When you love books as much as I do, and are interested in as many subjects and genres, they become a huge part of your life. I'm inclined to believe as Bunny Williams does, that books are friends. If you are a bibliophile, and you've ever had to cull your books, you know what I'm talking about. It's very hard. I learn a little something from every book, whether it puts me in a particular frame of mind, recalls a similar instance in my life, or transports me to a completely different place and time, books are escape, books are adventure. I simply cannot imagine a world without books. Like Burgess Meredith's portrayal of Henry Bemis in the Twilight Zone episode "Time Enough At Last" , I covet time to read. There never seems to be enough, though I read quite a bit. When the H-Bomb hits, and everyone but Bemis is wiped out, and he finds the public library, he is delighted....all the books he could want and all the time to read them in....then he steps on his glasses! "It isn't fair..." he cries. Brother, I know. My only fear is losing my vision enough not to be able to read and ending up in a nursing home with no books!
I've always wanted my own library. Not just any library. MY library. Now, I have no place to put such a library as exists in my head, my little shingled cottage is too small and while it's very nice, it's not grand. However, I do have such a room, and in the not too distant future, I will actually put this room together using some of these features, however scaled back. It will be my library at last. Until then, our books are in bookcases in every room.
So this is MY library. The one I'd build if money were no object. Most of our home is bright and light and pleasant and I like it that way. I favor lighter shades and tints with the occasional spot of a darker, more dramatic color. In my heart, however exists my perfect library, dark and cool, gleaming patina of mahogany and cherry, antique butternut and brass. I don't need a lot of color in this library and you may find the tones to be too similar, too brown, however the books are all the color I need. Indeed they are every color of the rainbow and beyond.
The Room
The actual room would have to be rectangular, or a great square. I've heard dining rooms are most perfect when they are squares, but I believe libraries should probably be rectangular. I'd want a fireplace, windows on either side, a couple of sets of French doors, walls of raised panels. Let's go ahead and flesh it out.
The Walls. As I said, I love raised panels. Mostly cherry wood with a Mahogany stain. Cherry has a prettier grain than some mahoganies, but I love the color of dark traditional mahogany furniture. I guess, since I am going to be choosing some darker furniture, I'll go with some medium toned walls. Bunny Williams features a man's dressing room in her latest book, My Point Of View, where she uses a great bleached mahogany that has rather a couple of shades lighter than this room at left. I'm big on windowseats too, and I'd want one.
I saw a room like this at the Adams Family Home in Quincy Massachusetts. Abigail Adams had a wing built onto their home as the President was about to leave office. I never forgot it. Also, as you have seen in another post on libraries on this blog, I love the Stone Library on the grounds of the Adams Home, Peacefield.
The ceiling. I would want a rather high ceiling, but not a huge, vaulted one. Around 10 feet would be good. I favor coffered ceilings, and I even have a modest version in my own dining room. In a library like this, I'd be a bit more adventurous. I'd make the ceiling light, though, for the most part, due to the dark nature of the woods I'm choosing. I don't think white, but light. As you can see to the right, and in my own home, I favor either Roman shades or shutters. I like that they can let in the light, or be opened completely but can also be closed if desired. I saw a treatment in an historic house in my small town, where the walls in a great paneled room that weren't wood, were simply burlapped and painted. It was rather a grasscloth texture, and I like it a lot. Especially with about 5 coats of paint.
The Floor. I'll be getting told very soon that this room is way too dark and somber, please bear with me, as I said, I like it dark. There are more things that will be added that are light and have sparkle. Also the finish on the wood won't be High gloss, but it will have a definite sheen. The floor I'd choose would be a floor I fell in love with as a fifteen year old boy in one of my friend's house. His parents had a beautiful federal style two story Colonial Revival home. Later, they added a traditional den/library to the back of the house. I've never forgotten the floor. It was brick; very smooth brick from an old street that was dug up and replaced in town. These bricks were reddish brown and very smooth. It had a sealed appearance that was very smooth. I later found out how they managed it. The brick was set, and sealed and coated with gloss polyurethane. On top of that were many coats of oxblood wax. Over the years, the patina was what can only be described in this picture which I have manipulated (photoshop is wonderful for envisioning a mock up of a room!) Am I losing some of you ladies that I know read my blog?
Fireplace. I can't imagine a library without a fireplace. What could be more comfortable than a crackling fire as you relax and read in a very comfortable chair? Maybe a nice glass of brandy, too? I'm open to different styles, wood or stone, but I'd probably pick something like this for it's mellow color. I know that gas logs are more practical, and I could do that anywhere else in a house, but not in a library. I'd just have to have wood. Any time I've imagined this fantasy library, and I have many times over the years, little changes in it. I used to want a Chesterfield sofa, but I don't care for the button tufted look anymore. The one thing that has remained constant is my desire for a library with a fireplace. There is a chance of having one in mine, but at present, it's not a certainty. I'm sure hoping to.
The Rug. Now I'll add something a bit lighter. As I said before, I'd havee a lot of color in the books, I'd certainly add some color accessories, but I don't want a bright colorful rug in a library. I want soothing tones. I'd pick a wheaten colored rug of Persian style. Something very aged and perhaps a little bare here and there. No harm in that, as long as it is clean and serviceable. I like this faded design very much. As there is more dark wood coming, I need a light base. With two windows and a couple of sets of French doors, there's plenty of light for whatever is needed.
The Chandelier. No crystal here. No brass even. I've become interested in Tole painting and have acquired an affinity for Tole Painted lighting. I saw one today that I think two large ones in this style and color would be good with the rug and the dark colors. They would have to be fairly large. In a vaulted ceiling, I'd use brass lanterns or tole lanterns, but since I want the room to be cozy, with a 10 ft ceiling, I think these would work best. One in seating area and another one over a library table. I was in Expo the other day and I'm probably in the minority, but there were some horrible hybrid modern and traditional chandeliers. I believe I'd stick to an antique chandelier.
Furniture. When I was a child, and accompanied my Mother or Father to the Doctor's office, we'd enter a world that forever imprinted on me. The doctor's wife was a very stylish woman and she furnished his office in a very traditional, very masculine way. Leather furniture, mahogany and fruitwood tables, wing chairs and knotty pine tongue & groove paneling that had been stained a sort of butternut color, not the orange that pine can weather to. She also had botanical prints and maps. The die was cast. To this day, this is my favored style of furniture and decor. So, for this room I'd choose wonderful leather furniture in a brandy or whiskey color.
Surprised? You shouldn't be. I love this color of leather and just a bit of nailhead trim. I could do some serious napping....er reading on this sofa. Ok, there'd be some serious napping too. I think I'd have to probably have to have a couple of cashmere throws. Perhaps some camel or Navy, or even a red and black and green tartan plaid. I like that a lot. I'd have to work some tartan in because of my love for the Ralph Lauren library in Katonah, New York. His library is a huge inspiration.
A club chair and an ottoman for serious reading. A little different, an English arm instead of a rolled arm. I think they are more comfortable to rest your arms on. I've always loved club chairs. When I was lucky enough to rate a seat in one we had, I always liked to grab a book. I was as apt to be found sitting in it sideways as I was with my feet on the floor. It was big, overstuffed and very comfy. Why my parents sold that chair is a mystery to me. At the end of this fantasy piece, I'll tell you which things I am going to do in my actual room, and this chair is one of them. I'm not going to post every lamp for this room, but I'd have a floor lamp on the order of the other ones I will post. Likely I would use a white or off-white shade for the floor lamp to cast a good light on the books. I am not much for parchment colored shades, and this room would be dark enough.
Built in Bookcases would of course line the room. This IS a library. They would be the same wood as the walls, but with an interior of painted wood. Like Bunny Williams, I'd paint the inside of my bookcases red for a little flair. On the bookcase dividers, I'd use Robert Abbey's David Easton designed brass sconces with square red leather frames, to cast a light on the bookcases and for general illumination. I can just see these bathing the books in light and showing off their jazzy red shades. I can't stand to try and look for books in the dark, I know pretty much where my books are, but I want to be able to read them. At the present, I use small craftsman style extension lights tucked into shelves to cast a glow downward. The lighting in a library is of utmost important, and it should be in any home reading situation.
Desk and Table. In our home, we have a very large tiger oak round pedestal table that was my sister's. We use this not only as a dining room table, but since our dining room has bookcases and a window seat, I do a lot of work on this table. So much so, that it will most likely go to my library when it's done in a smaller version in my now den. I can actually use a smaller desk, but I like to have room to lay out my project, a laptop, whatever I am working on. In this room though, I'd feature a long Mahogany table that could be used for all manner of research and projects. I'd pick a large table as well, because I think it would be great to have dinners in this room. I love books, and can see no reason why a special occasion could not feature a gathering at the table. I love this table for both it's mahogany and it's huge turned legs. I'd pick very thick Windsor or captain's chairs to go with this table, not higher than the table itself. To preserve the f
inish on this table, I'd likely have either green or red baise cloths made for it. As for the desk....I'd carry the red theme to it as well and use this very large desk. First of all, I love partner's desks, and I like leather tops. I think this desk is one of the most impressive I've seen. These desks have kneeholes on either side and very large, deep drawers on both sides. I think it would be very convenient to have all my bills and business documents in one side and to use the other side for personal correspondence or to keep my laptop in it. I'm really not a fan of computers sitting around on desks, but it is what it is, so I wouldn't take GREAT pains t
o hide it.
I'd probably try to find a Tole desk lamp to coordinate with the ceiling fixtures, or perhaps in a black. But at the risk of being too matchy-matchy, I love Robert Easton's desk lamp that matches the sconces. But a green shaded desk lamp would look sensational as well. Since the desk has red leather, the lamp might be too much, but I like it so here it is. I think you'd need two, but these are also available from Robert Abbey with four candle models. As I said, perhaps a black or a green shade would look better. This is the only room I'd ever consider having brass in. As a rule I do not like anything gold toned. I don't have anything in my home brass or gold with the exception of two Robert Abbey Obelisk lamps that I couldn't get in satin nickel. However, maybe I'm in my dotage, because this brass and red is very pretty. It's just a personal quirk.
Accessories. A library like this, HAS to have a very large floor globe. There are some vintage ones from the 20's & 30's that are much prettier globes than what we have today with the greenish areas for water instead of today's bright blue, but I'd have to have a current globe. (And atlases). One of the things I'd have a lot of on the walls would be nautical map engravings. I also collect Pond Yachts and have a really pretty wood and ebony color one. I love and have always wanted many ships models. I think a few very nice ones would be very appropriate for this room. Martha Stewart's Maine House, Skylands als
o features these antique pewter bookstands on tripod legs for displaying all manner of very large vintage books, such as rare botanicals. They are being sold at an alarming rate for their bookplates, but I'd love to collect some bird or botanical books and display them on these stands as well as a very large print dictionary that could sit on one. I need easy access to a good dictionary. I'd want to have a beautiful brass telescope if I had a view of land, but they are so beautiful in and of themselves, I'd have to have one anyway. For other accessories, I'd add some antique cobalt pieces that I have collected over the years, including tall cobalt hurricane lamps. I'd also add leather boxes for all my photographs that I've taken and inherited.
Well, this is pretty much my dream library. Thanks for letting me indulge my dream on this page. Several people in the blog community have been doing dream registries and rooms, so I thought it was a good idea to have a little fun. It's probably a bit much, a bit too dark for a lot of people, but I'd gladly pass a lot of time in a room like this. I intend to have the raised paneled walls and some bookcases in my smaller scale room, and I want a club chair just like is pictured above, with an ottoman. I want a table in this room as well, and we could use a larger table in the dining room, although this one makes a bigger table. I'll also try to use some of these ideas, scaled back for the size room.
Happy Reading. In closing, I'd like to add inscription from a vintage stained glass window from a home in my town, now long demolished. The inscription read: Old Books To Read - Old Friends to Love, I believe I'd have to share that sentiment in my library, perhaps in a needlepoint pillow. HAPPY READING!
Soft padded rectilinear forms and a well balanced design characterise the Carmel contemporary leather sofa. The Carmel’s modern form stretches across the room providing ample space on which to stretch out, while the geometric style complements contemporary furniture. Long rectangles of quilted ruddy leather wrap around the low rise seat, while smooth cushions gleam with sensual silky warm leather. It invites you to onto its sophisticated elegance, to recline and relax. Framed by sweeping armrests that wrap around each corner, the Carmel mixes textures beneath its smooth leather. Hard defined arms, padded large cushions and a soft quilted seat allow a variety of textures within a single material. By using these subtle textures, Casa Nova creates a contemporary sofa of elegant sensual beauty.
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