Thomas O'Brien: Library House

by Thomas O'Brien

“Fans of designer Thomas O’Brien’s work would jump at the chance to take a personal tour of the Library. . . . [In Library House] O’Brien offers just that—opening the doors to his personal home and studio space, revealing, in the process, not only the home’s thoughtfully designed interiors, but the very manner in which O’Brien approaches them and his design work as a whole.” —Architectural Digest   Thomas O’Brien’s name has long been synonymous with vintage elegance, modernism, and warm, livable design, so it’s no surprise that his luxurious homes in Bellport, Long Island, have attracted significant attention.  Thomas O’ Library House captures the gorgeous architecture, interiors, lush gardens, and myriad collections of the effortlessly formal and classic home and design studio (The Library) next door to his celebrated Academy house. In describing the process of imagining and building this dream project—a new house that looks as if it had been built over generations—the book also provides a view into how the author and his husband and fellow AD100 designer, Dan Fink, live and work.   Stunning original photography documents this incredible, historically detailed residence and showcases O’Brien’s keen design sense and his expert eye through a lifetime of collecting art, antiquities, furniture, books, tableware, textiles, and more.   Including behind-the-scenes stories about the extraordinary property and exclusive insight into O’Brien’s passion for gardens, this new book is an obsessive design companion and an aspirational guide to living a beautiful life in a beautiful home. It’s a coffee table keepsake for this who visit Library House and a chance to look inside for those who never have.

Genres: Interior Design, Design, Nonfiction

272 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 9, 2018

Reviews

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

I checked this coffee table book out of the library thinking it would be something along the lines of the lovely At Home with Books: How Booklovers Live with and Care for Their Libraries. However, this work is more about design than books, being a beautifully photographed close-up look at one particular house. Interior designer Thomas O'Brien built his dream home from the ground up and furnished it with tasteful antiques and charming touches, creating from scratch a place surrounded by pretty little gardens that looks like it's been lived in and loved for many generations of wealthy cultured people. Although he calls it "Library House," the name is misleading, because books are clearly an afterthought and clearly chosen (at least the ones we see in the photos anyway) for their aesthetic rather than literary appeal. That row of beautifully bound blue and gold Henry Van Dyke hardcovers in a glass cabinet looks gorgeous, but no one in their right mind would want to read all of them. Still, a pleasant book to page through and drool over.

[Juli Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Luscious.

[Don Gouger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good content

The detailed description was interesting to read. I did find frustrating the descriptions that did not always match up with photographs presented.