Features that Stack Up to Make Great Libraries

What Makes a Great Library?

There are a few key features that make a library. Obviously, books are high up on the list, but there are also features that set the right scene. Making sure that a library has all the right elements is crucial to creating the environment you want.

Setting the Scene

These two cherry-paneled libraries share a lot of similar features; particularly the bookshelves lining the walls. The settings are what set them apart. Turtle Hill sits on a Concord hilltop overlooking preservation land while Eastern Point Cottage is right on the rugged Maine coast. In a town that has been home to Louisa May Alcott, Hawthorne, Emerson, and Thoreau, its only right that the library is up to par at Turtle Hill. Use the ladder to reach the highest shelves, light up artwork with custom spot lighting, admire the view past copper-lined built-in window planters, and search for the secret panel that opens to a four-floor staircase. At Eastern Point Cottage, the warm and inviting library is made even more appealing of a retreat by the fireplace. As Stephen Kings home state, enjoying one of his novels seems particularly fitting here.

A Room with a View

A library can also be a place to retreat to. Maybe its where you go when you have a problem you need solve or just need a moment of solitude. Add to the peace and quiet with a library that has incredible views. Whether its a separate and private stone building with floor-to-ceiling windows that send sunlight streaming through, like at 1 Rocky Ridge, or somewhere like 23 Newmarch, where you can look out onto the Ipswich River, a library should always be a happy place.

A Roaring Fire

When the cold weather closes in, is there a more satisfying feeling in the world than curling up in front of a fire with a good book? The libraries at 604 Delano Road and West Fields are just waiting to be enjoyed on a winter night.

The Atmosphere

The space at 16 Rolling Lane has got it all: a place to read, a place to work, a fireplace, views over the 8-acre estate, and mahogany and cherry floors. When you add it all together, this is a library where its easy to imagine watching the hours slip by as you enjoy the setting or an enthralling story.

Discover more homes with libraries here.