The Biblio Files

I can't move anywhere without my books. To the bemusement of my family, all 55 boxes of books have been carted from continent to continent, and they always say, 'Why do you need all those books? It's ridiculous.' It is, but they represent home to me and it isn't a home until they are surrounding me in their six book cases, which by the way has been whittled down from nine in this age of austerity in the best effort I can give on the practical front. Some got tossed, most got enthusiastically passed on to fellow readers. It amazes me when people ask, 'You've read all of these?' as if it were some kind of feat. No honey, I've read at least 20 times that amount, I don't keep them all...but for those of us who do, even avid Kindlers, which I count myself among, we look for ways to make our own personal libraries reflect our environment and decor. From novels, to non-fiction, reference and design, I wouldn't be without them. 
Some lively examples of that are what I've been researching this week, not just the formal but also the beautiful and hip. Let's begin with the greens...delicate hand-painted at The Palace, London W5. (No, not that palace).

I'm crazy about the aqua drop chandelier here in The Oval, South London. Perfect wall color and choice of art with it. Oh, books too.

Vivid will do it for me just as well. Found here, with a nice mix of knick knacks.

Blue proves to be a great color for a reading room:

And this striking blue Addington Grove house with crisply defined shelves setting off the Victorian fireplace;

Darkly decorative at 6ixteen London

And the polar opposite, bright, white libraries with loads of daylight. I am convinced that A'court Place artist studio library holds a treasure of beautiful reference books:

 But I'd settle for this Stradella Road cosiness too.

Cannot resist including Abi's little nook with numbered stairs...charming for little ones. 

From twee to towering, and how it was done in days gone by. Every year we hear of some discovery in the dusty backwaters of an old library - a First Folio could lurk just about anywhere. Just the other week Bristol University discovered 4,500 year old food at the back of a library cupboard - clearly hastily hidden away when the librarian was doing the rounds. I always feel the potential of magical discovery when delighting upon an ancient library and I do have my favorites, the British Museum being the finest. However, tucked away on shelves of manor houses around Britain surely lay hidden gems. Such a place is Raynham Hall in Norfolk. The greatest libraries have fireplaces and several chairs to choose from. All I need is rain outside and a cat replacing the dog, and this is my heaven:

Saving the best until last, and causing me to pause for a very long time when perusing the incredible details in its design and creation in person, is the library to end them all - Dumbledore's. If John Dee were to step inside fresh from the court of Elizabeth I, he'd feel quite at home here, I'm sure of it. 

To Make The Boys Wink

Pink. The first refuge of the feminine expressed visually. Second most used color in Shabby Chic next to ivory. Quite guilty of monopolizing it, having spent 12 years known as Pink Woman due to my candy cotton hair, so I don't mind at all to be strolling through Shabby Street with a pink hat on. I do though want to feature only English pinks and I'm going to get the ball rolling with two specifically London home owners who have embellished their rooms without a care for who else hefts their hobnail boots onto the coffee table. Yay. I'm all for that. 
The inimitable and glorious company that is Timorous Beasties have produced a Toile de Jouy of London scenes. Just to be clear, sights of London in a medium made popular by the French created by a Scottish company. That's alright then. The house is in London. So there. 

Then, a very British (unless the northern knobbly bit makes a run for it soon) kitchen in London taking the Union flag and pinking it out. 

I cannot resist velvet anything, especially on furniture. Whether Chesterfield buttoned at Admiral here (why do Americans say Tufted? There's not a tuft of anything in sight. Grass is tufted. Settees are Chesterfield-ded-ded).

Or here at Lordship Park, two examples I'd haul off in a second if I thought I could get away with it. 

But if you're after the perfect classic Shabby bedroom, Balham House has it down pat. Crisp bedding, way too many pillows and lovely finishing touches of fireplace and chandelier. If I was shown into this on my first night as a house guest, I'd know the dinner ingredients were coming from Waitrose and not Lidl. And I'd refuse to budge for a month. 

These double width armchairs seem to be everywhere currently. I was shown one last week while in Laura Ashley (yes, I said that, but under the mitigating circumstances of being with a client, and besides - stubbornly - their cushions are fab) but I can't really see what their point is, unless you either spend all of your time with other people sitting on your lap (awkward) or need everyone to know you can afford 1500 quid for one chair. Lyndhurst has one, going rather nicely with the palest pink room, but I do wonder if that isn't the spare person underneath it. I can see a slipper. Lavish drapery hides all manner of sins, especially bodies.

Much more interesting if you add a shot of hot pink into the mix, as they have here.

If I had a house of infinite rooms, most of them would be plastered in PIP STUDIO wallpaper. Here is one of their more restrained, which would do very nicely for the Shabby Chic guest room. Don't be staying a month though, at those prices I can't feed you on top of that. 

Maleficent Mirrors

I've been searching for Maleficent Mirrors in London homes and have decided that only the grandest will do. Monster mirrors, fabulously ornate, dripping in ormolu and intricate plasterwork. Huge great things that hang, prop up against and dominate walls. Antiques with built in shelves.
Starting with two wonderful examples of how to impress with a casually placed, I-just-happen-to-have-this-laying-around mirror: Studio East...

...and at Littleworth, just the thing for this vast, simple but elegant bedroom.

I especially love antique mirrors with built in shelves, which are quite rare to find. Both Lordship Park...

...and Mapesbury have the beautifully proportioned rooms and gorgeous design work necessary to pull one of these off. 

The owners of this Holland Park mansion have perfected the fine art of antique decay made beautiful. 

But here in Richmond Road, very careful consideration and choice has gone into creating a scenario where each piece works together towards an entire, exquisite look. At the opposite end of the room is another, equally stately mirror which reflects back on the ormolu and cannily, doubles the reflection of the whimsical disco ball into infinity. So very English! 

Speaking of clever mirror placement, this Rococo house boasts and appropriately Rococo mirror which casts an image of the one opposite in the hallway as well as the grand mantle inside the living room. Bouncing back between each, the light suffuses all rooms. 

I had to include the wonderful and unique French mantle mirror gracing Ruby House, north London. Is it not incredible? Somebody has found the exact figurines that it was surely designed to show off. Shabbily distressed, it lacks not a shred of grandeur. The sort of piece to create a room around. 

A custom photographic studio has made use of this awe inspiring hunk of Victoriana as a backdrop or prop to relish. See more at The Depot

Lastly, I love this one the most because. Only in an English countryside Manor could a mirror so staggering be sort of shoved away in a quiet corner of the house that is, in fact, the casual sitting area part of the old kitchen. Here's what that says: 'We have such magnificence that we forgot about this old thing.'
Have you seen it?! It's probably carved by Grinling Gibbons!

The Macaroon Colors of Summer

 Gauntlets

Any color you might come across a sorbet in, that's a sure fire key to decorating in summer inspired tones. I say sorbet, but my current obsession is L'orchidee Boutique Patisserie in Westfield Stratford Mall, and if ever there was a food to decorate an entire room to, their macaroons are it. Just look at them:

So, with a bunch of macaroons in mind, don't these rooms look good enough to eat?
See more of the house here

Source Full room of deliciousness - I love the chandelier being exactly right!

Pink grapefruit, lemon and orange cushions at Milly's

Such a great girl's bedroom see more house here

Love the mix of vivid here

Filling jars full of collections is another way to bring in color...see it here

Shelf carnivale...

Incredible, edible summer house. Love it.