Advertisement

This "Library Bedroom" Is Full of Genius Small-Space Ideas

Photo credit: Nathan Schroder Photoghraphy
Photo credit: Nathan Schroder Photoghraphy

From House Beautiful

"Helping a collector downsize is no easy task," admits designer Joshua Pickering. But that was the exact challenge he faced when a longtime client decided to relocate from his house to an apartment in downtown Dallas. The square footage was significantly smaller—"about half the size," says Pickering—but the client wasn't planning to part with many of his beloved books, art, and antiques.

Photo credit: Nathan Schroder Photoghraphy
Photo credit: Nathan Schroder Photoghraphy

Pickering's solution? Design around them, incorporating the objects into the new apartment and creating custom features to maximize the small space. The strategy is most evident in the bedroom.

Photo credit: Nathan Schroder Photoghraphy
Photo credit: Nathan Schroder Photoghraphy

"I was over at his old home, meeting with him, and he had this huge collection of leather-bound books," Pickering recalls. "And the living room, dining room, and kitchen at the new apartment are all kind of an open concept, so there wasn't a place for them. But the bedroom had this one-foot space from the windows to the wall, so I had the idea to fill that in with shelves and make a library bedroom."

Pickering collaborated with a millworker to devise built-ins that spanned the entire wall, surrounding the bed. The client's collection of vintage books became a sort of wallcovering, adding texture to what was once a white box room.

"There weren't a lot of architectural details," says the designer.

Not only do the shelves function as storage for books, they also sub in for nightstands. "The bedroom had only so much room for furniture," says Pickering. "Adding a nightstand wasn't practical because it would add depth, so you'd have to climb to get to the top of the bed." Plus, a piece of furniture next to the bed would block the drawers Pickering had built into the custom leather frame.

Photo credit: Nathan Schroder Photoghraphy
Photo credit: Nathan Schroder Photoghraphy

So, he designed pull-out shelves at the same height a nightstand would be, insetting them with leather to stylistically tie them into the bed and books. The lower shelves are tricked out with outlets for charging any devices overnight. In lieu of bedside lamps, Pickering installed sconces—an option he prefers for any bedroom.

"What I like about sconces, as opposed to table lamps, is they're always within arm's reach," says the designer.

Photo credit: Nathan Schroder Photoghraphy
Photo credit: Nathan Schroder Photoghraphy

By saving space near the bed, Pickering was able to carve out a seating area in the room's bay window. "Having a comfortable place to sit in the bedroom was important," he says. A table with a carved base and Edward Wormley chairs with airy wicker backs can go in the bay window without blocking the view.

Meanwhile, "the taller curtains distract from the low ceilings and the fact that the windows are a little awkward," says Pickering.

The designer carried the color palette of the bedroom—and its small-space tricks—throughout the rest of the home, where he paneled walls in walnut to give a depth that compensates for their small scale. "I tried to make it feel like a jewel box," he says.

Photo credit: Nathan Schroder Photoghraphy
Photo credit: Nathan Schroder Photoghraphy

Follow House Beautiful on Instagram.

You Might Also Like