Top 5 Homes of the Week With Top-Shelf Libraries
Take a page from their books—these modern home libraries from the Dwell community are seriously impressive. Our editor's top picks feature snazzy storage options, elegant home offices, reworked living rooms, and more.
Featured homes were submitted by members of the Dwell community through our Add a Home feature. Add your home to Dwell.com/homes today.
1. Interior KG
INT2 architecture used a variety of different materials to delineate spaces throughout Interior KG. The living room features a light wood herringbone parquet and several rows of shelves.
Photo: INT2 architecture
Architect: INT2 architecture, Location: Saint Petersburg, Russia
From the architect: "The main concept of the project was the use of deep colors on the walls and ceilings, and combinations of various wood textures, cement tiles, and ceramic granite. [The] living room is the common space. Walnut parquet visually separates a kitchen zone from the living room."
2. Penthouse, Istanbul
The common area in this penthouse by Studio RHE boasts a digital cube ceiling, stunning views, and an immense book collection by the bar.
Dirk Linder
Architect: Studio RHE, Location: Istanbul, Turkey
From the architect: "Perched on the tallest of the seven hills above the Bosporus River, [the house features] huge electric ‘guillotine’ glazed frames that slide to allow unbroken views from the bridge to the Mediterranean Sea."
3. Wildwood
Forest views, visible from the study, give Wildwood's homeowners direct access to their lush surroundings. The rural retreat by Giulietti / Schouten AIA Architects is the perfect respite from suburban sprawl.
David Papazian
Architect: Giulietti / Schouten AIA Architects, Location: Portland, Oregon
From the architect: "The clients, who work nearby, requested a modern home with simple, clean lines to fit within the heavily forested 1.2-acre site and to embrace outdoor living throughout the year. They requested the home to be truly livable in the cool northwest climate with natural daylight and filtered views of the forest. Wildwood is comprised of a long, single-loaded, open plan running north-south with living areas oriented west to the 35-acre forest reserve and open space. A two-story central hearth marks the divide between the large living room and the private master suite at the north. A quiet study at the south acts as a separate retreat from the larger living area with select views to the forest."
Shop the Look
The World's Most Beautiful Libraries
Temples of Knowledge Exceptional access to the world’s finest libraries From the mighty halls of ancient Alexandria to a camel bookmobile on the Kenyan-Somali border, human beings have had a long, enraptured relationship with libraries. Like no other concept and like no other space, the collection of knowledge, learning, and imagination offers a sense of infinite possibility. It's the unrivaled realm of discovery, where every faded manuscript or mighty clothbound tome might reveal a provocative new idea, a far-flung fantasy, an ancient belief, a religious conviction, or a whole new way of being in the world. In this new photographic journey, Massimo Listri travels to some of the oldest and finest libraries to reveal their architectural, historical, and imaginative wonder. Through great wooden doors, up spiraling staircases, and along exquisite, shelf-lined corridors, he leads us through outstanding private, public, educational, and monastic libraries, dating as far back as 766. Between them, these medieval, classical, baroque, rococo, and 19th-century institutions hold some of the most precious records of human thought and deed, inscribed and printed in manuscripts, volumes, papyrus scrolls, and incunabula. In each, Listri’s poised images capture the library’s unique atmosphere, as much as their most prized holdings and design details. Featured libraries include the papal collections of the Vatican Apostolic Library, Trinity College Library, home to the Book of Kells and Book of Durrow, and the priceless holdings of the Laurentian Library in Florence, the private library of the powerful House of Medici, designed by Michelangelo. With meticulous descriptions accompanying each featured library, we learn not only of the libraries’ astonishing holdings – from which highlights are illustrated – but also of their often lively, turbulent, or controversial pasts. Like Altenburg Abbey in Austria, an outpost of imperial Catholicism repeatedly destroyed during the European wars of religion. Or the Franciscan monastery in Lima, Peru, with its horde of archival Inquisition documents. At once a bibliophile beauty pageant, an ode to knowledge, and an evocation of the particular magic of print, Listri Libraries is above all a cultural-historical pilgrimage to the heart of our halls of learning, to the stories they tell, as much as those they gather in printed matter along polished shelves. Publisher: TASCHEN Photo Courtesy of TASCHEN
ShopMarmur Studio outfitted the living room with shelves along the balcony doors, highlighting the outdoor view. A hi-fi system serves as the centerpiece, whereas the rest of the room is both uncluttered and light-colored, underscoring the high ceilings typical of such prewar buildings.
Maciej Lulko
Interior designer: Marmur Studio, Location: Wrocław, Poland
From the interior designer: "The modern updates to the apartment are rightfully subdued, giving a number of the decorating heirlooms and mementos prominence throughout the apartment. The layout was left unchanged, with only a few modifications introduced, allowing the original parquet floor to be left entirely intact."
5. The House by the Dunes
Neuman Heyner designed every inch of the home to work in tandem; the staircase contains a bookcase that doubles as a balustrade.
Amit Gosher
Architect: Neuman Heyner, Location: Hadera, Israel
From the architect: "[The home] is located 500 meters from one of the most beautiful beaches in Israel [and] planned for a family of five. There is a secret gate leading to the beach. The extra long swimming pool begins near the public outdoor space and ends at the private hot tub by the parents' suite. Every centimeter is used efficiently."
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