The Library

When we decided to renovate our house, we knew we had a LOT of books. We originally called this room (formerly the living room), The Library, because we planned to put in wall-to-wall bookshelves. In the end, we designed it more as a comfy getaway spot (kids free), where Russell or I could watch TV or read a book while the kids went crazy in the family room. The family room ended up with huge built-ins, which house about half of our books, while the other half reside in this room.

We still call it The Library, and guests get confused, as there are probably more books in the family room. I suppose it sounds awfully pretentious, but it's just stuck. We knew we didn't want a formal living room, and having a name that was not "living room" made it easier on the contractors to differentiate them.

My favorite part of the room is the swively, sink-in-ness of these chairs and a leather ottoman to put your feet up on (you can even see the heel imprint). Once I sit in one of these chairs, I can't get up. They are probably the craziest and most luxurious pieces of furniture in our house, and I love them.

Here is a view looking out into the foyer and the front door. I love the glass-paned pocket door because it keeps out noise but lets light in.

This chest holds our board games. The tray on the right is for the ottoman if we need it.

This is the wall of fun...huge TV and the rest of the books. If you look at the reflection in the TV, you can see me taking the picture. That's because I still have not bought any sort of window treatment for the window opposite it. Kind of makes watching TV difficult. Yes, Russell, it's been six years and I PROMISE to get around to that task this year.

This is our famous fireplace. Famous because it is one of the few original parts of the house.

A library is not complete without our beloved University of Virginia Jefferson chair. It suits this room, doesn't it?

To continue the Jefferson theme, here is the beautiful Jefferson writing box that Philip made for us. Sitting on top is a piece of art by Fred Saunders. He is a local artist from whom I bought a painting a while back. When I sent him a check for it, he mailed this back to me with a thank you note. This scene is actually painted on notebook paper and I framed it.

Finally, a view into the room from the front hall. You can see in the distance that the room leads into Russell's office. (I don't know why the rug looks striped, it's not.)

Hmm...maybe I'll make a cup of tea and take a break from this rigorous blog-writing?

P.S. For anyone who remembers our house before, this was the large living room you walked into straight from the front door. We split that room into two...this room and the front hall that now houses the stairs to the upper level. We did not have a front hall or stairs before. And the door to what is now Russell's office went into a large converted side porch that was a combo playroom, office, and laundry room.