Big Reveal: A True Reader’s Library with Anne Tollett Home

I’m so excited that the True Reader’s Library I’ve been working on with Anne Tollett Home is finished! And, it looks amazing…I wish I could wiggle my nose and have it appear in my house tomorrow! I’m going to cover some of the literary details here and check out Anne’s Big Reveal for an in-depth look at the entire room, plus buying and design guides!

One of the first things Anne asked me was “what are the most important elements of your dream library?” Well, it’s obviously a comfortable place to read, which means a chaise lounge! This is my #1 requirement for an amazing library…it may even be more important than the books! She managed to find me one with two arms (harder than you think!) and even gave me a nice table with candy next to it!

Anne Tollett Homes Library Shelves
My #2 requirement was good natural light…I don’t want to feel like I’m reading in a dungeon! Check out the huge window in Anne’s library!

Anne Tollett Homes Window
And, we’ve got to have a place to do actual work (I guess)…

Anne Tollett Homes Library Art

Literary Accents

Anne, the design genius she is, found some fantastically quirky literary accents to include in the room. Some of my favorites: the William Shakespeare Library Check-Out Card iPad Cover (yep, that’s an iPad cover…what?!), the quotation mark bookends, the desk lamp shaped like a question mark, and the “crinkled paper” trash can. And, my non-literary favorite? The zebra throw rug (faux, of course)! Check out Anne’s Buying Guide for purchase links to everything in the room (including my literary faves!).

Tollett Library - Buying Guide

What books are in the library?
Essentially, all the books I’ve enjoyed in life! Plus, some upcoming releases that I’m excited to read over the summer. Check out Anne Tollett Home’s Buying Guide for a full listing of every book in the library!
How are the books organized?
This is a reader’s library…you won’t find any alphabetical by title or author system here. I’m certainly no librarian, so I thought about how I would like my own personal library to be arranged. And, that came down to being able to easily access books based on what I’m in the mood to read.
Anne Tollett Homes Library Categories
Lighter books hang out towards the left and the books gradually get more serious as you move to the right. Books are grouped by oddball topics that I tend to enjoy, including:

 

    • Fiction Based on Real People (i.e. 11/22/63, The Paris Wife– There’s an added level of intrigue when I know a novel is based on real people or events. Plus, I love to play the what’s truth/what’s fiction game!
    • Wealthy People Behaving Badly (i.e. Bittersweet, A Man in Full) – How can this not be fun?!
    • Goosebump-Inducing Sports Books (i.e. The Boys in the Boat) – Those 30 for 30 type sports stories that have you rooting like crazy for the athletes.
    • Emotional Gut-Wrenchers (i.e. A Little Life, Me Before You– Not everyone’s cup of tea, but sometimes I just want a book to absolutely crush me. 
    • Bubbles & Busts (i.e. The Big Short, The Great Beanie Baby Bubble– From the recent mortgage bubble to Beanie babies; I love the human behavior behind these economic phenomena.

I also included a shelf I’m calling “See, I’m Smart”…which houses books that some may feel should be on their “reading resumes”, but that I’m guessing a chunk of the general public (me, included!) has never read. I’ve never read some of the books on this shelf and don’t really intend to (Moby Dick, I’m looking at you!)! 

For a full list of every book in the library, check out Anne Tollett Homes’ Buying Guide!

Giveaway

Everybody Rise, Stephanie Clifford
Finally, Anne and I will be giving away an advance copy of the hotly anticipated summer debut, Everybody Rise by Stephanie Clifford (out August 18). Hop on over to Anne Tollett Home to enter the giveaway…we’ll be drawing the winner tomorrow afternoon!


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29 Comments

  1. Diane wrote:

    I’m green with envy:) so lovely.

    I do have a chaise chair for reading but no arms….I wish it had them. This is tryly an amazing room.

    Posted 6.24.15 Reply
  2. Wonderful library. Lot’s of great ideas. Thanks for sharing it!

    Posted 6.24.15 Reply
  3. Kay wrote:

    This is quite lovely and practical. I’m loving the fact that the bookshelves actually do contain a goodly number of books. Sometimes it seems that decorators feel bookshelves are for lot of things, but not books. The chaise is great and I do like the light and the fact that there is a place to have a desk. When we sold our last house, the lady that came to stage it saw that my built-in bookshelves in the living room contained all books. They weren’t double-shelved and were tidy, but they were full. The first thing she said was ‘well, we’ll have to get rid of all these books’. I just stared at her and then asked her if bookshelves weren’t for books? She said ‘not so much’ and ‘who has this many books?’. I was so glad that I had already packed up boxes and boxes and boxes of books at that point. LOL

    Posted 6.24.15 Reply
    • admin wrote:

      Oh no, sounds like you and your realtor were not a match made in heaven (I would have been infuriated by her comments!!)! I remember when I was shopping for condos, the one I ended up buying had all the books turned pages side facing out when I looked at the unit! I remember thinking that was so weird, but now that you mention this, it must have been to create a more neutral color scheme in the room for showing.

      Posted 6.24.15 Reply
  4. Love your dream library. Definitely gets me thinking about what I’d have. Big window for sure. Maybe a place to make myself a cup of tea? Wouldn’t want to have to walk to the kitchen!

    Posted 6.24.15 Reply
    • admin wrote:

      Oooh – I like the tea bar idea!

      Posted 6.24.15 Reply
  5. I want that room!!! Lovely chaise and large window… mirrors on opposite side such a good idea!

    Posted 6.24.15 Reply
    • admin wrote:

      The mirrors weren’t originally there…those were bookshelves! But, we realized we’d have to come up with hundreds more books to fill them and I only wanted my favorite books in there. But, I actually like the mirrors even better now that they’re there…I feel like they lighten things up.

      Posted 6.24.15 Reply
  6. This is beautiful! I love the chaise lounge, and I agree that arms are a must!

    Posted 6.24.15 Reply
    • admin wrote:

      Absolute must! And – I had no idea how hard it was to find one with arms…Anne kindly informed me of that – ha!

      Posted 6.24.15 Reply
  7. Love this post! I would be very happy in this library! I love the chaise lounge, too.

    Posted 6.24.15 Reply
  8. Oh, my gosh…I can’t stand it. This is SO AMAZING, Sarah! You and Anne did such a great job! I love your categorization of the books; I may have to steal this. So, in a perfect world, this is kind of what the front room of our new house would be like; the owners have agreed to leave me the big book case that is in the pictures I put on the blog today…it’s a start! I’m planning to put a large club chair with ottoman and a desk, so I’m on my way, right?? Well, not quite, but I can’t wait to look at all of the details on the items she has included; I’m off to do that right now! WOW!!! I love this!!

    Posted 6.24.15 Reply
    • admin wrote:

      Ha – I actually thought about this when I read your new house post! Check out the Design Guide on Anne’s site for help in recreating this in your house…and the Buying Guide for all the pieces!

      And – I love the idea of a large club chair and ottoman…works out to be kind of a make-shift chaise!

      Posted 6.24.15 Reply
  9. This. Room. Is. Stunning. Oh! I can imagine curling up on your chaise with your book of the day and leaving the real world behind. I’m dreaming vicariously through you until your library is finished when I will then be living vicariously through you.

    Posted 6.24.15 Reply
    • admin wrote:

      Ha – I can only wish this library was actually being created in my house in real life! Not at this point…but, here’s to hoping should we ever move out of our rental house!

      Posted 6.24.15 Reply
  10. This room was a blast to design from start to finish but made more wonderful by Sarah Dickinson! Sweet, brilliant, hilarious, Sarah, you know I love you to pieces! I couldn’t have done this without you, and I look forward to many more collaborations with you by my side! xoxo

    Posted 6.24.15 Reply
    • admin wrote:

      Awh – I had a blast! And, Anne, YOU are the hilarious one! I just play off you like a less interesting sidekick…

      Posted 6.24.15 Reply
  11. MarB wrote:

    This room is beautiful! I love the organization of the books (especially the “See, I’m Smart” section, because you know everyone has one of those). Congratulations on being apart of this project! It looks like it was a fun and successful collaboration.

    Posted 6.24.15 Reply
    • admin wrote:

      Thank you – and, I bet that “See, I’m Smart” shelf exists in a ton of home libraries…the next question is who’s willing to cop to it?! And – all credit to Anne on the beauty of the room!

      Posted 6.24.15 Reply
  12. Amanda wrote:

    Perfection! Right down to the library organization. Now I want to curl up on that chaise and alternate reading with online shopping for some of those fun things.

    Posted 6.24.15 Reply
  13. Kelly wrote:

    Wow, I want to read in your library!! 🙂 The big window and chaise lounge are definite plusses for me. I love lots and lots of natural light.

    Posted 6.24.15 Reply
    • admin wrote:

      You sound like a girl after my own heart!

      Posted 6.24.15 Reply
  14. Carmen wrote:

    What a wonderful room! Who wouldn’t like a library like that?! I’ll have to hire Anne to design my library if I ever have my dream house. 🙂

    Posted 6.24.15 Reply
  15. Catherine wrote:

    If it is possible to LOVE a post and be pea green with envy then this is the post. Seriously, you and Ann need to get to Seattle quick and reconstruct this entire room for me. We’re finishing a remodel and I will have my own room but no way will I be able to come up with something this super fantabulous. I love everything about it- the color, the shelves, the art, the window. The only part of it I already have is a chaise-because you are absolutely right, can’t read without one.

    Posted 6.24.15 Reply
  16. Belle Wong wrote:

    I love your True Readers Library, Sarah! And the way you organized the books in it! I definitely want a library like this one. The chaise lounge is perfect. I’m wondering now if I could create something like this in the Sims (not that I ever have the time to actually play the Sims anymore, but still …!).

    Posted 6.29.15 Reply
  17. What a gorgeous library! I should have had you and Anne design mine! and what a fun collaboration that must be!

    Posted 10.2.15 Reply

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