books. books. books.
I have a problem. A serious book problem. I am not a Kindle/iPad gizmo reading kinda girl. I want, nay NEED, to have book in my hands. I read The Help on my Ma's iPad and it was fine, but just not as fulfilling as ferociously tearing through a tree-killing paper book. I am obsessed, going into Barnes & Noble is one of lifes greatest pleasures and I have to try very hard to remind myself that I can get everything cheaper from them online or for Amazon. Patience has never been a virtue I possessed. I'm a big fan of pretty coffee table books. They are just so fun and interesting and make me feel like a fancy lady who has fancy coffee table books… You'll find stacks of them, literally, all over my house. Above is my formal living room, the vintage 70's lucite table is one of my most favorite purchases. I stacked it up with some super girly books, a pop of pink, and my favorite mug. 
You guessed it, more books. My collection of random fashion, decor, and art books. I have more, but I realize I would look like a candidate for Hoarders if I didn't at least try to streamline my collection in our common areas. Yes, I have not one, but two Sex and the City movie picture books… dude, the movies may be giant piles of crap, but you can't deny the amazing clothes in both films. I bow to Patricia Field and her fashion mastery. This Ikea footlocker is one of the few Ikea purchases that I imagine we will have forever, it's one of my favorite pieces of furniture and it perfectly hides our obscenely large movie collection. Yes, I probably should be on Hoarders. 
More fun!!! This is our tv console, good ole Expedit from Ikea. That's probably our next piece to replace, we want a fancier more grown up piece that has a similar vibe. I am obsessed with bookends and knickknacks… clearly I have a bit of an elephant thing. I hate uniform looking bookshelves. Sooooo boring!! I want to have fun odds and ends that really give it some life! We have been collecting these steadily over the last few years. I also like the books to be placed a bit haphazardly to create some charm. I sort of organize each shelf… sort of, a few travel books, my healthy eating reads, the books that I always go back to, and a few vintage finds that fill my heart with joy. I'm working on cleaning up the billions of wires behind it which is much of the reason I want another piece of furniture. I think being surrounded by books that make you feel happy creates such a personal and special touch to your home. We have a massive Expedit stuffed to the brim in our guest room, but keep the really special books out and near us at all times!!
And finally, my very small but super special Pride & Prejudice collection. I am slowly building this up. Anytime I find an interesting or pretty version of Pride & Prejudice I buy it. New, used, antique, it doesn't matter. I've got 3 so far, but hope one day to have enough to fill it's own bookshelf… because you CAN NEVER have too many books. I feel like someone is calling Hoarders on my book loving ass, like right now…