Library – Making it Lovely

I Almost Love the Library’s Vintage Floor Lamps

I’d been wanting a pair of swing-arm lamps to flank the black and white striped sofa in the library. The room needed more lighting on that end, and something with a little height.

I knew exactly which ones I wanted: Visual Comfort’s Dorchester Swing-Arm Floor Lamps. The whole Dorchester line is perfect down to every little detail! Aged brass, black tapered shades, cutely oversized ball finials, and the classic candlestick. Perfect. The lamps would have been about $1500 for the pair though, and while they are well-made and beautifully designed, that was a lot more than I was looking to spend. (Honestly, the kids knocked over the floor lamp that used to be in the library and I had visions of the same thing happening to far more expensive ones. The kids aren’t usually destructive, but they like to play behind the sofa like it’s a secret fort and accidents happen.)

I looked for less expensive alternatives. The problem is that I get picky about the details. I couldn’t find anything for under $100 that I wanted to buy. The lamps I did like enough to consider were in the $250-400 (each) range, and they would have needed different shades on top of that.

I searched for vintage lamps, too. I found a lot of great single lamps, but a pair was harder. A few months went by before I found what I was looking for on FB Marketplace… or close enough. All of that self-professed pickiness? I suppose I can overlook some pretty major differences if the price is right. $50 for the pair meant I could overlook a lot.

I can rattle off all the things I don’t love about them. The shades show some wear, I’m not crazy about the finials, and the candlesticks are more yellow than I’d like. The swirly bit is not my thing, nor is the octagonal base. That brass is some bright ‘80s brass. And functionally, I wanted a swing-arm.

But they do what I need them to do in the room. The overall effect is nice, adding height to the room and the extra lighting we needed. They already came with black tapered shades, and that black does add a necessary punctuation mark against a backdrop of pastel pink. The brass and candlestick elements are there even if not done exactly to my liking. And they’re unique! (Ha, that sounds like such a put-down. They’re so… unique.)

Would the other lamps look better? Yes. Does the difference bother me enough to swap them out? Nope.

October 26, 2018

Double Rugs for the Double Parlor

The library and living room got an update!

Matching rugs, finally! This has been the vision from the beginning, but I messed around, experimenting with every other possible variation. Annie Selke has provided products in the past for my One Room Challenge spaces, and while I didn’t need a new rug for my ORC office, I was excited about working with them to get the double parlor settled. I ordered samples of different options I had been considering. Some were more colorful and some more plush, but I kept coming back to the classic greek key tufting of the Beekman rug in semolina, a great golden/wheat neutral.

I love color and a big, bold moment, but that’s not what I wanted here. The two spaces needed to be unified with something soft and understated. Quietly luxe.

The details in the Beekman rugs make these feel really special. They come in a handful of other colors, but obviously this one is my favorite. Plus it’s 100% wool, so the rugs will stand up to the kids and pets (we still have the guinea pigs and one cat, and when we’re ready, maybe another dog someday).

My rug design for Annie Selke will be available next year (!), and I’m looking forward to incorporating it into a room. For this space though, the tone on tone tufting and classic style is just right.

There are still things to do in here. I want to address the windows (hello, curtain rods that I hung forever ago!). The art could be more layered, especially in the library. The coffee table is not my favorite, the styling of the fireplace mantel could use some work, and I want to bring in more pattern. But overall it’s feeling really good. I like how it has evolved over time to come together.

These matching rugs are a giant step in the right direction. (Thank you, Annie Selke.) The whole first floor feels much more polished and beautiful.

October 26, 2017

Pink Skirted Library Chairs

I had thought that the round Dawson table made its way here sometime in the past year, but looking back through my archives I see that it arrived mid-2015. So I’ve been looking for chairs for the library for a year and a half. (I mean, it’s not like I would wake up everyday and search, but on and off for sure.)

Then I came across these Nate Berkus skirted slipper chairs at Target. I had been thinking of going with a skirted chair, but most were a bit more than I was hoping to spend. Restoration Hardware has beautiful options. Ballard Designs offered several, including with an interesting camelback design. Even IKEA’s skirted Parsons chair was a contender, with or without a new slipcover, though the shape wasn’t interesting enough to persuade me.

I Photoshopped the new Target chairs into my mockup file, thought about it for a day or two, then placed my order. (You’ve seen this mockup before, with different options. These lights and sconces, and now chairs, have all been made reality.)

Of course, in between ordering the chairs and waiting for them to arrive, a new contender entered the ring.

SO PRETTY. But really, I’ve gone down the road of those metallic legs before. That was my biggest dislike with these temporary chairs in the space. Still, very tempting, West Elm!

Anyway. I mentioned on Instagram that I chose these chairs for several reasons:

the right shade of pink (blush, on the peachy side)
skirted, to break up the leggy furniture and all of the wood in the room
slipcovered (hello, three messy children)
the right size and scale, and the back has an interesting details
they fit my budget (I cashed out credit card points to buy them)

I’m always thinking I should sell the striped sofa because it’s too big for the space, but I do love it. There are other changes I’d like to see in the room, but I’m open to serendipity and taking my time.

Done!

The library has come together in stages, with each step moving us further along.

September, 2013: move in (blank slate!)
October, 2013: striped vintage sofa
February, 2014: decide on built-in shelving
April, 2014: thinking about a round table
May, 2014: finished shelving and a rolling library ladder
July, 2014: paint the walls (Pink Ground, Farrow & Ball)
December, 2014: secretary desk
June, 2015: finally order that round table when it goes on sale
October, 2015: so many chairs, none quite right
December, 2015: new lighting fixtures and sconces
January, 2017: pink skirted chairs

To Do!

Eventually. The rug and curtains need to work in the larger context of the home, so I’m taking my time there.

add a large rug (9×12 or 10×14)
brass curtain rods (custom for the curved windows?)
add two pairs of pinch-pleat curtains and a roman shade
sturdier chair with the secretary desk
custom bench cushion (for below the window, unless we just accept that it will always be covered in books)

p.s. That table was cleared off after photos, and immediately covered in Legos. The books, vase with flowers, and ginger jar are pretty, but the kids love playing in the library and I give them space to spread out with breakables moved elsewhere.

January 9, 2017

A Night In

I’m not one for all white walls trend, but I am guilty of waiting for maximum daylight to take photos of my home so it’s as light and bright as possible. Bloggers don’t usually photograph their homes at night — not if it can be helped! But we do then miss out on sharing what everything looks like as the day goes on. Julia from Chris Loves Julia and Kim of Yellow Brick Home, in partnership with Rejuvenation, have organized ‘A Night In’ so we can see a cozy nook in some of the homes we know and love in blogland after the sun has set. There’s a full list of everyone that’s participating at the end of the post.

Here I am standing in the doorway of my library, just casually holding a mug, color coordinating with my decor and blog design. Hi!

My home is a Victorian with a double parlor, and I swapped out the existing lights in both spaces last year with a matching pair of Rejuvenation’s Hood Pendants. I actually did share a few photos of the space at night after the fixtures went up, but that’s a rarity. Here’s one from that post.

A few things have been shuffled and changed around since then, so it’s good to revisit the space. The vintage rug has been sold and replaced with the one from the library, and we’re using a coffee table from a local consignment store with a wood top instead of stone (Brandon was always nervous that the kids would fall and chip a tooth). And in that previous post, I didn’t share any photos of the corner with my secretary desk, which is a shame because it’s one of my favorite spots in the house! I even gave it a floral crown recently, like it’s enjoying its very own Snapchat filter.

It can get a bit dark over there, so a floor lamp helps. Want a peek behind closed doors? There are some bills and paperwork, and the rest is all crayons, markers, colored pencils, coloring books, paper, drawings, and sketchbooks.

I like to sit at the desk while the kids play or color at the table. It’s a good way to sneak in a few minutes for myself, either to sketch, flip through a magazine, or join them in coloring (I’m into the adult coloring book trend, yep). We all hang out in the library together most mornings before I start working, or in the evening while Brandon makes dinner.

There’s usually some background noise, either news or music on the radio, or maybe a podcast streaming, but I don’t like to see the devices. Please tell me I’m not the only one who hides our electronics? The kids’ smooth rocks and random little key? Sure, pride of place! But I spy with my little eye a cordless phone hidden behind that vase, and next to it is a wireless speaker. (I need a fluffy plant there for better camouflaging.)

Anyway, I hope I did the place justice. I’m definitely not used to taking nighttime photos! We’ve been here for three years. This space has changed over that time, sometimes all at once and sometimes not as quickly as I would like, but it has always felt comfortable and right for my family. I’m so in love with this house, and as always, happy that I get to share it here with you guys.

Ready to see more design bloggers’ homes at night? Read on!

A Night In

Julia & Chris Marcum, Chris Loves Julia
Kim & Scott Vargo, Yellow Brick Home
Dana Miller, House Tweaking
Gwen Hefner, The Makerista
Melissa Coleman, The Faux Martha
Brittany Cramer, BrittanyMakes

August 17, 2016

New Lighting in the Library

The tassel sconces are here! I feel like they’re a love ’em or hate ’em kind of choice, and I don’t care because I happen to love ’em.

New pendants, too!

I had always intended to replace the pair of Victorian cranberry glass fixtures in the double parlor. They weren’t awful, but I prefer modern lighting to period in old homes. I let the lights fall on my priority list, but two years in, it was time for them to go.

I showed you some of the replacements I had been considering a few weeks ago. The library and living room are open to each other and I wanted their lighting to still match, but I think I was getting a little carried away with some of my options! I was looking at definite statement lights, but once I decided to order the tassel sconces it would have all been too much. The Modern Globe Pendant from Circa Lighting was still a contender, but pricey at $2100 — especially considering that I needed two. A reader recommended Restoration Hardware’s Circa 1900 Gaslight Pendant as an alternative, and I’d also been thinking about Rejuvenation’s Hood Classic Globe Pendant.

The Gaslight and Hood Pendants both come in several sizes and finishes, and depending on configuration, are only about 1/4 the cost of the Modern Globe. I was leaning toward a pair of Hood Pendants because I had seen and admired them in person at Yearbook. I knew Kim had one in her dining room too, so I asked her opinion about size since my space was similar in scale to hers. She said that her 14″ globe felt substantial, and also that she “read somewhere online once – a tip on a blog – that hanging a balloon in the right size can help you visualize. I always thought that was such a great idea!” And it is! After talking to her, adjusting my mockups, and yes, hanging something in the right size, I went with the 14″ opal globe shade and ordered a 42″ fixture in unlacquered polished brass.

I hung the new lights right away when they arrived.

Why did I wait so long? The size is great, the style complements everything without distracting, and they fit the home while still updating it. The brass will age naturally, though I like the shiny newness too.

Philips sent over a package with their new LED bulbs with a dimmable warm glow effect, so I was excited to try them out with the library’s new lights. The color temperature is similar to daylight when the lights are all the way on (which is my preference when I need bright lighting), but these are amazing because they get warmer as you dim them, looking more like traditional incandescent bulbs as the lights go down. So when we’re Eleanor’s doing her homework at the table or I’m doing an art project with the kids, we have brighter, cooler light to work by. Then when we have friends over and we’re relaxing, we can lower the lights to a warmer glow and the library feels more cozy.

The Hood Pendants are open at the top and I tried two different styles of Philips’ bulbs — same lumens and color temperature range, but one was clear and the other frosted. The clear one gave off a more crisp, defined light, but I preferred the softness of the frosted bulbs for general lighting. Clear bulbs are better suited to task lighting, and I put them in the floor lamp by the striped sofa.

I love, love, love the new lighting. Such an improvement!

December 15, 2015

So Close, Chandelier

My taste in lighting runs toward the OMG-how-much!?, so finding new fixtures for the double parlor was not a pressing issue. Oh, there are plenty of lights I like — finding those is no problem! Finding lights that I’m crazy about and can afford? Not as easy. I love these…

Roll & Hill’s Modo Chandelier, 3-Sided, 10 globes, milk glass and brass finish, $5850.
This one has been on my mind for years. (It’s in the huge lighting roundup I did a few years back.) There are knockoffs for less, and other more affordable options that took pretty liberal inspiration from this design, but it doesn’t feel right to go for those.
Caviar 8 Light Cluster Pendant, Large, Rose Gold, $4032 (or a mere $3780 for the non-adjustable version). Pink! Rose gold! I can’t spend that much on a light (times two)!
Pretty Much Every vintage Stilnovo light on 1st Dibs. Beautiful! Perfect! Price upon request! (Never a good sign.)

There are certain things that I think are worth the splurge, and lighting is one of them. It’s not in my budget to splurge quite that much when we have rewiring and repairs and other more pressing needs in the house though, so I’ve held off. I’m always watching the new collections in stores, waiting for a light to come out in my price range that I loved enough to buy times two for a matching set, and I figured that maybe my lights-to-be weren’t out there yet.

Then the Gooseneck Pelle Chandelier came along from West Elm. Whoohoo! I thought we may have had a winner! $799, but it was on sale for a while at $639. I love the shape. I prefer polished, unlacquered brass over brushed or satin, but I liked the finish enough to go for it. And no bare bulbs! I’d been hoping to find something with milk glass, but the frosted glass was pretty close.

Pelle Chandelier - Gooseneck (West Elm)

Then when I saw the fixture in person, I didn’t like it as much as I’d hoped I would. There is a texture to the glass that I’m not into (and that I suspect would collect dust), and they had a cool white cast vs. the warm ivory I prefer. So now I’m on the lookout again. I don’t want to put a light in just because it’s better — I want to find something that’s going to be amazing.

And then I went and spent all my extra dollars on a pair of sconces instead anyway! (I bought them with a trade discount, but still.) They should arrive this week, along with some hardware for the doors along the base of the bookshelves.

The Library Bookshelves' Jewelry

We’re putting so much into this house — time, effort, money — that I’m trying to step back and really think the more permanent things over before I bring in anything else that I’m not completely in love with. Carved wooden tassels, painted pink? They’re probably not for everyone, but I’m so ridiculously excited about them. They’re going to be the awesome necklace to the unadorned outfit that is my oak-oak-oak library.

Now if I could just figure out the chandelier/pendant/whatever situation. Want some mockups? Ahoy! (Ignore the weirdness along the base of the bookshelves. I Photoshopped out four chairs.)

Library Lighting Photoshop Mockups
Modern Brass Chandeliers

Roll & Hill’s Modo Chandelier, The Future Perfect ($5850)
So perfect, but I can’t.
Pelle Chandelier – Gooseneck, West Elm ($799)
Am I being too picky? It is the best option under $1000.
Bistro Globe Milk Glass Burst Chandelier, RH Modern ($1765)
Very cool. Slightly too fifties for my liking. A little too expensive too, but can be had on sale.
Voyage, Cedar and Moss ($225!)
Brandon doesn’t care for it.

Modern Globe Pendant, Circa Lighting ($2100)
More classic than I was initially considering, but isn’t it lovely? Not in the budget right now, but I could stretch and save for it. Except it doesn’t play as nicely with the dining room fixture as the others, so then that would need replacing too.
Medium Glass Balloon Chandelier, Shades of Light ($1590)
I like it a lot but I don’t think I love it. And for that much, I need to love it.

Well, there we go. That’s the vision. Eventually the room will match what I see in my head for it, whether something else comes along or I save up for one of the options above. What do you think? Have a preference? Or better yet, a recommendation for something else that I haven’t seen?

p.s. Here’s the rug in the mockup. Sold out in the larger sizes, but on clearance if you’re looking for a cute small rug.

November 16, 2015

Tag: Library

I Almost Love the Library’s Vintage Floor Lamps

Double Rugs for the Double Parlor

Pink Skirted Library Chairs

Done!

To Do!

A Night In

A Night In

New Lighting in the Library

So Close, Chandelier