"The massive floor to ceiling bookshelves that encapsulate the dining room are the envy of any book lover."

yes indeed. house tour please!

Very comfortable looking. Great eye for thrift finds, everything looks like it could have been purchased brand new.

These rooms are fantastic. Never knew I would like a gold painted bedroom.

I LOVE that library! One day I am going to have one, if it kills me.

@thorndale - Some non-readers have always used books as decor rather than as reading material - it's not just in the last 20 years! i can't remember which one, but I read a 18th century novel not too long ago where they described the books in a wealthy person's library as "uncut" (meaning, the pages hadn't been separated to allow for reading).

Props to another North Texan- your home looks awesome! I would love to eat in that dining room, with all those great books to stare at.

Very nice. Love the color palette all the way through!

yes my mother had all the classics in leather bound and we were not allowed to read them..they were for the shelves.

Zoinks! I have bookcase envy!

Fabulous pics! Love the use of blue accents (curtains, suitcases, chair) to balance the brown walls.

Is that a zebra print rug in the living room? Great mix of accessories--not too kitchy, not too ethnic, and is that a mid-century chair in the dining room? Would love to see the rest in a house tour.

I thought loaning out books to friends was a thing of the past--what a great idea to bar scan them all so you can keep track of who has what!

There's something almost magical about a book-lined dining room. This is a beautiful place.

lol @ "too ethnic". Whites have ethnicity too!

Agree totally with Blandwagon. I would kill for a dining room lined with books. Someday...

Anyway, this place is really lovely and tasteful. Would love to see more!

totally dying for that oval shaped, white framed mirror centered above the headboard in the bedroom -- where's it from!? and for that matter, the other (hexagonal?) shaped white framed one above the dresser in the entry hall? so cool!

another person wowed by your collection of well-read real (as opposed to props) books. great idea to line the dining room walls with them. it's a cozy look - and utilizes a room that's often underused.
lovely home!

Hi there! Thanks for the comments! I'll try to answer most of the questions:

Many of the books have been read, but we can't honestly say we've read ALL of them. :) The ones in the dining room are actually all Luke's- he's a bit of a collector (to say the least.) Mine are stored on the living room shelves!
Luke actually built the dining room shelves himself. He's very bummed this DIY didn't make the blurb. :)

The color in the liv room is "cinnamon spice" and I believe it is by Behr.

There are no curtains on the dining room rods because I haven't found the right ones yet. I'm planning on getting simple white ones and mostly keeping them pushed over to to the sides. Don't wanna block those windows.

Yes, it is a (thrifted) zebra print rug in liv room. And thanks!

The oval white framed mirror above bed is an antique that I inherited and painted white. Actually, all of those frames were inherited. The oval shaped mirror came from a thrift store.

Thanks again ya'll! :)

Kerri

Woot woot Dallas, ma hometown :)

Emily the cat, if I remember correctly - it was in "The Great Gatsby" that Gatsby's books had been uncut (unread); for show and not for the pleasure of reading.

I love combining the dining room/library and I find it appealing that your room is entirely surrounded by books. Like good friends - it makes a space cozy.

Wonderful shelves and very tastefully decorated place in general.

I really love this, especially those amazing shelves of books. But also the frames above the bed - I've seen collections of frames, I've seen mirrors in with pictures, I've seen empty frames, but this is the first time I've seen anybody mix them all together and it looks great.

I love that you guys have created your own library scan system and would love to see how it works. As a kid, I made up my own library loan system at home (I'm sure you must have done so, too), with little manila pockets and cards, just like at the bookmobile. I longed for a date stamp, but had to be content trying to make my little writing look like it was a rubber stamp.
These days, so few people borrow books from me that I'm able to keep track in my head (plus I created "ex libris" stickers to help the borrows remember whence the books came).
Anyway, love the rest of your house, too, but am loving the very idea of a computerized home lending service!

What a lovely home. There's nothing that makes me happier (or more envious) than built-in bookcases.

I hate these people! LOL!
Despite hours of watching DIY network, I am still in awe of fact that someone made those lovely bookcases. So I'm jealous because you have them (and I don't) AND you're crafty (which I am not).
I second the call for a proper house tour!
Regarding the iBooks v. Traditional books argument: there's also research that suggests that you actually process/experience literature differently when it's read on a screen since it requires different areas of your brain to be active. I am all about anything that gets people reading and away from the TV, so if you get your Jane Austen fix in a library or on a Kindle, I'm happy for you either way ;)

Thrilling to see the built-in bookcases. Right now, half my kitchen cabinets are filled with an overflow of books. To me, there is nothing more textured, more intimate, that books all around me ... but in a room where they belong!

Yes, buying books for show, not for reading, has a very long history. My favorite example is the rooms lined with unread books in the home of Mack Sennett, who created the Keystone Cops. By pretending he'd read them, he hoped to counteract the idea that all comics are lightweights. That idea, of course, is false, but Sennett's rather innocent pretension didn't do much to counteract it.

Kerri, your sense of color is amazing. I am wowed by how the blue-green drape in the bedroom works with the walls. And the armchair in the dining room is perfection.

A full tour! I'm begging.

Oh! For those interested in the computer check-out system, it is software called "Delicious Library" and works on any Mac with a camera. Very nerdy, but super fun! ;)

And we haven't jumped on the e-book wagon yet. I personally like the feel of a book in my hand (and the smell in general), but I'm not against any technology that's encourages people to read.

I have them...but was just going to "clear them out" this week! I was going to get rid of stuff that was just sitting there collecting dust; you know, simplify? Now, I am left wondering what to do! Love it!

Another vote for a full house tour, please.

Are those Nancy Drew books to the left of the fireplace? Brings back memories for me.

@missstacy - I wasn't thinking of Gatsby (which I haven't read since high school) - I was thinking it was an Edith Wharton novel - but you're absolutely right, he didn't read his books either! I'm sure it's happened (and been written about) many times...

When I lived in Dallas several of my friends were lucky enough to live in Lakewood. You have a lovely home and I like all of the natural light. The bookshelves are great.

Okay...ummm, I would KILL for bookshelving like that. And the built-in shelves next to the library, are giving me an eyegasm. I love the stacked suitcases, if I had room, Id incorporate that into my home. That chest of drawers is gorgeous.

Wow, such rich colors--I wish it was my house!

My apologies for the spelling/grammatical errors in my comments. With all this talk of READING, they seemed ironic. I was just excited and typing very fast! Hehe.

I ADORE the bookshelves above the door...very english cottage and yet modern at the same time

I grew up sleeping in that exact bed. I've never seen another like it, it's crazy. I can't remember who's it was, probably a great grandparent's

I have a very similar fireplace, so thank you so much for the color info!

I agree - this one deserves a full house tour.

As an avid reader, all I can say is ... wow! Love it.

Note to photographer: When you've got this many books on display, get some close-ups of a few of the shelves so we can see what they have read! :)

I'm absolutely in love with your bookshelves!!! Just like everyone else, but it's hard not to fall in love.

Books & reading = LOVE.

This place is absolutely adorable! I LOVE the bookcase-dining room. Its so cozy and fresh.

A house tour would be great.

I am in LOVE with the bookcases. It's so cozy I just want to grap one and drink a cup of joe on a cool Autumn day :). Now I'm wonder how I could get one into my home...

lower dining room chandelier