I Spy...

I really enjoy decorator and writer Annie Kelly's entire Rooms to Inspire series of books, but I have to say that my favorite is probably Rooms to Inspire in the City.  And some of my favorite photos in this book (shot, of course, by Kelly's photographer husband, Tim Street-Porter) have to be those of decorator Russell Bush's home/ office on Park Avenue. (See above.)

What I would do to spend one day in that room, peeking around the book shelves and stacks, searching for titles that I might need to add to my own library.  Of course, the room's other furnishings are quite attractive too, making them the icing on the cake.  Actually, now that I look at these photos, I think that my day in Russell Bush's apartment would need to begin late afternoon on a winter's day just as dark sets in, then lingering well into the evening.  I say this because it seems this room is an ideal nighttime room, all warm light and coziness.  Well, a girl can dream, can't she?

Because I have studied these photos at length, I can share with you a few titles that I spied...just in case you want to add some new titles to your book wish list.  I know that I did, and now my wish list is up to 555 titles.  (Seriously.)  How I'm ever going to whittle this list down, I haven't a clue, especially considering that anytime I see photos of rooms filled with books, I inevitably add quite a few new titles to the list.

The Great Houses of Paris by Claude Fregnac and Wayne Andrews. (Available via Amazon and Barnes & Noble)

Italian Splendor: Great Castles, Palaces, and Villas by Roberto Schezen. (Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and IndieBooks)

English Interiors 1790-1848: The Quest for Comfort by John Cornforth. (Amazon)

Paul Poiret by Yvonne Deslandres. (Amazon and Barnes & Noble)

The Early Work of Aubrey Beardsley by Aubrey Beardsley (Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and IndieBound)

A History of Valentines by Ruth Webb Lee (Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and IndieBound)


Photos of Russell Bush's apartment featured in Rooms to Inspire in the City by Annie Kelly, Tim Street-Porter photographer.