Our Favorite Projects So Far
Five Years of Home Libraries
Our Favorite Projects So Far
When I review our largest projects, we have handled upwards of 100,000 volumes in 5 years. Each library we have perfected has its own personality -- those with certain intellectual clout, the beautiful ones, the rare, the enormous, the specialized, the je ne sais quoi. I simply couldn’t narrow it to 5 favorites for 5 years. Please humor me my 7 favorite projects so far.
One room of books at the Spence residence in Wilson, Wyoming.
7 The Artist & the Writer
Imaging and Gerry Spence had built a massive collection of books in their Wyoming residence through the decades, and needed help organizing it, downsizing it, and packing it to move to several different properties. I would describe both of them as polymaths, true renaissance sorts, each in their own way. Rarely have I seen so many topics in one household. From room to room, shelves holding every angle you can imagine on art, design, architecture, law, fiction, photography, writing, and on and on.
It was fascinating to see how a bestselling author approaches and keeps his much-used collection of books (Gerry Spence is famous as much for his books as for his legal career). The Spences were not on site during our work there, but whenever we discussed the project by phone, Imaging knew every book, every shelf, like the back of her hand.
One Wall of a Los Angeles Curated Collection
6 The Young Family
We curated this collection for a family with three little girls. The mother is an avid reader of literary fiction, the father, a leader in the tech industry. Children’s literature is always such a delight to work with, and I didn’t mind the excuse to dive deep into contemporary literary fiction (plus classics of the last century), either. The cherry on top was the space: from the color of the paint chosen for the shelves to the painting that took center stage in the library, it was an incredibly beautiful canvas for the books we curated. See more images of this project here.
One Wall of #5 The Cookbook Collection
5 The Cookbook Collection
Jackie has been collecting cookbooks since the 1950s, amassing over 1,000. But they were all in boxes: she needed them organized and arranged to really enjoy them. She was the rare client that loved her books so much, she chose to do the sorting work with me. It was a delight going through this many books about food — with someone who had cooked from all of them. Read more about this collection here. See more images here.
4 The Historian
Part of being a librarian in any setting is knowing what you don’t know, and being open to learning. One client I’ve been working with for a few years is a longtime collector of Jackson Hole and Wyoming history, from maps to books to ephemera. This is the project where I learn the most as I help differentiate editions, document the context, and catalog the details of hundreds of wonderful books capturing the history of the beautiful mountain valley where we live. This is not a collection that can be captured in a photo of a room: the marvel of it is in the details, and you have to know where to look. In another life, I could have worked in a museum -- this is the next best thing.
3 The Library that Looks Over Jackson Hole
When I first started the business, I was occasionally asked if I knew about “that library up on Snow King,” the one with tall walls of bookcases, all full, library ladders, the works. I did not, until it sold -- and the new owners remodelled the library and brought me in to create a collection of books that were meaningful, useful, and inspiring to them and their kids. Their subjects were fun, as was the tall ladder, and the beautiful view over our little ski town (and the Tetons, beyond). See more images of this library here.
2 The Quintessential Local’s Library
#2 The Local’s Library in Wilson, Wyoming
I have built many Jackson Hole collections: the go-to topics are things so many of us love about our home here in Wyoming: local history, nature, skiing, mountain adventures, the American West. But this was my favorite: The client had a vision to include all of those elements, plus sporting, fishing, and topped off with a touch of old Adirondack camp culture. The interior design and art choices in every room are full of texture, context, history—thanks to Shannon White Design— and the books were chosen to join in that chorus. The result is a home that feels connected to the landscape and history around it.
1 The Art Collector
#1 The Art Collector - New York
Our first project in New York City, this home library had it all: beautiful custom shelving, a need for books that were both visually striking and explore certain topics in-depth, plus a unique vision for art and design. After we finished this library, we created a corresponding collection in
This client has an impressive art collection, so the books we chose give context to those pieces and provide endless resources and inspiration for a lifelong pursuit of modern art and design history. We pulled in antique bookends, design pieces from Italy, textures that juxtaposed just so with the beautiful custom shelf design.
After this project was complete, we built a corresponding collection for the client’s second home in Park City, in that case, highlighting an extensive collection of mid-century modern antiques.
Both of these projects were sophisticated, visually striking, and unique. See more images of this Tribeca home library here.
Off-list favorites. There are few library projects I would have loved to include, but had to leave out -- for lack of great photography, or sometimes because of a request for privacy. There was the sports library for a retired NFL kicker. The 5,000-volume bird and wildlife collection in rural Texas. The to-die-for-gorgeous Chicago home (also perhaps the kindest clients). The photographer-cowgirl-antique-collector in Wilson. The collection entirely in French (I don’t speak French!). I suppose I could go on and on.
I’ve enjoyed every minute of it. What books, libraries, homes, and readers will we work with next?