Previously,
So, the solution? Make it a flat surface again so we can put up bookcases. How to do that? Tables. Tables that have short, medium, and long legs. Having a wife that's a fan of the mission style of furniture, and thinking that mission style furniture looks comparitively easy to build, we had our general design.
Having finished the tables previously, the only thing left to do was build the actual shelves. And as of today, there are now shelves in place atop those tables. The same sort of style and design cues used in the tables were used for the shelves, so they would look at least somewhat like a unified piece. Additionally, the lower trim of the shelves actually descends past the bottom of the lowermost shelf, to hide the joint between the tables and the shelves. The two pieces are not permanently attached, which means that in the future, if we move, we could leave the tables which are custom-fit to the space, but take the shelves and attach small leg stubs to the bottom, making them oh-so-versatile.
So, once again, without further ado, pictures of the allegedly properly built shelves!
View of the shelves from halfway across the room
View of the left shelf from halfway across the room
View of the right shelf from halfway across the room
View of the left shelf from just in front of the doorway
Left shelf and table base
View of the right shelf from just in front of the doorway
Right shelf and table base
View of the shelves and room beyond from the raised hallway