I saw a library dining room on Pinterest, and the rest was history! I obsessed over it until I was able to build my own. After living in this home for a few months, I started to dream about built-ins.

When we first moved in, our home was bare, beige and sterile (see before photos here). Adding built-ins made a huge positive difference in the feel of our rooms, as well as how we use our home on a daily basis!

The best compliment we receive on our remodel is that it looks like it was built this way. I love that we took it back in time by imitating historic homes rather than reaching for newer trends. Built-ins add instant coziness!

You might also enjoy 10 Inspiring Home Decor Books and My Used Book Collection.

When deciding how to decorate our dining room, I was torn between built-in bookshelves and wallpaper. Both had the potential to add a lot of personality to the room. I chose built-ins because I love to collect books, and I knew it could be styled endless ways.

Here’s a link to my dress. It comes in lots of colors. I recommend sizing down one size.

The light fixture is one of my favorite details in the room. It is called the Meme Tulip Drop Chandelier, and it was gifted to me from Stray Dog Designs. It is a true work of art, as it is hand sculpted.

Room sources: Table and Chairs / Article, Chandelier / Stray Dog Designs, Sconce Lights / Etsy, Tablecloth / Amazon, Rug / Apple & Oak Nashville.

The jade pottery is a DIY (I thrifted glass and ceramic vases and painted them).

When it came to filling the shelves, I wrote a post about my used book collection. The majority of the books filling these shelves are books I purchased used.

I am very proud of my spooky book collection. Whatever type of books you are passionate about, a home full of books is my favorite type of home.

Let’s talk about the fireplace for a moment. I had a fixation on adding as many fireplaces to our home as possible (we started with one and ended with three).

We added this non-functional fireplace (also called a “candle fireplace”) to the dining room. I love that you can add some glow and twinkle to the space.

I found an antique mantle at the flea market and we used it as the base for this fireplace. I had to source more corbels and design around it. I love how it makes the whole room feel more antique.

Thank you so much for reading. If you’re interested in more room tours and home content, here are a few of my personal favorites from this home: