Before & After: A Library Goes from Pale Peach to Dark and Dreamy
Natalie’s home was originally divided into apartments, so she had the not-so-small challenge of turning it back into a cohesive space. After experimenting with new paint colors, and switching up the floor, she finally found herself with a moody library full of quirky, personal charm.
From Natalie: This room has changed over time as my husband and I have lived in the house. We bought our circa 1870s Pittsburgh home nearly three years ago. The house had been divided up into apartments for much of its existence. The before picture is a view that shows a few different rooms — you can see five different flooring choices. Our goal was to bring the house together as a whole, but give each room its own personality. We were actually excited not to have an open floor plan, so we could really play with each room environment separately.
To bring the different rooms together, we redid the floors throughout the house. We also painted the walls in most rooms a very light warm gray (Lamb, by Behr), including the walls in the library. We lived with the light walls in this space for more than a year before we took the leap and went dark (Underwater, by Behr). This made all the difference and the room finally came together.
The green couch and chair were a lucky Craigslist find that brought about a frantic afternoon of trying to find and rent a truck so we could snag them before someone else did (victory!). The rugs were good deals on eBay. Various other furniture pieces are all second hand. The display case was found at a junk store for a steal, and I added legs and stained it. Inside you will find a portrait of the house in objects: glass bottles found in the walls, ceramic shards, and natural objects like nests and feathers that have been found in and around the house. I am an artist, so most of the artwork on the walls was made by me.
Not pictured are the incredible bookcases my husband built that are flanking the window on the right side of the picture, opposite the fireplace.
Thank you, Natalie!