In 2015, VT is pleased to announce our entry into home. Our motto has always been image, identity, clarity, and defining your style type gives you a place to begin. Once you have reached that clarity, it is a natural evolution to translate that into your environment as an expression of your authentic self.
Designing your home based on your style type (or at least infusing the elements) allows you to create the perfect space that represents the best version of you. Join us each week as we share our point of view on the incredible world of interior design, applying our principles and philosophies to everything from art and architecture to current trends and designers.
Through the years I have amassed quite a collection of beautiful books and have decided that in my next home, I will create a space worthy of these treasures. Built-in bookshelves or home libraries not only provide a place to hold your favorite books and objets d’art, they can also help conceal imperfections in a room such as a lack of symmetry, a broken line, or an odd corner. They can also help to camouflage a TV or add height by drawing the eye upward.
Click through the slideshow below for home or home office library ideas that I hope will inspire you. -Joe
The use of picture lights above each section of your library is the perfect way to create mood lighting in a room.
A very sophisticated built-in shelf. No doubt designed with specific pieces in mind.
This ultra contemporary library completes an upstairs hallway and provides moody lighting. The wide horizontal shelves compliment the staircase.
This example is a clean take on classicism. In particular note the thickness of the shelves and the trim on the small cabinet doors at the bottom. Using smaller cabinet doors on the bottom is especially good for rooms with lower ceilings as they can create the illusion of taller bookshelves.
A black lacquered home library is incredibly chic. I especially like the brass or possibly gold leaf detail surrounding each shelf, reminiscent of the infamous red lacquered library the late great Albert Hadley created for Brooke Astor.
David Hicks work has always been an inspiration to me. In this work, I am particularly drawn to the chrome-faced shelves that create a clean line from where the fireplace extends into the room. He was the master of pattern mixing and well known for his use of color and sense of eclecticism.
Pleasing symmetry is achieved in this casual contemporary country den. Note the width of the shelves in comparison to the fireplace and the continuation of the tone of the floor up to the walls and fireplace.
For more eclectic décor ideas, check out our story on mixing style types.