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Albion Gould

Albion Gould

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The Accusing Parlor

April 2, 2014 by Albion

When I was a teenager, I had a thing for house design magazines (I was a weird teenager). I still do, but they’re much harder to find. I used to daydream about my perfect house. It would have an awesome kitchen, a sunroom, breakfast area, lots of bedrooms, a sitting area in the master… you get the idea. It would be huge and solid have a room for everything. My family would live in it forever. While a lot of rooms on my wish list came and went, the one room that never left was a library.

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Books have always been my best friend. As a kid, I stashed them under my pillows and mattress and read way past my bedtime. I read on trips. I read on vacation. I read when I needed comfort, when I was completely happy, and every emotion in between. I got a degree in English Literature with no intention to teach, but because I got to read. By the time Scott and I were combining our belongings into one place, books were the bulk of my worldly possessions.

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Our house is my dream house, minus just a couple of rooms. We’ll be working on it for a long time to come, but it’s the kind of work that makes you happy because you love it so much. I fell in love with it from the moment I first saw the listing.

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We have a room that was called a formal living room in the listing. We aren’t formal people at all, and I couldn’t imagine the need for a formal room, unless people dropped by with their calling cards and starched collars. What we discovered in a brainstorming session was that it would be the ideal library. With my love of British murder mysteries, the room was quickly dubbed the accusing parlor. We lined it with the Billy from IKEA in medium brown, and the library came into existence.

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This room is also a good example of how we combined our styles and belongings into a cohesive room. Every bit of the room has “his, mine, and ours” all over it.

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Every accusing parlor needs a fireplace. We found a super cheap electric fireplace (similar) floor model at Home Depot. It had a few scratches, but nothing a small bit of paint didn’t fix right up. It does double duty because our bookcases cover up most of the vents, so it’s the main source of heat in the room. We have a Hong Kong skyline painting hanging above it. A Sherlock Holmes bust, two prints I picked up years ago, and Lucy the gargoyle come from my stash. An ashtray that belonged to Scott’s grandfather completes it.

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Souvenirs from Scott’s childhood travels, a Bossons Abdul head belonging to his grandfather, vintage world map bookends, thankful block by Bubblewrapp’d, an owl from my collection, and a frame we bought in New Zealand with the intention of putting a wedding photo in (one of these days!) make up one section.

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The idea is to fill the top of the bookcases with family pictures and incorporate my love of knick knacks into the shelves themselves.

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We currently have one chair. It’s on the ridiculous side for such a large room. Our wish list includes more seating and new carpeting. The carpet in the entire house needs replacing, but it’s simply not in the budget right now. We have an old rug strategically placed to cover the worst of the staining in the accusing parlor. We’d love a leather sofa to make a proper sitting area for more than one person.

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I really need to start organizing our books and shelves. Initially, I was so desperate to just get unpacked that I just emptied boxes onto the shelves. There’s no rhyme nor reason right now, and the librarian in me gets a bit of the jitters. We still have a lot of books and cds making appearances in boxes (will the unpacking never end?!).

I love this room. I love how it’s come together and I love the plans we have for it. I love how we’ve managed to combine our styles and things that are important to us, while also making room for the future. As with everything right now, the accusing parlor is a work in progress, but it’s one that we really enjoy.

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Category: live, UncategorizedTag: bookshelves, decor, decorate, home, house, library

About Albion

I’ve wanted to be an archaeologist, in theatre, a judge and to run a museum. I’m now in my mid-30s and have no idea what I want to be when I grow up.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Adelina Priddis

    April 3, 2014 at 12:56 pm

    I am insanely jealous! I would love to come curl up in that chair with a good book. Hmm, I may have to inspire my parents to up their library 😉
    Adelina Priddis recently posted…Cilantro Lime Chicken SkilletMy Profile

    Reply
  2. karri

    April 3, 2014 at 4:32 pm

    i would love love love to have a library. sigh. my dream.

    Reply
  3. jaquelyn {mama thoughts}

    April 10, 2014 at 3:55 am

    I love this! It feels very Sherlock, which is perfect. I’d love to have a library room, most of my books are in boxes in our garage…
    jaquelyn {mama thoughts} recently posted…hello! {a new space to blog}My Profile

    Reply
  4. Ashley @ My Craftily Ever After

    June 6, 2014 at 1:52 pm

    I love this space! I love that the decor has that collected look and is a true reflection of you guys. That is one thing I am always struggling with is making or home reflect us in a good way!
    Ashley @ My Craftily Ever After recently posted…Crazy Schedule, Stressed out Mama and an Idea…My Profile

    Reply
  5. Lisa at Mabey She Made It

    June 6, 2014 at 2:14 pm

    Ooh, a library would be so much fun! I love that it’s a mix of you and your husband too.
    Lisa at Mabey She Made It recently posted…Wallternatives Nursery DecorMy Profile

    Reply
  6. [email protected]

    June 6, 2014 at 9:54 pm

    I really enjoyed reading this post. I love the name you gave your library and the heart and soul you and your husband put into it! I’m sure you will have many special and quality moments in your forever “Accusing Parlour”. 🙂
    [email protected] recently posted…Life Lessons… from my Dad (with free printable)My Profile

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  7. Cori @ Let's Eat Grandpa

    June 6, 2014 at 11:21 pm

    I am insanely jealous of this room. Our “library” is also our guest room, our gym, storage, my other closet, and our future nursery (someday). I had built-in shelves in my last house and I miss them soooo much.
    Cori @ Let’s Eat Grandpa recently posted…$75 Sephora Gift Card Giveaway!My Profile

    Reply
  8. [email protected]

    June 10, 2014 at 5:40 pm

    Lucky you! My dream home will have a two story library complete with sliding ladder. I already have thousands (yes – thousands) of books and the collection seems to grow everyday. All I need now is the library itself. I too would want leather seating for more than one.

    Reply

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I’ve wanted to be an archaeologist, in theatre, a judge, and to run a museum. While I try to decide what I want to be when I grow up, I spend my time crafting and exploring the world. Read More…

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