Baton Rouge Showhouse: Library

LIBRARY

STORYTELLING

“In a library, you’re telling a story, whether through books, art, or the things you do within it. I’ve used pieces with history that can take you to another place. I envision a lot of creativity and comfort happening here.”

FOCAL POINT

“I bought the tapestry as is, with the velvet frame around it. It’s 17th-century French, and I love its beautiful colors and scene. A lot of tapestries I find would be too large for a room this scale, but this one made the perfect centerpiece for the library.”

A LOVE FOR ANTIQUES

“My mother and grandmother started Fireside Antiques in the 1980s, and now I’m the third generation in the business. I believe you don’t really ‘own’ an antique—you make it a part of your life until it gets passed down and reused by the next generation. Antiques keep all that energy. And the patina that comes with use and years of wax polished into wood gives them a depth and history which just can’t be replicated.”

COLOR STORY

“We painted both the walls and ceiling Farrow & Ball ‘Lichen’ to make you feel as if you’re being hugged by the room. It’s one of my favorites because it works as a neutral but also has color that is a little dusty, like a library should be.”

PAIRING OLD AND NEW

“I collect antique frames that inspire me, and they often work well with modern art. Ann Connelly and I created a kind of surrealist gallery wall with the right balance between old and new.”

CREATURE COMFORTS

Laura layered pattern into the built-in cabinetry with a Sister Parish wallpaper on the back of shelves that echoes the tones of the marble counter, along with cafe curtains that conceal storage underneath. “Whether someone is working at the desk or reading on the sofa, all the comforts should be close at hand, so I arranged a bar with snacks and aperitifs.”

FURNITURE

Four Hands

PAINT

Farrow & Ball

WALLCOVERINGS

Sister Parish

WINDOW TREATMENTS

Zak + Fox