Ex Libris

<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In honor of <a href="http://www.ala.org/bbooks/bannedbooksweek" target="_blank">Banned Books Week</a>, "an annual event celebrating the freedom to read" (September 21 - 27, 2014), I share some photos of libraries. I hope they encourage a bit of reading - banned books or not - and if, like me, you are a fan of public libraries, please note that the <a href="https://twitter.com/RVA_Library/status/515863947514503168" target="_blank">Richmond Public Library</a> is accepting donations of canned goods through September 30. Donate canned goods, and the library will waive up to $10 of your late book fines. </span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR7k6-d8tULETs48H37EpkM7TX9nxKw8SC6ITHL7dr_i6GJOeuspexK53XifFojVz-RbDjuesxU3mJdkS442cKAPJbpp2q29Bo5iR78bCGe47VAK65p_YZTGITgAyBLCgB2unzE7m7vbg/s1600/item0.rendition.slideshowVertical.library-01-katherine-newman.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR7k6-d8tULETs48H37EpkM7TX9nxKw8SC6ITHL7dr_i6GJOeuspexK53XifFojVz-RbDjuesxU3mJdkS442cKAPJbpp2q29Bo5iR78bCGe47VAK65p_YZTGITgAyBLCgB2unzE7m7vbg/s1600/item0.rendition.slideshowVertical.library-01-katherine-newman.jpg" width="492" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"It 'makes vague reference to the classical Ionic order,' Katherine Newman says of the library in a postmodern Toronto house she designed with architectural designer/builder Peter Cebulak. The room’s finely carved capitals are complemented by a great number of noteworthy antiques, among them a circa 1790 satinwood worktable."</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Photography by Tony Soluri.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"<a href="http://www.architecturaldigest.com/decor/2011-10/home-libraries-slideshow?title=1" target="_blank">Stunning Home Libraries</a>"</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.architecturaldigest.com/" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" target="_blank">Architectural Digest</a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> (October 2011).</span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_KRZaf0M2aLbsaJuPM_E2BSZTYFxHTgPwD0cZaCaJQ_Y1M5TBOeQGHPAZqx_Bue7gkPJbjmBzyE-lXOSeHe17VuDU0TlsjwyQ3Pk8gOfkKH7fkgQwJYaGlBVuurft6mAe3uc85FRjfVc/s1600/item4.rendition.slideshowVertical.arsl05_graves.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_KRZaf0M2aLbsaJuPM_E2BSZTYFxHTgPwD0cZaCaJQ_Y1M5TBOeQGHPAZqx_Bue7gkPJbjmBzyE-lXOSeHe17VuDU0TlsjwyQ3Pk8gOfkKH7fkgQwJYaGlBVuurft6mAe3uc85FRjfVc/s1600/item4.rendition.slideshowVertical.arsl05_graves.jpg" width="446" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"With the folly idea in mind, the architects gave the residence a tea room, which is octagonal in shape and situated off the second-floor library." </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Library in "De Luwte," a home in the Dutch town of Loenen, on the shore of the Vecht River. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Architecture: Michael Graves and Associates. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Interior design: Eric Kuster. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Photography: Daria Scagliola and Stijn Brakkee. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"<a href="http://www.architecturaldigest.com/AD100/2010/michael_graves/graves_article_052008" target="_blank">Riverside Sanctuary</a>" by Mildred F. Schmertz. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.architecturaldigest.com/" target="_blank">Architectural Digest</a> (May 2008).</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvPzfMAXUqqIToP-gArOhM2y_k-wrdOGg_iOnja07xjIgs52FjVUq1EsimL2H3hDJHFEkh4-INWsNy9nNEPYkW_1j5RVMPqdQXokBRYhp0-OM4vKL2VaSm_mNK-odVtTqp4q8sD6Nup8w/s1600/101676934_p.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvPzfMAXUqqIToP-gArOhM2y_k-wrdOGg_iOnja07xjIgs52FjVUq1EsimL2H3hDJHFEkh4-INWsNy9nNEPYkW_1j5RVMPqdQXokBRYhp0-OM4vKL2VaSm_mNK-odVtTqp4q8sD6Nup8w/s1600/101676934_p.jpg" width="424" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"A glass roof floods the library with light."</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Library of Michael Graves's home - "The Warehouse" - the rundown Princeton, New Jersey, warehouse the architect bought in 1974 and renovated in stages.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Photography by John Bessler.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Text by Amy Elbert</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"<a href="http://www.traditionalhome.com/design/beautiful-homes/home-architect-michael-graves?page=3" target="_blank">At Home with Architect Michael Graves</a>" produced by JoAnn McVicker.  </span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.traditionalhome.com/" target="_blank">Traditional Home</a>®</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhymwwXFZVCMA39_nf7x2H0tRGHQj7_aBJyToZxv6WGn9yNXY_CcaBXtnkm53mZVuPTJ19VvCUE4D2HUB25o6V_9I-ujPZkAeK9HH3DIjGHaQUUm5iWXTTPqW-g5tIdRcphtVuqsDEe3Xk/s1600/item12.rendition.slideshowVertical.library-13-lubrano-ciavarra.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhymwwXFZVCMA39_nf7x2H0tRGHQj7_aBJyToZxv6WGn9yNXY_CcaBXtnkm53mZVuPTJ19VvCUE4D2HUB25o6V_9I-ujPZkAeK9HH3DIjGHaQUUm5iWXTTPqW-g5tIdRcphtVuqsDEe3Xk/s1600/item12.rendition.slideshowVertical.library-13-lubrano-ciavarra.jpg" width="492" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"The double-height library has built-in bookshelves constructed of ipe, which is termite-resistant. Its stair- and catwalk-balustrade design was inspired by that of the area’s old colonial cottages. Where the shelves meet the pickled-cypress ceiling, the architects concealed an air-conditioning system and uplighting."</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Interior design by Port of Call.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Architecture: Lubrano Ciavarra Design. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Photography by Steven Brooke. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"<a href="http://www.architecturaldigest.com/decor/archive/lubrano_article_122006" target="_blank">Tropically Integrated</a>" by Gerald Clarke.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.architecturaldigest.com/" target="_blank">Architectural Digest</a> (December 2006).</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5lqPcgmCiv91HfmodF-LnmO4SpGtzEdZ8AHeep9FhAqV8zhIbfxbH0lkSFJQy9TFsGczN8_Ng_voskzmaTCRj1FmBegZ8FxkxWaPR4ZV-nkZW7fd3ULQsdoao3OrIb0-fvvtt32quibo/s1600/07-hbx-cuban-mahogany-shelves-christie-1013-xln.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5lqPcgmCiv91HfmodF-LnmO4SpGtzEdZ8AHeep9FhAqV8zhIbfxbH0lkSFJQy9TFsGczN8_Ng_voskzmaTCRj1FmBegZ8FxkxWaPR4ZV-nkZW7fd3ULQsdoao3OrIb0-fvvtt32quibo/s1600/07-hbx-cuban-mahogany-shelves-christie-1013-xln.jpg" width="556" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"Christie transformed a bare room into a library, outfitted with Cuban mahogany shelves salvaged from a library in Nantes. His carpenter found more Cuban mahogany to build the barrel-vault ceiling. The classical busts crowning the shelves are copies made by Lorenzani in Paris."</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Home of harpsichordist and conductor William Christie.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Photography by Simon Watson.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"<a href="http://www.housebeautiful.com/decorating/house-pictures/french-country-interior-design-1013#slide-7" target="_blank">A 16th-Century French Countryside Estate</a>" by Melissa Biggs Bradley.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.housebeautiful.com/" target="_blank">House Beautiful</a> (October 2013).</span></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZex2WrofSpfvqTsrowOFu64RSjIV0qAwD4Uktc2EMcvUnpT6ZZ-HHdL4VIoI_Ii7GTywACgbu0oxJu763oZJNaDzY3_6qUCIleZ1yl47Oo_WCEKpra4dR0TIMFgYy2cC8HHuTBBD6LCc/s1600/10-hbx-blue-velvet-tufted-sofa-whitson-0613-xln-12629122.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="430" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZex2WrofSpfvqTsrowOFu64RSjIV0qAwD4Uktc2EMcvUnpT6ZZ-HHdL4VIoI_Ii7GTywACgbu0oxJu763oZJNaDzY3_6qUCIleZ1yl47Oo_WCEKpra4dR0TIMFgYy2cC8HHuTBBD6LCc/s1600/10-hbx-blue-velvet-tufted-sofa-whitson-0613-xln-12629122.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">" 'Because the library is small, it lent itself to a rich jewel-box treatment,' Whitson says. Woodwork is painted a deep, saturated color, Farrow & Ball's Hague Blue, and the ceiling is tented with a Michael S. Smith Indian block fabric, Jasper. Upholstered in a blue Schumacher silk velvet very close to the color of the walls, the tufted U-shaped sofa — which is all one piece — is where her two teenage children watch movies. 'We call it Big Blue,' she says."</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Tennessee home of antiques dealer Jeannette Whitson.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Interior design by Jeannette Whitson.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Photography by Simon Watson.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"<a href="http://www.housebeautiful.com/decorating/house-pictures/creating-a-new-old-house-0613#slide-11" target="_blank">A New Nashville House With an Old Soul</a>" by Barbara King.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.housebeautiful.com/" target="_blank">House Beautiful</a> (June 2013).</span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji9JcghAPoRbJzSwV_MVh-gGOp4rSrwvUZehfWGhRoJPtrWJUddHSv7oamf5GG9tRf0-wBqi6EwfWIiGhrhYIsd0_huK3YH7V0cjwbbZkPHIm89D_RMdjBOxZxw9Mt_TNSe9lZf3dbE1o/s1600/01-hbx-pierre-frey-dune-bergere-kedigian-1213-xln.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji9JcghAPoRbJzSwV_MVh-gGOp4rSrwvUZehfWGhRoJPtrWJUddHSv7oamf5GG9tRf0-wBqi6EwfWIiGhrhYIsd0_huK3YH7V0cjwbbZkPHIm89D_RMdjBOxZxw9Mt_TNSe9lZf3dbE1o/s1600/01-hbx-pierre-frey-dune-bergere-kedigian-1213-xln.jpg" width="556" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"The library in designer Garrow Kedigian's Manhattan apartment sheds fresh light on the classics he collects, both literary and decorative. A bergère in Pierre Frey's Dune partners with a mid-20th-century inlaid desk. Custom Stark rug with the designer's hallmark Greek key pattern."</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Interior design by Garrow Kedigian.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Photography by Christopher Sturman.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"<a href="http://www.housebeautiful.com/decorating/house-pictures/stylish-classic-new-york-apartment-1213#slide-1" target="_blank">A Stylish Spin on a Traditional New York Apartment</a>" by Douglas Brenner.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.housebeautiful.com/" target="_blank">House Beautiful</a> (December 2013).</span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCOmct2-rgwoIqRZZbtedAnECZ4ZNIuDxIJ5rtaKPqV9iRGelfjqUM6vgFRo7UoSU52TIJ0C9h5ch1640QReKZ36M3cAkToSb5b8dd_4SWsfSVRu8csAOfa-IORQDJ-gbNenYrySO3bno/s1600/02-hbx-clarence-house-elletra-kedigian-curtains-kedigian-1213-xln.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="430" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCOmct2-rgwoIqRZZbtedAnECZ4ZNIuDxIJ5rtaKPqV9iRGelfjqUM6vgFRo7UoSU52TIJ0C9h5ch1640QReKZ36M3cAkToSb5b8dd_4SWsfSVRu8csAOfa-IORQDJ-gbNenYrySO3bno/s1600/02-hbx-clarence-house-elletra-kedigian-curtains-kedigian-1213-xln.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">" 'I wanted to have a library before that notion becomes extinct,' says Kedigian, 'but the shell had to feel contemporary and fun.' Solution? A vibrant custom palette in a Fine Paints of Europe Brilliant finish. Curtains of Clarence House Elettra flank a sofa in Scalamandré's Variegation herringbone. A Louis XV fauteuil (a gift from Kedigian's grandmother) retains its original blue velvet, and a neoclassical side chair is updated with Glant Liquid Leather."</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Interior design by Garrow Kedigian.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Photography by Christopher Sturman.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"<a href="http://www.housebeautiful.com/decorating/house-pictures/stylish-classic-new-york-apartment-1213#slide-2" target="_blank">A Stylish Spin on a Traditional New York Apartment</a>" by Douglas Brenner.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.housebeautiful.com/" target="_blank">House Beautiful</a> (December 2013).</span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRRplDd54-XdvxBsoVcjJs7jl_9SFYbN8r-FJ40Mo12ke2BArL89oOqTDQBanQyaSE4j0JH4t4C-NkZChIZBqzIbZZk2ujD8EfQwUfXIu3_SEkiOHeZ0wTkWJx_3nqEvshdlB99eWJDNo/s1600/08-hbx-zoffany-serenza-walls-southern-1013-xln.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRRplDd54-XdvxBsoVcjJs7jl_9SFYbN8r-FJ40Mo12ke2BArL89oOqTDQBanQyaSE4j0JH4t4C-NkZChIZBqzIbZZk2ujD8EfQwUfXIu3_SEkiOHeZ0wTkWJx_3nqEvshdlB99eWJDNo/s1600/08-hbx-zoffany-serenza-walls-southern-1013-xln.jpg" width="556" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"The library is Southern's 'nod to English decorating, with vintage floral chintz.' Walls covered in Zoffany Serenza. Woodwork painted in Farrow and Ball Modern Emulsion in Wimborne White."</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1860 townhouse in London's South Kensington neighborhood.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Interior design by Rob Southern.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Photography by James Merrell.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"<a href="http://www.housebeautiful.com/decorating/house-pictures/colorful-london-townhouse-1013#slide-8" target="_blank">A Bold Makeover for a 19th-Century London Townhouse</a>" by Barbara King.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.housebeautiful.com/" target="_blank">House Beautiful</a> (October 2013).</span></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfZdvgTM0g72CNBCS9SAZAx8KET_-_lJcZ-JZdTqpTxMnZ05elxWvt3qDZal7B2VAvYwtKvhe7K4CwQgoNoR9PZ7_6v-WnDw7QnrDqbswzcXxsmKvvan8oAnPRE4q3mQCGkrSDvhjY7DU/s1600/tim-kemp-london-townhome-1-lgn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfZdvgTM0g72CNBCS9SAZAx8KET_-_lJcZ-JZdTqpTxMnZ05elxWvt3qDZal7B2VAvYwtKvhe7K4CwQgoNoR9PZ7_6v-WnDw7QnrDqbswzcXxsmKvvan8oAnPRE4q3mQCGkrSDvhjY7DU/s1600/tim-kemp-london-townhome-1-lgn.jpg" width="512" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"In the library, the armchair is by George Smith, and the mirror above the limestone mantel is 18th-century French; the small canvas artworks are by Anna Raymond, and the collages reflected in the mirror are by Joe Tilson."</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1920s London townhouse of hoteliers Tim and Kit Kemp.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Interior decoration by Kit Kemp.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Photography by Simon Upton.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"<a href="http://www.elledecor.com/design-decorate/a-bold-and-beautiful-townhouse#slide-1" target="_blank">A Bold and Beautiful Townhouse</a>" by Ingrid Abramovitch.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.elledecor.com/" target="_blank">Elle Decor</a> (April 2011).</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZbSQ-FLg6VzZ6kcE3Xi3p7j4uIjMz9HOzdirYnmvUjmdRlSs6xkHV1ip1n5Cd8vwgdDNDlYRR1eoB6xzmyN674SH7OPTanVC9SKEwDwtNIJ94QZ4-hwNJC4nxlB18Soc1w5WtvrAizG4/s1600/red-library-veoGuG-xlg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZbSQ-FLg6VzZ6kcE3Xi3p7j4uIjMz9HOzdirYnmvUjmdRlSs6xkHV1ip1n5Cd8vwgdDNDlYRR1eoB6xzmyN674SH7OPTanVC9SKEwDwtNIJ94QZ4-hwNJC4nxlB18Soc1w5WtvrAizG4/s1600/red-library-veoGuG-xlg.jpg" width="500" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">" 'Red libraries are best!' says designer Alessandra Branca. Walls are upholstered in wool paisley. The sofa and ottoman are Branca designs."</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Photography by Thibault Jeanson.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"<a href="http://www.housebeautiful.com/decorating/designer-libraries?click=main_sr#slide-20" target="_blank">Classic Library Design Ideas</a>"</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.housebeautiful.com/" target="_blank">House Beautiful</a>.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-diwLuq2h8eUW-XhEFKz4FQeM9t-jwYE3xTCPvDkMPBCNfRNkWduDvlHczuQoALovbkaAioi1peCkwH0Q_CTAXqmxcH9NaDfcVgV7WcSMUcLglpW1iuvrVflvybSHNG5A4EgYSzim_M8/s1600/VER-Beverly-Field-library-de.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="414" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-diwLuq2h8eUW-XhEFKz4FQeM9t-jwYE3xTCPvDkMPBCNfRNkWduDvlHczuQoALovbkaAioi1peCkwH0Q_CTAXqmxcH9NaDfcVgV7WcSMUcLglpW1iuvrVflvybSHNG5A4EgYSzim_M8/s1600/VER-Beverly-Field-library-de.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"Vivid lacquer paint in a custom mix sets off an eclectic display of books and antique porcelain. Custom sofa and slipper chairs in Clarence House fabrics. Custom armchair and ottoman in Pierre Frey fabric with Houlès fringe. Antique Oushak rug, Matt Camron Rugs and Tapestries."</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Interior design by Beverly Field. </span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Architecture by Richardson Robertson III. </span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Project managed by Brad Kelly.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Photography by Max Kim-Bee. </span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Text by Nancy Perot.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"<a href="http://www.veranda.com/room-decorating/glamorous-texas-home#slide-5" target="_blank">Glamorous Texas Home</a>" produced by Carolyn Englefield. </span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.veranda.com/" target="_blank">Veranda</a>.</span><br /><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEzw2nGA204nzjYhC8zDWPJ0jciXc-Vh0Q0vPxsp6fS1iyPAq_S0nGp-qTUK39jsxj_u2zGcXyZxjXRc7KARPaRJyn7-w0gcUcORnd5S2bRAIAizHVcd2VkuIDvi6IhPy9opeZ4vdPF7Y/s1600/hbx-0910-klein-book-shelves-sofa10-1iobN6-xl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEzw2nGA204nzjYhC8zDWPJ0jciXc-Vh0Q0vPxsp6fS1iyPAq_S0nGp-qTUK39jsxj_u2zGcXyZxjXRc7KARPaRJyn7-w0gcUcORnd5S2bRAIAizHVcd2VkuIDvi6IhPy9opeZ4vdPF7Y/s1600/hbx-0910-klein-book-shelves-sofa10-1iobN6-xl.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"The library's high-gloss brown walls play up the grid pattern of the bookshelves, derived from a design by architect Hugh Newell Jacobsen. Pillows in Ixtapa by Jacques Bouvet et Cie make a handsome, well-worn chesterfield sofa look even more comfortable and inviting."</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Photography by Simon Watson.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"<a href="http://www.housebeautiful.com/decorating/high-gloss-painting-0910#slide-9" target="_blank">Paint Your Home in High Gloss</a>" by Carol Prisant.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.housebeautiful.com/" target="_blank">House Beautiful</a> (September 2010).</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div> <span style="text-align: center;"> </span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuUDNuuqLf9gAbQeF1UoUQyuw8CFRW7DRx3VfE58kSAQXsvvJrwoP2HJSUZfXNAWJlEx3diZyQ9xUZIiLuzWjfJZscByfgXhulxeGA3QpEWDywZX4Jq9vA6HRzmv4eM79ibhhJxs0rx5o/s1600/item3.rendition.slideshowHorizontal.arsl04_libraries.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="530" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuUDNuuqLf9gAbQeF1UoUQyuw8CFRW7DRx3VfE58kSAQXsvvJrwoP2HJSUZfXNAWJlEx3diZyQ9xUZIiLuzWjfJZscByfgXhulxeGA3QpEWDywZX4Jq9vA6HRzmv4eM79ibhhJxs0rx5o/s1600/item3.rendition.slideshowHorizontal.arsl04_libraries.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"In a Bethesda, Maryland, house designed by architect Hugh Newell Jacobsen, floor to ceiling windows filter light into the library and music room. Favoring a minimalist approach to the decor, Jacobsen used a simple wood carpet on the bleached-oak floors; he created the white-oak low table." (October 2006)</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Photography by Robert C. Lautman.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"<a href="http://www.architecturaldigest.com/architecture/2008-12/libraries_slideshow_122008" target="_blank">Libraries</a>"</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.architecturaldigest.com/" target="_blank">Architectural Digest</a>.</span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijz0bB60YGZG798grD5Fax-fE8QyNo2-FCiN0TJOmDnqSw4sYhW4nDGB-bVuOJmIXoMT4dVK8MC_sHxDGeu3IRd3xqqgvM5N-0Sr3RcdoqP-y2zs27p43_OHv2W6IYGPKJMGz2Yp_izzE/s1600/item10.rendition.slideshowHorizontal.library-11-margaret-griffin-elyse-grinstein.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijz0bB60YGZG798grD5Fax-fE8QyNo2-FCiN0TJOmDnqSw4sYhW4nDGB-bVuOJmIXoMT4dVK8MC_sHxDGeu3IRd3xqqgvM5N-0Sr3RcdoqP-y2zs27p43_OHv2W6IYGPKJMGz2Yp_izzE/s1600/item10.rendition.slideshowHorizontal.library-11-margaret-griffin-elyse-grinstein.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"Architect Margaret Griffin, in collaboration with architect Elyse Grinstein, renovated a home on Los Angeles’s West Side, an area that has natural creeks and groves of indigenous trees. The star tree here is a 300-year-old sycamore that shades a small spring and lush slope in back. The snug library “started out with a full brick wall facing the tree,” explains the owner, but the brick was replaced by sheets of glass to bridge the room’s connection to the outdoors."</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Photography by Arthur Matthew Gray.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"<a href="http://www.architecturaldigest.com/decor/2011-10/home-libraries-slideshow" target="_blank">Stunning Home Libraries</a>"</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.architecturaldigest.com/" target="_blank">Architectural Digest</a> (October 2011).</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfz1i3pRbp4Nm5WtaCxCJh_wvnlOSNF9ov9Dn5klUS0rpGhLqRck2r75uN0Cnz0jJoikNJF1DxVeoKd8MfWwPDUpl7RS47A9wLCc8UoQIzoq0VHBScg2H2vskoYeqIKppiwo7jhoYQbys/s1600/09-hbx-vintage-eames-chair-doherty-1212-lgn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfz1i3pRbp4Nm5WtaCxCJh_wvnlOSNF9ov9Dn5klUS0rpGhLqRck2r75uN0Cnz0jJoikNJF1DxVeoKd8MfWwPDUpl7RS47A9wLCc8UoQIzoq0VHBScg2H2vskoYeqIKppiwo7jhoYQbys/s1600/09-hbx-vintage-eames-chair-doherty-1212-lgn.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"Bookcases cleverly mask awkward angles. Early-20th-century French lamps overhang the vintage Eames chair in its original leather."</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Interior design by Alexander Doherty.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Photography by Francesco Lagnese.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"<a href="http://www.housebeautiful.com/decorating/house-pictures/alexander-doherty-apartment-design-1212#slide-10" target="_blank">A Soulful Manhattan Apartment with Rich, Moody Color</a>" by Douglas Brenner.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.housebeautiful.com/" target="_blank">House Beautiful</a> (December 2012).</span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaubSi3wXra8eDcA_hplBWB0jUuVmgLA7scBp32qlhAd55Ep01HR6JYxZj86KH8L15kTXIOwzQuo5bcp4Y1Enfb9CaTUt0itttjRnouhYtSwKWrA3tRE2PTF_rL028cSI7cSIoQTArX9M/s1600/item3.rendition.slideshowVertical.steven-meisel-04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaubSi3wXra8eDcA_hplBWB0jUuVmgLA7scBp32qlhAd55Ep01HR6JYxZj86KH8L15kTXIOwzQuo5bcp4Y1Enfb9CaTUt0itttjRnouhYtSwKWrA3tRE2PTF_rL028cSI7cSIoQTArX9M/s1600/item3.rendition.slideshowVertical.steven-meisel-04.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">  "A vintage William Haines stool sits in the library, next to walnut bookshelves." </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Photographer Steven Meisel's 1963 George MacLean-designed house in the Trousdale Estates neighborhood in Beverly Hills. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Decorator: Brad Dunning. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Architect: Marmol Radziner and Associates.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Photography by Roger Davies.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Text by Mayer Rus.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"<a href="http://www.architecturaldigest.com/celebrity-homes/2012/photographer-steven-meisel-beverly-hills-home-slideshow_slideshow_item3_4" target="_blank">Steven Meisel's Midcentury House in Los Angeles</a>" produced by Robert Rufino. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.architecturaldigest.com/" target="_blank">Architectural Digest</a> (October 2012).</span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>

Ex Libris

In honor of Banned Books Week , "an annual event celebrating the freedom to read" (September 21 - 27, 2014), I share some photos o...

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