San Diego Union-Tribune (Sunday)
Grand estate
With more than 13,000 square feet of living space, this richly appointed Fairbanks Ranch estate is both grand and welcoming. The Mediterranean-inspired home has eight fireplaces, a nine-seat theater, a lavish main-floor master suite, game room with wet bar, stone-clad wine cellar, attached one-bedroom guest house and an elevator. Architectural details and craftmanship abound, including handcrafted front doors with iron scrollwork; arched, paneled doorways; an executive office with coffered wood ceilings and wood-paneled walls; and a formal living room centered around a magnificent stone fireplace. New bifold doors connect interior and exterior spaces. The family room, with its cozy wood-beamed ceiling and stone fireplace, opens to a spacious covered patio, while the living room connects to the back patio for seamless entertaining. Warm woods are also featured in the kitchen,
Homeowners are recommended to choose the same wood species they may already have in the room selected for the bookcase.
“In my own home, I created a bookcase using white oak, which harmonizes par ticularly well with similar wood in my home of fice,” Dangaran said. “Maintaining a consistent look and proportions contributes to the feeling of an enveloping, intentional design.”
Likewise, if you have stained woodwork/trim in the room, it’s best to stain your built-in bookcase the same color and sheen; if your woodwork is painted, choose the same paint hue for your cabinet/bookcase.
“Or you can choose to paint the built-in a contrasting color to make it visually pop,” Putzier suggested. “For an even more unique look, consider wallpapering the back of the built-in shelves.”
Crafting a built-in bookcase won’t be cheap; expect to pay from $300 to $500 for a DIY project to a few thousand dollars if you hire a pro and opt for lots of fine detail, according to Putzier.
“Since your space will dictate a custom piece, the price can range vastly based on the size and materials you go with. For example, a bookcase or cabinet that takes up an entire wall would be a lot more expensive than one that occupies a small corner, which would be more affordable,” Ham noted.