As stated in an earlier post today, the PrairieMod Squad has a special place in their hearts for books. So much so, that I elected to build-out an unused room in my house as the official spot for the PrairieMod library. It was an excellent chance to take an under-utilized space and apply some thoughtfulness to its design and function---PrairieMod principles in action! It wasn't easy, though. One of the biggest challenges was confronting how to make an extremely small room multifunctional in its use, with the least amount of wasted space possible. This is where the idea of "Integrate and Unify" became especially useful. For the last two PrairieMod Monday posts this month, we'll look at how this particular principle helped in figuring out how to make a small library not turn into a giant headache.
The room chosen to be the PrairieMod library is the smallest of three bedrooms in my house. It's about 9' x 9' or so--not exceptionally large. It had been languishing as kind of a pseudo-office that really didn't get much use. When it was decided to make it the library, I wanted to put up as much shelf space as possible, while still leaving enough room to sit and leisurely examine books. Since I used to have a futon in the room as well, (it was a 2nd guest room of sorts) it would also be nice to have some sort of sleeping option available. I was asking a lot of this space and I knew it--yet, I felt if there was a creative way to make these different uses work, principles would guide the way.
The project turned out to be an excellent exercise in the application of PrairieMod principles. I ended up using all 10 principles in the design and execution of the room. One principle in particular came in extremely handy in this project--the principle of "Integrate and Unify." Why? Well, when you are dealing with small spaces and small budgets, the more you're able to integrate multiple uses and unify the various elements in a room into the least amount of space and pieces, the greater the result. Case in point: furniture.
I wanted a lot of multiple use applications out of this one room. In addition to being a place to store a vast amount of books, I also wanted a place to sit and read, a place to lay things out on to examine, a place to set drinks, decorative decor, etc. and a place to lay down for a nap. So how do I put a couple of chairs, a coffee table, an end table and a daybed into a small room without it looking like a storage pod? It's all about integration!
I figured out from reading up on small home designs by Frank Lloyd Wright and other Prairie School architects that they frequently made use of built-in furniture to allow for more space to be used for living. With this in mind, I decided to build-in a bench seat that also doubled as a day bed along one wall of the room. At the end of the bench/bed is a built-in drink table with a shelf for books or pottery to live. I ended up taking care of chairs, a daybed and an end table in one fell swoop while using a minimum of space--all by integrating them as an integral part of the room itself. As an extra bonus, the bench/bed has storage space in it for assorted things that need storing. Finally, I made a proportionately sized free-standing table to place things on. In the end, instead of 5 or 6 pieces of furniture I end up with 2--all thanks to following a single principle.
In next week's post, we'll look at how to apply "Integrate and Unify" when dealing with lighting, shelving and the all important finishing touches. I'll also post some photos of the finished results so that you can get a visual idea of how principles in action can look!
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