Friday, October 1, 2010

Library Nook

The recent addition of a book column to this blog shows how much our style is influenced and inspired by our collection of art, history, and design books. We hope you’ll enjoy hearing about some of our select favorites and maybe even find a new volume to add to your own library at home.


Not only are our books one of our favorite sources of design inspiration but one of our best-loved design elements as well. The rhythm of all those colorful spines filling the antique mahogany bookcase lends warmth and richness to this little library nook.


The green and burgundy hues of the fresh hydrangea echo the muted shades in the mid-century vintage print behind them. Looking down over the scene from a shabby antique palm frond corbel bracket is a charming Chinese porcelain figure of a child with a large gilded fish. Contributing to the gilded theme are an unusual gold gilt rococo scroll mirror and a carved wood corbel bracket.


The top of the bookcase provides a perch for a small famille rose porcelain table lamp a contrast in proportion to the pair of over-sized ox-blood red Chinese porcelain jars beside it. Finally it would seem every library no matter how small should have at least one classical bust, here ours is displayed with a tiny Victorian print overlapping a larger antique English print on the wall behind.

Photos and styling by KS&D.