Decorating With Books........Books,Nooks, and People That Love Them!

 I remember my mother would take me out to buy them every week when I was a little girl. That was a treat for me. Didn’t want dolls…it was books that satisfied me. My mother’s dedicated reading to me has made me the voracious reader I am today.  I love having books around me so I use them as decoration in my own home as well as many of my client’s homes.

Many people feel that it's silly to purchase books for pure decorative value. I have found some books with beautiful bindings and also leather bound books at antique malls and fleas markets.  It is easy to create attractive vignettes with them.

There is something indescribably appealing about rooms filled with books, walls lined with well-organized shelves. Many book lovers dream of having such a space themselves, although not everyone has the space to have a dedicated library room in their dwellings. Reading nooks are the perfect solutions and they are so charming that they make great additions to any home decor.

I hope the images below will inspire you!

The bed and the shelves of books make this a cozy retreat.

I love to use old books in decorating.

Isn't this stairway library clever?

This is one of my designs. I love to use books and bookends in the interiors of my clients. They had some nice old books just hidden away so I brought them out and scattered them throughout the house in different vignettes.

Surrounded by books. And I love the zebra. Hope it is faux!

Rummaging around in this book store would be delightful!

A wonderful quaint bookstore to spend an afternoon on!

                                                                                   

Isn't this a cozy book nook? It looks as if they have turned a closet into a mini library. The whole room has such vintage charm.

A color blocked library! How clever to combine colors to make your library wall a colorful focal point. It brings a texture to the wall that might not be there if the covers were all jumbled up.

Girl With a Book, by Pietro Antonio Rotari (1707-1762)

I  think the citrus colors against the black bookcase are fabulous!

I love them standing by themselves, or held in place by lovely bookends, or even stacked up as a base for a lamp. You can find so many ways to use books in vignettes to decorate your home.

The large windows with simple window treatments and the abundance of white, make this a  bright cheerful reading room.

Elegant but inviting! I'm crazy about the black floor!

Imagination running free!

It's fun to scour antique stores, flea markets and even yard sales for beautifully bound books like these to use in your home decorating.

This is a very lovely place to sit and read. Can you imagine opening those windows and sitting there in the breeze, totally immersed.?

Cute idea for a book shelf!

I could read here for hours!

Marilyn Monroe was an avid reader. She had a personal library of over 400 books. She loved James Joyce, Walt Whitman and poet Heinrich Heine. Saul Bellow and Carl Sandburg  were literary heroes.

Of all the pictures taken of Marilyn, she liked the ones of her reading the most.

I love how this room is painted in such a soothing color. Looks like a great place to read.  Create your own book nook somewhere in you home. 

The Library of Napoléon at the Fontainebleau

And whether your library is large......

or small, use it to unwind, relax and forget about reality for awhile.

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Please visit my website at www.lisafarmerdesigns.com

Decorating With Crowns.........Add A Touch Of Royalty To Your Interiors

In celebration of the Olympics being held in England this summer, I thought a post dedicated to crowns might be fun. Even though they have been around for a while (just check out any home decor store) they still maintain popularity.  I guess it is the princess in all of us that likes royal head wear. Whether they are antique, new, blinged out, or simple and elegant, crowns are pretty and can be used in a variety of ways to add a touch of  stateliness and grandeur to your homes.

I love pillows and have created some for clients using crests similar to this one. They are wonderful embellishments and can be used on window treatments, guest towels...just be creative.

I delight in interesting pieces to use in decorating. This one just happens to wear a crown. This wonderful photo was taken by Simone of Fleaing France at a fair in Provence.

New items you can find at any home decor store.

Pretty simple crown and linens. Simple and elegant touches are always nice when decorating  and accessorizing.

Even though I lean more towards vintage and antiques, I do like some of the new accessories that have an aged quality about them. 

Coronets and beautiful fabrics can give a regal feel to any bedroom.

Another elegant coronet. This time the effect is more french chic.

I love this simple yet regal crown.

A new crown with a distressed finish would be a nice touch. 

If husbands could just get this!

Very stately!

Do something whimsical like this. Decorating can get too serious sometimes.

So pretty. We all need a journal in which to write and reflect on our dreams. It is a way of keeping them before our eyes. Helen Keller once said, "The one thing worse than having NO SIGHT, is having SIGHT, but no VISION.

And I would be amiss if I did not pay tribute to British Royalty!