Welcome to the Blog today, Friends. I’m about to have a cup of tea and work on Holiday plans. So pour a cup of your favorite beverage, pull up a chair and join me in the Library for a little holiday decor reveal.
This is one of my favorite places to sit and work on the computer or doing research into holiday dishes, places to visit and how to decorate. The Library happened when we realized we didn’t need three guest bedrooms but we did need more shelf space for our books. The bed moved out and the books moved in and we couldn’t be happier.
On one side of the room we have three large bookcases filled with books. We have travel books, cookbooks, fiction, and a collection of older books from different genres. They all live happily together on the shelves. This year I’m going with a tree theme and so the shelves have some scattered trees I’ve collected over time. They fit nicely and give the room a happy glow. Trees inhabit the very top of the bookcases and share that space with an antique English clock. There are feather trees, brush trees, metal and beaded trees gathered together in this space.
In this picture you can see the gallery wall that I shared in a previous blog. You can see how I did the gallery here: https://thriftingwonderland.com/2023/11/12/starting-holiday-decor-in-the-library/
It is right angles to the shelving and provides some nice visual interest and inspiration when I’m working on a project.
In the center of the room is a beautiful wood table my Husband made. It is great for the Library because it is quite narrow and long enough for two to share. It was originally made for our office to house our computers and give us space to work. I love the rich tones of the wood. They are natural and unstained. we just wax the wood occasionally to keep in the moisture. Behind the table we have two antique leather chairs that are surprisingly comfortable.
The picture above shows the other end of the table. I usually keep some sort of floral arrangement in here and right now it’s greens with a few flowers for color. One of my Christmas books is open on the table where I was browsing through the pictures to see what might work in my home. The simple pottery teapot and cup sit on a Victorian tray waiting for me to settle behind the table and get to work.
Behind the chairs on the wall are a collection of paintings and posters. The central piece my Husband picked up at a market in England. It’s an oil painting of the countryside. I love the colors in this. Flanking the painting are two thrifted French posters from the 1900’s. Copies of the posters sell for around $200 and these are originals printed in France. You never know what you will find. I bought these because I’m a tea drinker and loved the illustrations. We bought them framed in these great matching black frames. The final piece of art is an original pencil drawing by our son when he was 8. He made a drawing of the dinosaur, Sue at the Field Museum, and the finder of Sue autographed it for him that day.
In a thrifted metal basket at the end of the table are collected some blown glass ornaments found at Thrift Stores over the last few years. I’m not using them on a tree this year and thought they would add some color and sparkle to this room. At the top of the basket is a hound dog like the one our daughter adopted this year. He’s all smiles, just like Beaver, who landed in a great home after being on the streets for over a year. It will be his first Christmas with his new family.
I added a couple of small wreaths suspended on ribbons to the bookcases for an additional festive touch. The decorations in here are simple and contained. I love when you can decorate without moving or shifting any furniture or packing anything away. This room is comfortable and functional and makes me smile as I look around. A few holiday touches make this a special place for the holidays.
It was difficult to get a picture of the whole room at one time. Hopefully, these pictures will give you a more complete idea of the way the entire room comes together.
Love your library and how you have decorated it with the small Christmas trees and wreaths. The photos make me want to sit down and read a book!
That’s exactly what I want to do when I go in this room. It’s comfy and welcoming and perfect for curling up with your current read. Thanks for stopping by and sharing. Have a great week.
Lynne
It looks lovely! I really like the trees along the top of the bookcases.
I love to have the trees out but they take up a lot of room. This seemed like a perfect solution. Happy you liked it. Thanks for stopping by and sharing. Have a wonderful week.
Lynne
I love the accent wall and how it really does accent the room! Is it navy or black? I also really like the wreaths suspended by ribbons. I suspend mine with matching ribbons, but I kind of like the wider tapestry better. I think, if I ever went into this room, I’d never leave! Do you live in the Chicago area? The Field Museum is one of my favorite places. We used to go there when I was a little kid and continue to go whenever we’re in Chicago.
Have a wonderful weekend!
https://marshainthemiddle.com/
The accent wall is kind of a midnight blue but not navy…it works as a great backdrop for the art. I was happy with the way the wreaths turned out. Went with smaller ones so they wouldn’t overwhelm the space. This is a room I love to spend time in. We lived outside of Chicago for a number of years and like to visit the museums when we go back. They are quite something. After a particularly bad winter we opted for warmer climates and moved south. No regrets. Thanks for sharing. Have a great week.
Lynne
Love the table, quite unique! I like all your different trees! Thanks so much for linking up at the #UnlimitedLinkParty 139. Pinned.
Thanks, Dee. Always a pleasure to share on your site. Have a great week.
Lynne
I love your library and the gallery wall. I could never have too many books! The ribbons holding the wreathes are beautiful. I really enjoy handblown ornaments and have thrifted a few–to upgrade my tree after I gave my kids theirs when they left home.
The library is a special place to be. Book lovers will really feel at home and it sounds like you are definitely one of those. The handblown glass ornaments are quite special and I love finding them. We gave our kids ornaments every year so they would have something to use to decorate their own trees. It’s a nice tradition. Hope you have a lovely week.
Lynne
When my kids were little, I didn’t have the extra money to buy fancy ornaments to put away, but I used to buy handmade ornaments at church fairs. When they left home, I gave them those and their “own” ornaments so they had some personality to start their trees with!
This is darling. I love that you have a special bookshelf for Christmas books, too. Thanks for sharing this post at the Will Blog for Comments #16 linkup. Come share another post or two at #17 which opens December 4. Have a great week.