visions of a library

travelin' oma assignment number seven (sort of... none of the assignments required writing, but i wanted to write a little bit more about the topic)

"I don’t know whether our heavenly home has a television set or a DVD machine, but in my mind’s imagery it surely has a grand piano and a magnificent library. "
- douglas l. callister, your refined heavenly home, BYU devotional address, september 19, 2006-

we are a long ways off from building our own home, but randy and i already know that it will have a library in it and have talked for hours about what it would look and feel like in an ideal world. we have also envisioned and drawn out smaller scale versions, just in case we have to tone it down. hopefully, this is not the case.

tall bookshelves, made of dark wood, line the walls of our library, only breaking for the large windows that let in loads of natural light. ideally, the library is actually two stories tall and there is a catwalk that goes around the second floor level, accessible by a small staircase and supported by beautiful pillars, also made of dark wood with beautiful marbling. rolling ladders provide access to those hard to reach books at the tops of the shelves.

there are large couches in the middle of the library, resting on a large rug that rests on top of a dark hardwood floor (notice a pattern?). these couches are perfect for swallowing you up as you lose yourself in a book. cozy quilts are draped over the back of the couches for quick access. there is also a reading nook in the corner with built in seating that is lower to the ground, perfect for small children to nestle into and turn the pages of children's books, or have someone read to them. of course, the shelves surrounding this nook house all of the children's books.

in the middle of the couches, sits not a coffee table, but a full-sized table, surrounded by chairs. it is a thick table, sturdy, and made of (you guessed it) dark wood. perfect for stacks of books waiting to be explored, space to spread out maps of the world and plan your next adventure, or on a less thrilling afternoon, to sit and do homework at. artwork would pour onto blank canvases at this table and grand ideas would be exchanged among those who grace its presence.

the library wouldn't be complete without a globe tucked in some corner and a dictionary stand, providing easy access for increasing one's vocabulary. have i mentioned the grand piano that is a permanent fixture in the library?

somehow, i picture our library being a high traffic place, yet peaceful. is this all sounding impossibly unreasonable yet? our children will come and go often, hopefully preferring the library experience to that of a television.

someday, i hope to have some version of this library as a reality in my home. i realize that it is going to be expensive, but i am willing to give up nicer things elsewhere in my home to have my dream library. i don't need shiny appliances or granite countertops in my kitchen, just a beautiful home for my books and those who wish to get lost in them.