fireplace? You don't want to have a big piece on one side and a small profile item on the other side. While you have 53" of free space there (side to side) I wouldn't want to fill it by any means, so I'm thinking more along the lines of a 48" unit if stepped, or even a 42" if its going to be a basic rectangular box. Can you take another photo and show me what's on the other side of the fireplace?

[zinninge]

I have a collection of plants on the other side because two windows are there. One plant is one a stand and the rest are on the floor. I will try to get you a picture as soon as I can without Larry noticing. None of the books will be particularly deep--nothing oversized--but it will be filled with hardbacks. Can you tell me what stepped is?

[drcollie]

OK! Since we don't have to balance the piece against the other side, I would think the bookcase should be about 42" wide, 54" high and 12" deep at the inside case. You don't want them to be "square" in appearance. Check those measurements and tweak as desired. Use an ogee foot to break up the box-iness and we can do a black interlace inlay below the top mold if in tiger maple or an ivory inlay if in cherry or mahogany. Simple yet elegant.