I have some very creative Blog friends! Yes, I am talking to you! After reading through your Valentine's Day posts, I realized I could not compete.
Instead, I will share photos of my library, taken with my new camera.
The main color of the library is red so it seemed appropriate!
I finally found the perfect library table on Craigslist! It is actually a game table and has pull out glass/cup holders. I spent an inordinate amount of time pulling them out and sliding them back in...just because I could.
Do you see McGillicudy and Atticus on their daybed?
David, if you are reading this, thank you for helping me get the table into my car! xo
Gracie and I collect feathers on our walks to showcase under the glass cloches.
I am such a daredevil! Glass cloches+feathers+McGillicuddy=WHAT were you thinking!?
He mostly just takes feathers from the santos hand, then moves the hand ever so slightly out of sync with the vignette.
Life on the edge. I am telling you!
Close-up of our library chandelier. It had been in storage for four years before we had it hung!
It has European wiring and sockets, so we purchased bulb adaptors for use in the United States.
I will paint this table but I am not yet sure what color(s).
The taffeta curtains are from Half Price Drapes. What a steal! It was cheaper to buy them, with lining and interlining, than it would cost for me to make them myself!
Detail of vignette...
View from above. I have an Oriental rug that I want to lay on this floor...waiting for Handsome Husband's help.
Weird angle. Sorry about that! I had to lay on the floor to take this! McGillicuddy laid on top of me and I was stuck there for a while! A very long while, actually!
I am not about to go back and do it again! LOL!
The tapestry is a Craigslist find! Can you believe it?
The cartouche above the tapestry is an applique from Van Dyke's Restorers. I painted it with Annie Sloan Old White, applied the gold craft paint, then rubbed it with a candle and aged it with Dark Wax.
Just to give you an idea...the library opens up to the front entry hall...
The clock and the French cabinet are from Craigslist, painted with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in French Linen, then Clear and Dark Wax.
The chair is the first piece of furniture I ever painted many years ago. I left the back open when I reupholstered it because it seemed magical to me. We call it the Through the Looking Glass chair.
That's not 100% true.
I call it the Through the Looking Glass chair. Handsome Husband refrains from mentioning the chair at all, really (much in the same way that he refuses to order the Rooty Tooty Fresh ‘N Fruity® meal by name from the International House of Pancakes. He just points to it on the menu and says, I would like this please).
The sheer weight of the silliness of it is just too much for him to bear. However, Gracie agrees with everything I do or say...because she is Gracie and Gracie is very agreeable.
And silly.
Like Mom.
Found this Louis XVI leather chair on ebay several years ago. It was shipped from France. It has a story to tell, I am certain of it!
Through the Looking Glass chair. Toile du Jouy remnant from France found on etsy.
One of a pair of French crystal sconces that flank the mantel.
Mantel painted with Annie Sloan Graphite and Duck Egg Blue wash.
Library steps from Craigslist, painted in Annie Sloan Old White.
Venetian mirror and globe found on Craigslist!
If you follow this blog you have seen this daybed before. A Craigslist purchase, it is one of my favorite pieces. Atticus likes it too.
Say hi to Atticus!
I painted the daybed with Annie Sloan Chateau Grey and Dark Wax, no Clear Wax at all.
The library is my absolute favorite room in the house.
I hope you enjoyed the post as much I I have enjoyed creating this room from Craigslist and ebay finds!
Have a wonderful Valentine's Day, my friends!
xo
Andie
Sharing with:
Cindy, at My Romantic Home, Show and Tell Friday!
Marian, at Miss Mustard Seed, Furniture Feature Friday
Debbie, Confessions of a Plate Addict, The Scoop!
Kathryn, at The Dedicated House, Make It Pretty Monday!
Kim, at Savvy Southern Style, Wow Us Wednesdays!
Courtney, at French Country Cottage, Feathered Nest Friday!
Andie, your library looks as if it is a room right out of an old world home. You amaze me with your talents for finding these amazing pieces and the vision to pull it all together. Yes, that leather chair must have wonderful stories to tell.
ReplyDeleteHappy Valentine's Day!
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DeleteLOVE LOVE everything about this pretty space!!
ReplyDeleteOh Andie, where to begin?
ReplyDeleteI love your library room, it would be my favorite as well. The drapes are so perfect. I find striped drapes to be so dramatic and elegant. I just love that the mora clock has a black face, beautiful. My husband loves your chandelier and we are now on the hunt for one for his home office. I know I have seen them on Etsy so after I leave your blog I am off to scour Etsy and the internet.
I am also in love with Tallulah :-) We are english bulldog lovers. Right now my little bully Lucy is sleeping at my feet.
Thanks for another lovely post. I am always so excited when I see a new post from you my friend.
Fondly-Lisa
Oh, my goodness, Andie! This room is to die for. Well, maybe just faint! :) Everything is gorgeous. I've seen a table like your with the little pull outs and it was in a museum! The cloches look beautiful there and your chandy! Oh, my Lord! The little bed in the window and your drapes. Are you sure you're not a decorator? You're amazing, Most Little Young Thang!
ReplyDeleteBe a sweetie,
Shelia ;)
OMG what a beautiful room!!!!!! Everything is so magical.....I love the daybed and the worn leather chair! Oh and the Alice in Wonderland chair and those drapes! Well I am just in LOVE with the whole room!!! I could spend all day every day in there :o)
ReplyDeleteHave a Happy Valentine's Day!
~Des
If you are ever near Chicago, please stop by. We'll have tea and cookies in the Library. :)
DeleteAndy, you are so special and such a sophisticated decorator, I love your house and all your amazing pieces! You don't need to compete, you are in a league all by yourself. I'm in awe of everything, I always loved your library and now even more. The chandy is fabulos with those reindeer on it...and think, you had it in storage for 4 YEARS!!! Me, I'd had it up in no time, forcing Mr. Living to get up on a ladder ASAP!...LOL! You have amazing taste my friend and I have missed you! Happy Valentine's Day.
ReplyDeleteFABBY
I'm new to your blog and I'm in awe of all of your beautiful treasures! Love eveything in your library, it's truly stunning! I'll be back!
ReplyDeleteNancy
if i did not know better i would think i was peering into a french salon. you are SO GOOD andie!! the rooms romantic old world exuberance comes thru the screen.
ReplyDeleteyou could teach seminars on craigslist 101
xx
debra
What a truly beautiful room...it's also my favourite room, just a pity it's not in my house! Your table with the cloches and contents have just given me my inspiration for my next post F is for....can you guess? x Sharon
ReplyDeleteSo very very beautiful and cozy!! Congratulations Andie!!!
ReplyDeleteHappy Valentine!
xx
Greet
Hi Atticus!!!!
ReplyDeleteAtticus says! HI!...and he's your biggest fan! I told him to stop fawning. It's undignified.
DeleteJust a thought.....maybe don't paint the game table. If the finish isn't crappy, it might be nice to have a stained wood piece in the room.....tell me when you want me to keep my trap shut......:)
ReplyDeleteWhen I saw the table in the photo (as opposed to right in the room with me) it looked better than I realized.
DeleteIf you shut up I won't be your friend. I LIKE your trap. It's a good one.
I'm not going to paint the table.
I'm so glad to hear you won't paint it. It is beautiful! I just came to your blog today from Miss Mustard Seed. When I read your comment about painting the table I thought, "I hope she changes her mind! That table has some beautiful wood! I love it the way it is.
DeletePerhaps I read too fast after that, but I didn't see a mention of where you found your amazing library globe. I have looked at them before but had to look away after seeing prices! I hope you got a great deal on yours!
Oh, by the way.....the chandelier is DA BOMB!
ReplyDeleteIt's really heavy. I asked the electrician to come back a second time to be sure it wouldn't fall and dismember one of us. Just to be sure.
DeleteAndie thank you so much for sharing your gorgeous library! All of your finds are so very special!
ReplyDeletexoxo
Karena
The Arts by Karena
I always love it when you take us around one of your rooms and introduce us to all of your treasures. The mantel with Graphite and Duck Egg is spectacular ... I am SO going to give this a try for myself because I love it so much. Noticed the cats on the daybed right away.
ReplyDeleteLove how you display your feathers, so pretty! The day bed looks so welcoming how could you not want to join the kitties and soak up the sun!
ReplyDeleteE+J
You know I love your creative and homey house as much as the cats! I LOVE your library table SO much - i'd be hesitant to paint it but I know that it will look great when you are done with it. just lovely.
ReplyDeleteWhat it really needs is a urinal. LOL! :)
DeleteOther people are going to see this reply and wonder if I have gone utterly mad.
If anyone sees this, please visit Stefan's blog. You will understand completely!
It's rare when utmost elegance combines with originality to create a dreamlike palatial atmosphere filled with warmth and whimsy. You've done just that here, Andie.
ReplyDeleteIf I were you, I wouldn't paint the table. It looks beautiful just as it is, and may seem even lovelier once you put down your oriental rug. A note or two of sharp contrast can do much to bring a room into its most flattering focus.
As James Thurber once said, "He who hesitates –––– is sometimes saved." ;-)
HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY to YOU, HH, GRACIE, and your entire MENAGERIE!
I'll never every tire of looking at your beautiful home, and the outstanding way you have decorated with all of your "finds" It's like looking through a most exquisite design book. Your taste is impeccable..LOVE it!!!
ReplyDeleteYour library is intriguing ... like out of an Old European manor house in a movie. Simply beautiful.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy Valentine's day.
Vera
Dear Andie, I don't know about other people, but a beautiful library is a perfect aphrodisiac for me on Valentine's or any other day ;-).
ReplyDeleteConsider yourself hugged back xoxo.
I can see why you love this room, it's a beautiful reflection of your eclectic whimsical self. I'm glad you nixed painting that lovely library table. Happy Valentine's Day!
ReplyDeleteLooks like a VERY comfortable room. Happy Valentines Day!
ReplyDeleteSuch a beautiful room you created. I love the daybed. You gave it a great makeover!
ReplyDeleteI adore this room! It is so full of beauty and history and inspiration! I would be very comfortable with Atticus on the daybed for hours! Thank you so much for sharing! Hugs, Leena
ReplyDeleteWow… I feel like I'm traveling back in time… what a fun and elegant library!
ReplyDeleteI love your design style, Andie--this library is someplace that I would like to spend time in, reading with a cup of tea and daydreaming! And of course your two handsome kitties have found the coziest spot in the room for napping, because that is what kitties do best:)
ReplyDeleteWell,let me tell You this:
ReplyDeleteI've seen a lot of blog posts with red contents this weekend due to Valentines of course,But YOUR post is the one wow'ing me the most.How gorgeous is your Home!!!!!!!!!Love everything I see...that Fantastic chandelier,the daybed'en in my favourite pattern,toile.Cats in it too,a necessity in a Happy Home if You Ask me ;) The Mora clock...Even prettier than mine!And I think your new table looks great,will be beautiful in new paint But actually looks great in your library the way it is now too ! Now I understand I have to start checking into Craigslist....AS if I not already see enough temptations on ebay and etsy ;)
Grateful for your comment on my blog,made me come here and that just gave me a Wonderful start on the day,filled with inspiration!Hallelujah!!!
Tovehugs :)
Ale pięknie!! Podobny kinkiet ostatnio malowałam.. Pięknie u Ciebie:)
ReplyDeletePozdrawiam serdecznie
Oh, Andie. I've never seen a chandelier like that and the cabinet with columns is to die for. I would just live in there I think. I hope you are a designer/decorator because that is your calling and you could make a fortune doing it.
ReplyDeleteFirst time reading your blog (Ill be back) What a truly amazing room, some formal pieces, yet so inviting. Love it! Elaine
ReplyDeleteHow did I not know about you?
ReplyDeleteOMG - your library is absolutely a dream come true - every.single.detail.
I just ordered drapes from HPD yesterday - what a coincidence lol
THanks so much for sharing your gorgeous space - what a treat to see
Hugs from Montreal
xxx
Your library is absolutely gorgeous! It's a style I don't use in my own home, but I am just in awe of how you pulled all those pieces together and how lovely the room is! And the fact that many things came from Craigslist means you are a blogger after my own heart - I am a self-proclaimed Craigslist addict and most of my home furnishings came from there as well :) So happy to have found you from Miss Mustard Seed's blog!
ReplyDeleteLove everything about this room. Thank you for sharing....I saw you on MMS. :)
ReplyDeletePaula
Locksley Lane