“I would suspect for most people, being surrounded by books creates an ambiance and a warmth and calm,” Joshua Claybourn says.
Being an attorney with Jackson Kelly PLLC and a noted historian of Abraham Lincoln, Claybourn is well read, as is his wife, Melissa Cooney-Mudd. Creating space for their collections of books was not going to be a quick job, but it was worth the effort. Shelves were built by contractor Marlin Briles, who hand-cut the crown molding since the existing trim was no longer was made.
The couple’s best estimate is that around 1,725 volumes line the walls of a small living room, just off the entry hall, in their Lincolnwood Drive home. “People always ask when they come in here, ‘Have you really read all these?’ And with the exception of a couple of reference books, the answer is yes,” Claybourn says.
Three volumes he has edited on the 16th president are included in the section dedicated to Civil War history. Other sections are devoted to children’s books as well as holiday themes, culture, travel, sports, music, art, theology, religion, philosophy, classics, fiction, and Claybourn family, local, world, and ancient history. Claybourn’s favorites include “The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire” by Edward Gibbon and Homer’s “The Odyssey.” Cooney-Mudd, a special education teacher at Haubstadt Community School, loves the “Song of Ice and Fire” volumes that the TV series “Game of Thrones” was based on.
When the couple first stocked their library after marrying in 2022, “We wanted that entire section to be accessible for the kids. They could run in, grab a book, and hopefully not mess up the entire library,” Cooney-Mudd says of her and Claybourn’s children: Jordyn, 17, Prudence, 10, and James, 9. As lifelong book lovers, they have a hard time parting with volumes. “Every time I step in here, I feel my blood pressure drop, and I’m happy and peaceful,” Claybourn says.
Jennifer Scales, owner of interior design firm Y Factor Studio, also knows the power of books in expressing personality. “Books should be touched, loved, and used,” she says. “I like my clients to have real books that show their passions — they are some of my favorite accents.” Her own home library was inspired by an Airbnb in Nashville, Tennessee, that included an expansive library categorized by topics on “just about anything you could dream of,” she says. The owner “had a handwritten letter hoping that guests would unplug and enjoy a book during their stay,” Scales says. “I took that to heart and wanted my family and friends to do the same.”
Her geodesic home on Newburgh Road creates a unique layout for a personal library. Eight 10-foot-tall black, open bookcases store volumes related to design, art, travel, architects, and pop culture that she has collected over 10 years. The exact count is unknown, but her children, Dean, 15, and Estella, 12, joke that she has “more books for interior design than Barnes & Noble,” she says. “Not only do I love to design with books, I love to be inspired by seeing the works of other interior designers. I use the books to pull inspiration from designs across the world.”
Her father, Danny, fabricated the bookcases with no backs to break up an open concept layout. Artfully positioned are volumes by cosmetics pioneer Estée Lauder’s granddaughter Aerin Lauder, coffee table reads from fashion designer Tom Ford, and signed copies picked up at interior design markets, including Lauren Rottet’s “Authentic Design” and “Aero” by Thomas O’Brien. Scales’ favorites are two hand-crafted volumes about Versailles and Tiffany & Co. from the prestigious design line Assouline. Near the dining room, guests can lounge on two sofas, sip from the wine bar, and enjoy an unobstructed view of the backyard. “I personally love being surrounded by books,” Scales says. “I wish more people would dedicate the space for them.”
