To: The Initial Landlord
hi...
just an update on the bookshelf. i set up the first one, and...see, if the thing you're interested in is the aesthetic appeal of the shelves, i don't think the bookshelf is a good solution. i think it's also a little less functional than it could be.
there's a picture attached. the other unit is still in the box. a few things,
1) the squareness of the shelf draws attention to the wobbly corner.
2) the units are meant to be stacked, but you can't really do that here because of the baseboards. so, screwing it into the wall (i didn't do that) would tilt the shelf back. if you lift it up, it just looks crooked.
3) otherwise, because the bookshelf is a lot smaller than the corner, it really looks out of place.
4) the nature of a book shelf in that corner itself looks sort of jagged and out of place.
i'll be honest: from an aesthetic perspective, i think the l-brace approach would look better.
that being said, i think if you wanted to go with something like this in that corner then a stackable *corner* shelving unit (rather than a regular shelving unit) would probably look good. they've got some on the boxes of the units you bought. it's the same idea, just a different shape.
HOWEVER...
...what's the difference, really, between that and what i suggested in the first place? sure, you *could* pay $100 to get some shelves to screw together. but i already have the shelves. the end result is almost exactly the same thing, except for that:
1) the wood i'm using doesn't have a lacquer and
2) the structure of the shelving unit decreases the efficiency of the shelves by taking up space.
i asked out of respect, but in all honesty i think what i was going to do would actually end up looking better. i think i plan on being in this unit for quite a long time; i wouldn't take the shelves with me (they're cut for the corner, and in total are worth around $2), and if there's a desire to lacquer them after i've left....well, that's pretty quick. honestly, that would be the only difference!
as for that shelving unit itself......do you want me to take it back apart and put it back in the box? would they accept it back after it's been screwed together?
in the picture, i've put the towel over top of the shelf to indicate how much more useful *and* aesthetic the larger shelf would be in the corner.
also note that i built the wood shelving unit in the picture beside the white one myself for around $7 in total. if it were to be lacquered, it would be identical to the one you bought at the store, no doubt for much more than $7....
j
