Antique Book Nerd

I love love love design books. I have them everywhere around our apartment: on the coffee table, in the shelves, on my desk, you get the idea. I really love antique books, though. I don't have a ton, but the ones I do have are arranged strategically in my bookcase so that they look like art--which they sometimes are.

From Houzz. I have collected antique books from thrift stores or tag sales and have received some as gifts.

Recently while I was shopping for gimps (yeah you know it!) at Claremont, I spotted this AMAZING screen with a bookcase display on it. It is a Piero Fornasetti screen designed in the 1950s.

Nate Berkus designed this classic but not stuffy looking living room with bunches of books arranged strategically on the bookcase. They are quite chunky so it is nice to break up the books throughout the bookcase.

Kathy Abbott designed this sweet little room in the Kips Bay Showhouse in 2010. She stocked the bookcase with beautiful encyclopedias.

Of course, Bunny Williams has some gorgeous antique books. This bookcase is packed full with no room for objects or sculptures. Just the books in all their glory.

Robert Kime has set you up here with this traditional bookcase and displays it with a set of encyclopedias or antique books.

I know you can buy books by the yard but I find that...tacky. Books should be selected for personal reasons, not by the yard, for looks. I HAVE bought books because I thought they were beautiful and DID judge them by their cover but also for their content. My favorite is a book with marbled paint on the inside of the cover and a book my friend bought me called "Book of Etiquette Volume II". Amazing.

Alicia B.

Red and Green and X MAS all over!

I just found out that I will in fact get Christmas Eve off from work so I am imposing myself on my family one day early! Now I can really feel Christmas coming! Not feeling the Christmas spirit? Don't celebrate Christmas? Well, here are some red and green rooms that you can enjoy all year round no matter what you celebrate. Yay!

Tomo Callahan designed this sweet study. I love the eclectic look of this room and the rolls of wallpaper off to the side make my wish that my stash wasn't hidden under my bed.

Mario Buatta's room in Kips Bay I believe from a few years ago. This is the perfect looking room for a holiday gathering. A tartan seat in the middle in front of the fireplace and dark green walls to ground the room.

Miles Redd uses many dark red accents here that do not clash with the pink wall! Crimson flowers, red and white throw pillows, sweet red pleated shades, etc.

How classic does this look? It's from House Beautiful 1943 and still looks perfect now in 2008!

I love the green moire silk on the walls of The Green Room in the White House (taken in 1968).

This is a red kitchen from Domino Mag. It's accented with greens (chair, green bowl, plants) and wood tones.

Bunny Williams designed this formal yet still country styled dining room with a rich muted green. I love the plates on the wall inside the wood paneling. A bit too 80's for me though.

Anne Miller designed this small sitting room. Somehow the red seems more inviting than bold and aggressive (we all know how I feel about red). I think it's the stripes. I really like the yellow accents on the chairs with this red.

A bright pear green Benjamin Moore paint is the backdrop for this sweet bedroom. I am super in love with those monogrammed sheets. They look vintage in such a mod sort of setting. From Domino Mag.

Sara Story's fun red bathroom with red and white tiling is quite festive! I especially love the round ball lantern hanging from skylight we can't see.

Kathy Abbott used a bright traditional green wall paper in this dining room. SO pretty.

I think my favorite is the red tartan (swoon) and green walls in Mario Buatta's room. Thoughts? What are your favorites?


Alicia B.

Bathroom Love

Ever since I told my friend that I loved the ultra feminine french spread from House Beautiful below and she pointed out that I liked french design, I've been very confused. Do I like fun mid century modern? Do I like English country? Regency? French? Wow. I mean I know I'm allowed to like everything but this has me really shaken up, design wise. Who am I? Whats my style? DEFINE ME! So, while I figure out who I am, here are some fun bathrooms I've found.

Domino Mag. Beautiful wallpaper and I love those plates arranged like that.

Kathy Abbott.

Saladino Group. A fire place??? How amazingly frivolous.

Scott Salvator. Wouldn't it be nice to have a Calder floating above your bathtub?

T. Keller Donovan. I wish I had enough room in my bathroom for a cute stool like that.

Bunny Williams

Joe Kremer. This is lovely but the stagnant water is a LITTTTLE creapy.

Joe Kremer.

Paul Siskin.

Which one is your favorite? I think mine is the T. Keller Donovan one. Blue and white is perfection there.

Alicia B.