The library has been a major flex space for us.  Temporary guest room, equal parts dining room and office… We created the space knowing that when the addition began the existing builtins would remain, but the windows would become a cased opening.  Basically this will be the main entrance into the addition from our existing home.  Now that we have our plans and are moving forward with interviewing contractors, I decided to take the room one step closer to its future use.  We removed the daybed (which a family member who shall remain nameless broke!) and opened the space up to reveal the windows.  This let me visualize the space even more and shift the table into the center of the room… where it has always really needed to be.


The table looked good in the center of the room, but the flush mount light fixture we installed when this was Chloe’s bedroom just didn’t have the big impact I was looking for.  I needed a chandelier with some oomph as this will now be the first space you see when entering the addition off of the deck… so again… I needed a wow factor.  I had played around with a few ideas for the chandelier; crystals for more of a glam look, brass and bold felt a little too expected, so then I turned back to a fixture that has had my heart since I first saw it in a designer showroom a few years back.  The problem was I could not remember the name or manufacturer.  Don’t you hate it when that happens!  Once again, I turned to one of my favorite sources, Perigold.  I was able to search their database of high end items simply by searching an image I had saved years ago.  Voila.  The Tilda Chandelier popped right up.  Instantly I knew that was my wow factor.


I paired the gorgeous white dipped wood chandelier with my favorite ceiling medallion.  This is a nice contrast between traditional and modern.  I love how the fixture has a large presence but doesn’t overwhelm the space.  It has texture that still pops against the white walls and creates some beautiful subtle shadows when turned on.


With this being a flex space or now more lovingly called, the middle room… I wanted to treat the table as almost an entry table.  Something that we can easily walk around, but can easily pull chairs up to when we are hosting a dinner party.  My longterm vision has always been a pair of ottomans.  The previous velvet ottomans I had in here, have since moved to our Living Room as they were just a tad short for our table.  So after shuffling around some of my existing furniture, I learned my acrylic x base stool my late father gave me as a gift a few years back was exactly the height I was looking for.  This led me to try and hunt down the exact stool, which was almost impossible as it was discontinued.  I ended up having to purchase one with different upholstery just to have the matching bases.  This meant I needed to have them reupholstered.

Turning once again to Perigold, literally my one stop shop for all things designer, I ordered a fabric that again I have been lusting after for years.  The Schumacher Pyne Hollyhock fabric in the color way Charcoal was an original design by one of my favorite designers Albert Hadley.  He created the floral chintz pattern for one of his client’s homes in 1962.  The timeless design is an absolute classic.  I have used it in other colorways in other homes, but have always desired to include the charcoal version in my own home.  Reupholstering the ottomans in this fabric was the obvious choice.


The blacks, whites, grays and subtle dark denim blue tones all play so nicely against the rest of the artwork and the rug in the space.



I have also been busy filling our library shelves with books and a few treasures from my father’s collection.  Rather than packing away all of the memories, I have chosen to make them a part of our every day lives to keep his memory alive.  There is comfort in knowing that I can touch something of his on a daily basis.


It is so nice how open this space feels now, especially with the addition of the new chandelier.  I can’t wait until I am able to view it from our new space, but for now we will simply enjoy it from our current vantage point.


**This post was sponsored by Perigold.  All images and opinions are my own.**