The Library as Escape

These images from Parish-Hadley: Sixty Years of American Design, and the accompanying free verse description of libraries caught my fancy:
"The library as escape,
as private domain
(knock before entering)...
on the other hand, the library as
dining room-cum-art gallery...
a generous book table covered
in plainest felt...
book bindings rich enough to
supply the decoration...
Morocco-bound first
editions in exotic wood cases
behind brass grilles...
the learned appeal of floor-to-
ceiling bookcases...
a place for scholarship, trophies,
personal memorabilia (your
picture with the president)..."

Brooke Astor's library, holding 3,000 volumes. Hadley designed the bookcases of red enamel with brass trim. The shelves glint and shine as much as the gold-lettered bindings.

Albert Hadley's personal library. A carousel giraffe is a whimsical touch in a space that feels part library, part sitting room. 

Grillwork doors protect precious first editions. Heavy Russian furniture is offset by the expansive cream of the walls. 

All images and intro text from the 1995 edition of Parish-Hadley: Sixty Years of American Design.