Studies and libraries–what’s the difference?

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As I perused pinterest recently, I came across many category boards called ‘den/study/library’.  Sometimes the term sitting room was thrown in the mix.  Perhaps because of my background as an English major, and my interest in words in general, I think it is fascinating to see how architects/designers/homeowners label the rooms in houses. In the end, I suspect it’s part function, part inspiration, and part aspiration.

Several things came to mind when thinking about this subject.  During my teenage years, I lived in a contemporary style house in Connecticut, and the room that we used most frequently (in truth, it was the room my mother spent most of her time in) was called ‘the den’.  This room was cozy, with a sectional that wrapped around the room, and had a wood burning fireplace that was lit every night during the fall and winter. It was a room for reading (although not a place where books were stored), a room for watching TV; however, it was more the TV that the adults watched, and the room was primarily used by my parents (really, my mother). To me, this is a den – a casual, informal room for the family, whose purpose is relaxation and entertainment.

But what’s the difference between a study, a library, and a sitting room?  Is it just nomenclature, or is there a functional difference? I started paying attention to the labels that were attached to some of the rooms that I have long admired, and have put in my own ‘libraries/offices’ board on Pinterest. 

Wikipedia defines a study as “a room in a house which is used for paperwork, computer work, or reading. Historically, the study of a house was reserved for use as the private office and reading room of a family father as the formal head of a household, but today studies are generally either used to operate a home business or else open to the whole family.  A typical study might contain a desk, chair, computer, a desk lamp or two, and bookshelves”.

There was a room in the  2012 Atlanta Homes and Lifestyles Christmas House that had great appeal to me – it was called ‘The Gentleman’s Study’ and was designed by Birmingham, Alabama based designer Tammy Connor.  The room was accessed through a door on the far side of the entry, and the space itself was on the other side of the entry wall.  It felt tucked away and private, and the warm color scheme (Farrow & Ball olive) made it feel cozy and luxurious.

Here is a picture of the room, from AH&L, interior design by Tammy Connor, photography by Emily Followill.  The desk is beautiful, a vintage piece from Parc Monceau Antiques.

On the other side of the room was a niche with a chest and a striking starburst clock.

Here is a wider view of the room, from Tammy Connor’s blog; I couldn’t remember if there was a sofa or a chair on the far wall, and this picture answers the question!  The lantern used in the room, as well as the grasscloth wallpaper on the ceiling, can be seen in this image.

Also from Tammy’s blog, this vignette from the 4th wall of the room. There are a few books here, but this is not a bookshelf.   Please visit Tammy’s blog for a behind the scenes perspective on the design process for the room, and the source for most of the items that went into the room.

To me, this is a great representation of a room that is a study – it’s a place in the house that is more like an office, a private space more geared towards an individual’s use. It’s not a room that is devoted to entertaining others.

In the 2010 AH&L Christmas House, there was a room called the ‘multipurpose retreat’, with design by Amy Morris. I love the terminology, but if this room was part of everyday living, the owner certainly would not call it this (let’s go sit in the multipurpose retreat, shall we? ).

So what would you call this room if it were in your house?  Although there are freestanding bookshelves in here, their purpose is decorative. To me, this is more of a study, due to the presence of the desk and the absence of a TV.  Upon further reflection, I might be inclined to call it a sitting room, due to the numerous (and luxurious) seating options available.  Via Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles, image source.

Sitting room/study comes to mind when seeing this room, which is in designer Suzanne Kasler’s home – and ‘master sitting room’ is how it is labeled in Architectural Digest.  This room is actually part of the master suite – it is a separate room, an outer room to the master bedroom.  It is definitely a private room of the house, due to its location in the house – however, the desk lends it an air of a study as well. 

This room is called the ‘paneled study’ in the AH&L article that featured it; the interior designer, Betty Burgess (no website!), notes it is the darkest room in the house, and used the vibrant royal blue as a ‘pop’. I really love this room – it serves all sorts of purposes: bar ( as seen to the left of the fireplace), sitting room, decorative library. The desk is one of my favorite parts.  It’s definitely a public room in the house, based on its location off the entry, but it also seems like a cozy and private sanctuary.  This house has sold since it was published, and I would love to see how the new owners are living in it…

Now, on to libraries.  I found some interesting examples of English libraries when looking into this subject, and realized that the nomenclature for rooms in old English houses was very much tied up with social status and position (Jane Austen was a master at knowing which was which, and the rooms that her characters possessed and the associated names of the rooms said a lot about the characters and their relative position in the social hierarchy).

According to dictionary.com, a library is defined as “a place set apart to contain books, periodicals, and other material for reading, viewing, listening,study, or reference, as a room, set of rooms, or building where books may be read or borrowed”.  To me, a home library is a room whose design, purpose, and function is devoted to books first and foremost, with built in bookcases that grant permanence and prominence to the placement of books in the room. Personally, I like a home library to be filled with books that have meaning to the home owners – books that reflect the owners’ interests and hobbies. Home libraries should serve as a place to both store the books and enjoy them.

When I think ‘library’, I think about the beautiful long library in Bleinheim Palace.  I saw this house in 1997, at it made such an impression on me. It houses 10,000 books, and was designed to be a picture gallery as well as a library. On one end is a magnificent organ. It reminds me a bit of the library in Beauty and the Beast.

Perhaps more typical of an English library is this one from Dunrobin Castle in Scotland. With its warm paneled walls and shelves lined with old books,a desk and a fireplace flanked by two chairs, even a globe, this room seems designed for work, study, and contemplation.

And of course, a new favorite English library is the one at Highclere Castle, where the series Downton Abbey is filmed. In the series, this room is used for the Earl’s business meetings, and is also used by the family for more intimate family gatherings before and after lunch and dinner (I don’t recall ever seeing anyone actually read a book in here!).   Apparently this library houses over 5,000 books collected by the family over the generations, some of which date to the 16th century. 

Looking at modern day American examples of rooms that are designated as libraries, if one were to judge from the leading shelter magazines, the home library is alive and well.  Some might say that the printed word is on the way out, but based on these lovely examples and my own experience, I think there is still a strong link to books and the places in which they are stored.

Architectural Digest has an interesting feature on the ‘Stunning Home Libraries’, and notes that a home library is a “window to the mind – and style – of the owner”.  All of the rooms have the common thread of many books – all of them in built in bookcases, creating a beautiful backdrop to the room. However, the rooms often function in other ways – as dining rooms, studies, offices, living rooms.  So it seems that the term library has become fairly broad in American architecture in the 20th and 21st century.

Here are some of my favorite examples of rooms designated as ‘libraries’.

These days, it seems like the presence of bookshelves filled with books seems to define a library versus a study.  A Suzanne Kasler designed room is off the main entry, but is also tucked away and clearly designated as a more private space. The books are beautiful, but clearly they are for decorative purposes and probably are not read (I would even hazard a guess that they are written in Swedish, as many of the antique leather books sourced in Atlanta seem to be from Sweden). Image via Veranda.

I saw this library on the Peak of Chic – it is in the Paris apartment of Jansen president Pierre Delbee.  This is just one small vignette from a decent sized room (for a city apartment); the rest of the room can be seen on the Peak of Chic. The ambience and décor of this space seems quintessential library to me. 

I am not sure where this picture came from, but to me this is a great example of a library done on an intimate scale. The room contains beautiful books, a few individual chairs designed for great comfort, special and specific lighting (reading lamps, library lights, and a pretty chandelier) as well as an antique desk. The animal print rug brings it all together. Perfection.  It seems to be a ‘dead end’ room, with only one point of entry, but this works well for the intent and purpose of the room.

A close up shot of the same rooms shows the charming lamp on the desk, and a gallery wall of art.

A gorgeous library (interior design by Miles Redd) in author and Veranda contributing editor Danielle Rollins’ house. This room is actually upstairs – on the right of the picture, a desk can be seen, and this room is also used as Danielle’s office. I recently had the opportunity to see this room when the house was on a home tour – I had a private behind the scenes tour as the upstairs was not open for viewing, and this room was full of projects and inspiration boards – a room that is truly used day in, day out.  I also love that the books seem to be ‘real’ books – design, architecture, landscape, fiction, and non-fiction books that have been collected and read through the years.

Here is the other side of the room, where the desk can be seen clearly.

Danielle’s house actually has two libraries - the downstairs library is off the foyer.  Again, note that the books seem to be real books, not collections of leather bound editions selected for looks.

There is an antique console that can used as a desk, but based on the objects decorating the surface is used more as a place to display pretty items. Interiors by Miles Redd.

There are countless examples of beautiful home libraries, and when researching this post, I have enjoyed perusing the web site Beautiful Libraries (http://www.beautiful-libraries.com) for ideas and inspiration. 

As proof that the home library is still alive and well, Joni Webb from Cote de Texas recently profiled the conversion of her home office to a library…

Here is the end result (as profiled on http://cotedetexas.blogspot.com/2012/12/my-remodeled-library-finally.html). To me, this is truly a library, as the purpose of the room is a place to keep her extensive collection of design books, as well as a peaceful retreat. It is a beautiful and functional space now – a place to hold all of her design books, which in her line of work (designer and blogger extraordinaire) are essential to providing information and inspiration.

This is one of those times that the original intent of my post morphed into something else entirely – in fact, I ended up removing my original pictures and putting them in the beginning of another post!  However, the idea of how rooms are defined, what they are called, and how they are used is an interesting one to me, and I often ask people how they use their rooms and what they call their rooms when I see a house.

What are your thoughts?  Do you have a study or a home library, and what do you call the rooms where you (or your clients) read, store books, or work?   I would love to read your thoughts! Email subscribers, please click here to comment.  

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