I sat in the green armchair I almost never use, and the room looked different from there. Here is what I noticed from that seat about visual weight, layered light, and how pieces from different eras share a wall.

My partner found a brass owl I'd forgotten I owned, which got me thinking about how I actually style bookends. Weight, proportion, color, and whether a pair needs to stay together all play a part.

Empty bookshelves can be more intimidating than full ones. What I learned building mine, one adjustment at a time, was that almost every shelf that improved got better because I took something away, not because I bought something new.