Our Custom Library
My husband and I have always wanted a library.
We had been married for eight and a half years when we closed on this house, our “forever home”, and we had spent so much of that time dreaming and talking about what we wanted one day. We had been saving for so many years, letting our dreams run wild as newlyweds do, and a library was always a part of the plan.
Before
After
The Timeline
2022
Vendors Secured: EllieMAC Designs & Plowman Cabinets were the primary team for this project.
Furniture & Light Fixtures sourced & secured throughout the year. Sketches and plans created & Approved.
2023
March 6: Bookshelves begin
March 20: Light fixtures installed
March 30: Bookshelves complete
April 2: Bookshelves filled & styled
May 3: Painting begins (walls & Fireplace)
August 1-4: Tin ceiling installed & painted
October 28: Drapes & tiebacks installed
Interior Design by EllieMAC Designs
Ellie is not just an interior designer, she is an artist. As a fellow artist myself, she is exactly what i was looking for. She read our vision in a way i felt no one else could, and crafted a room that we never could have done without her.
Ellie helped with so many little pieces along the way, such as helping me to style the bookshelves, adding a brass tint to the tin ceiling BY HAND, and answering about a million Questions via text and email.
I already told you that Ellie sent us an overview of what we wanted on January 27, 2022. It would take a full year for construction to actually begin on that imaginary space.
We spent all of 2022 preparing. Ellie helped us to source all of our furniture and fixtures over the course of the year. It was a true labor of love, from concept and sketch to the numerous trips we took to pickup a new piece from a facebook Marketplace listing. Some pieces we found accident, some took months to find. We splurged in some places and saved in others. This project took a full year and a half, and now that it’s finally complete, I can share The Library of our dreams!
Electrical Work by Married 2 Electric
I left a 5 star review on google for these guys! They were so prompt and kind, and genuinely excited about our project along with us!
painting by Steel String Painting, LLC
David genuinely wants you to love the paint colors in your home, and he will go the extra mile every time. He invested SO much time on this room, hand painting each window pane, giving the black mantle the 4 coats it needed. He kept saying, “I’m so happy that YOU’RE happy!” every time we walked into the room. He is such a diligent worker, and hiring a professional for this particular color combination was a no-brainer.
Carpentry by Plowman Cabinetry
Andrew is that rare combination of reliability, kindness, and skill. He was absolutely meticulous for every piece of this epic build, and i found myself mesmerized watching him work. he created two structures (a bar and these Bookshelves) in our home, and within a few days we had almost forgotten what our rooms looked Like without them.
The Final Product
Thrifted Finds
Life’s Patina at Willowbrook Farm
I have loved going to the barn sales at Life’s Patina, and their curated sales are always worth the drive. I might want to get this piece reupholstered one day, but for $25 I couldn’t miss the deal!
Goodwill
This was the greatest thrift find of my life (thus far)! I randomly stopped at a Goodwill in Lancaster (on my way home from a shoot) and saw this full marble table listed for $10. When I asked if the price was correct the woman said, “That tag is half off today, so it’s $5”.
Facebook Marketplace
My favorite pieces of furniture in the room are these vintage wood-carved chairs. The needlepoint work astounds me, and watching the sun fit these embellished edges brings me joy every time I look at them. This set of two chairs was shoved in the back of someone’s storage unit, a long lost gem from a grandmother who passed away.
From: Anthropologie.com
Selected Artwork
Growing up, my husband Colin was always a huge fan of Daniel Merriam.
In 2017, when we were pregnant with our firstborn, we visited his gallery in california and purchased our first art print called “Over the Falls”. That piece is very special to us, and it now hangs over the chess table. We ended up purchasing two more pieces from Daniel Merriam, and designed the colors for the room around our final and largest purchase, “Telestic Tea”.
Neil Dreibelbis
Neil is a dear friend of mine, and my “studio-mate” as we rent space on the same floor of The Upstairs Studio Artists in Phoenixville, PA.
I watched him painstakingly create this piece over many months, and when he was finished I asked if I could buy it. My husband gifted this to me for christmas last year, and I was so excited to see how this bold painting would tie in with our purple walls and statement accents around it.
Andrew Hanenberg
This past summer, a tintype photographer based in New Mexico was in the area for an artist residency. I surprised my husband and booked a session with him for our 10 year wedding anniversary, and the resulting plates turned US into artwork for the wall!
We had the pieces custom framed by Framer’s Market in Malvern, and we love how they turned out.
Additional pieces
Custom Window-seat Cushion
DecorFlamingo on Etsy: HERE
Ginkgo Leaf Chandelier
Ballard Designs (credit to Ellie for finding this perfect fit)
Styling
To say that colin and I are happy with the result would be an understatement!
When we sit in this room, our finalized and fully realized dream, we are in awe just like everyone else who sees it. This is the crowned jewel of our home, a project that has already been worth it, and I really, truly hope that you will get to see it for yourself one day.
