Whether a cozy nook for one or an expansive arrangement that can accommodate a whole book club, libraries are often among the most sacred spaces in a home. As multipurpose rooms that can double as an office or study, each offers a distinct place for solace, contemplation, and inspiration. When it comes to the passionate art and design collectors that Galerie has profiled, it’s no surprise that many have extensive book caches as well. However, their libraries range tremendously, from traditional lairs with dark wooden paneling to bright, minimalist spaces that invite the outdoors in. Below, discover an array from Galerie’s archives that beautifully display fine art and remarkable tomes in a multitude of styles.
In this library, designed by Aman & Meeks, a Gerhard Richter painting hangs over the mantel, the Mies van der Rohe stools are by Knoll, and the cast-cement cocktail table is a vintage Italian design; brushed-gold cork paper by Stark is installed between the ceiling beams. Photo: DOUGLAS FRIEDMAN
When designing their new Palm Beach retreat, a New York couple turned to Aman & Meeks to refresh the interiors of their Bermuda-style house, built by renowned architect John Volk. In the library, a rich blue lacquer enlivens the original mahogany millwork and complements a vibrant Gerhard Richter painting.
The library features an armchair by the Bright Group (foreground) and a pair of A. Rudin club chairs, a Promemoria sofa, and a cocktail table by Linley; the chandelier is by Fuse Lighting from Dennis Miller Assoc., and the rug is by Stark. Photo: PETER MURDOCK
Designer Penny Drue Baird masterminded a seamless transition from this Tuscan-style Long Island home’s exterior loggias to its elegantly modern interiors. The airy and artful library combines waterfront views and a muted color palette for a supremely chic, serene space.
Yayoi Kusama’s polka-dot dog sculptures frolic in the library, which is outfitted with a silver-footed Garouste and Bonetti ottoman covered in emerald-green kidassia goat fur. Photo: PETER BAKER
Francis Sultana is known for crafting domestic settings in which cutting-edge artworks pack a punch. In his friend collector Shaari Ergas’s San Francisco loft, the designer imbued the sophisticated space with humor and wit. Speaking to that mix, the library juxtaposes Yayoi Kusama’s polka-dot dogs with black-and-white images by fashion photographer Herb Ritts.
In the library of a landmark residence in La Jolla, California, arched windows add to the home’s Moorish aesthetic, and a Lee Mullican painting and 1920s Italian sconces surmount the mantelpiece, designed by Madeline Stuart. The leather desk is 19th-century French, the ebonized armchairs are vintage Berber pieces, the rosewood cocktail table is 17th century, and the sofa is a Stuart design in a Rogers & Goffigon fabric. The table lamp is from JF Chen, the floor lamp is vintage Art Deco, and the Oushak rug is from Doris Leslie Blau. Photo: TREVOR TONDRO
Designer Madeline Stuart may have reimagined this 1920s Spanish Revival manse in La Jolla, California, but she stayed true to the home’s longstanding name, Casa de la Paz, meaning House of Peace. The sun-drenched library brings the outside in through Moorish-style windows, which add a global flair to the serene interior.
This library is outfitted with a custom-made sectional sofa covered in a Zoffany velvet; the 1950s cocktail table is Italian, as is the 1960s chandelier from John Salibello, and the ceiling is painted in a high-gloss lacquer by Pratt & Lambert. Photo: ERIC PIASECKI
Architect Gary Brewer, partner at Robert A.M. Stern Architects, and designer Steven Gambrel collaborated on the renovation of this spacious apartment in a Rosario Candela building on Park Avenue. The duo describes the residence’s style as Art Moderne: Tradition filtered through the sleek, aerodynamic angles of the Gatsby age. In the library, Gambrel accented an icy-blue and turquoise color palette with touches of gold.
Walls of Indian palisander line the library, where a work by Jean Dubuffet is installed over the Rosso Levanto marble fireplace. A 19th-century ajouré metalwork lantern from India hangs above a claw-foot antique sofa, a Napoleon III chair in tufted Moroccan leather, and an 18th-century Tuscan floor cushion. Photo: JOSÉ MANUEL ALORDA
Inge Onsea and Esfan Eghtessadi, the couple behind the fashion brand Essential Antwerp, enlisted designer Gert Voorjans to revamp a former French consulate into their family home in Belgium. In the residence’s library, a Jean Dubuffet painting brings a fresh energy to the jewel-toned antique furnishings, which reflect the entrepreneurs’ global aesthetic.
In the library, dusky lacquered walls provide a contrasting backdrop for Sean Scully artworks and sofas upholstered in a creamy Rogers & Goffigon fabric. The cocktail table, custom designed in the style of Karl Springer, is topped by a Vedran Jakšić bowl from Roman and Williams Guild. Photo: ERIC PIASECKI. STYLED BY PHILIPPA BRATHWAITE
When renovating this 8,000-square-foot home in East Hampton, Randy Correll, a partner at Robert A.M. Stern Architects, reconfigured the rooms to embrace the verdant outdoor surroundings. To furnish the space, interior designer Dara Stern sought a formal-meets-relaxed feel that emphasizes texture and artisanal touches. The library captures both of their approaches with its midnight-blue-lacquered paneling, cast-glass fireplace, screened porch, and inviting seating.
A work by Ha Chong-Hyun is mounted on the library’s limed-oak bookcase above a vintage Jean Adnet leather-wrapped table and chair. The desk lamp is 1960s Scandinavian, the floor lamp is an Ignazio Gardella design produced by Azucena, and the rug is by Tai Ping. Photo: JEAN-FRANÇOIS JAUSSAUD
Designer Luis Laplace created an elegantly updated Parisian home for model Adriana Abascal’s adventurous collection. The furnishings, some of which were purchased on weekend flea-market excursions, are as eclectic as the art. In the library, limed-oak paneling forms an elegant backdrop for a sleek Jean Adnet desk and chair wrapped in oxblood-red leather.
Oscar Niemeyer chairs and a Haas Brothers gilded stool join a Willy Rizzo cocktail table atop the library’s Fort Street Studio carpet; the sculpture in the corner is by John Chamberlain, and the Chinese bodhisattva head is from the Northern Zhou period. Photo: THOMAS LOOF
French designer Jacques Grange fulfilled collector Stacey Bronfman’s fantasy of having her Fifth Avenue home be Gesamtkunstwerk, a total work of art. Though the apartment is part of a landmarked 1912 Renaissance-style building by McKim, Mead & White, the interiors feel distinctly contemporary. The warm-toned library makes a stylish canvas for John Chamberlain and Northern Zhou period Chinese sculptures.
