Bookcases around fireplace problem - shallow (6"), or 12" deep?

2 years ago

Hi All,

We're remodeling our fireplace area. The initial design idea was to have the fireplace flush with the bookcases, as seen in the example inspiration photo. But there has been an error in the process (the fireplace area wasn't extended outward, or the bookcases weren't reduced in depth),

What we have now is - 6" deep fireplace area, and 12" deep bookcases. This negates the initial intent of creating the built-in look of the bookcases.

There will also be a mantle (it's the piece of wood laying across in the picture), and the idea is to have it all painted in white, with the black fireplace, and a black hearth.

So, we're thinking of options to move forward -

- keep the bookcases at 12". Have the mantle be flush with the bookcases.

- cut the bookcases to 6" deep so it's flush (but in that case, would it be practical to function for holding book in it? )

(or if anyone has any other ideas, insights or examples, that'd be great).

Thank you so much!

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Comments (4)

palimpsest
2 years ago
12" is actually kind of deep for books. if they are regular size books like novels. Most hardback books are about 7" so you could go as shallow as 8" unless you have a lot of bigger books. Measure a bunch of your books and see. It will be a lot easier to make an 8" bookshelf look more "flush" than a 12" one.
MS A thanked palimpsest
chloebud
2 years ago
^Good suggestion to measure the books. Our shelves are 9” that works nicely for our books. I know 6” wouldn’t work in our case, and 12” definitely isn’t needed. The books are all between 6 1/2” and 8 1/2” deep.
MS A thanked chloebud
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bjstem
2 years ago
The benefit of 12” is you can stack larger books horizontally, with their spines facing out…or larger vases or decorative items can be interspersed with books. If you have a lot of books and only want it to store books, 8” or 10” may be adequate for most books.
MS A thanked bjstem
MS A
Original Author
2 years ago
Thank you for the replies and comments. We measured some books, and it was indeed about 6.5". The fireplace depth is actually about 7.5", Yes, the intent was to create a library wall to store many books.