An exquisite antique bookcase filled with art books and art at a friend’s house.
I love books …from a passionate bibliophile who thinks that a house without books and only a huge TV screen is really scaring a few ideas to use or re-use old books we don’t have the courage, I confess I would not…, to throw away.
They could become a piece of furniture by themselves like in the image above and the tables below as seen at Milan Furniture fair.
A bookcase filled with culture.
Or a table created with lacquered books, impossible to read but evocative of knowledge.
A room and a bookcase I particularly like and part of a future post.
A bookcase designed by Vico Magistretti for his own studio in his Milanese house.
And now I want to share two short horror stories:
Once I had a client asking for a “few feet of books” to fill the new bookcase, I almost fainted.Another time I met a lady whose business was to fill the video library of wealthy people with Home theatre…I fainted!
Please give me your thoughts on this subject, I am really curious to know how you and your clients relate to books, any interesting or simply funny stories?
Photography by Albarosa Simonetti; last two pictures source unknown.
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8 comments:
Sorry, no funny stories to share but I do love those book coffee tables!
I was in the Whistler home of wealthy friends once - the home had been "done" by an interior decorator. I admired some beautiful leather bound books in the book shelves and asked what they were - they were purely decorative - empty inside!!! Just fancy covers in shelves! I guess they matched the 'art' that matched the furniture.....
I have weighed in early and often on the hideous trend of color block/books facing inward trend. When decorators insist this is the newest IN thing to do, I always assume that books are not important in their lives. And by that, I mean that books have not been their friends in an intimate and loving way. I will admit I am judgmental about this. When someone fills up bookcases with knicknacks and doodads of whatever value, I always think the result is so much less than a lovingly collected, read and revered case of books.
great images, my clients tend to treat books as they should be-revering paperback and 1st edition. I posted some pictures of a bookcase with 'by colour' arrangement. I have heard book sellers do sell by the yard. Books are sorely misused as accessories-in the worst way. pgt
I love books, and I have always wanted a dining room where the walls were filled with books, sort of a library -dining room combination. I don't like books used as decorative items only. They scream fake, and like anything else that tries to pretend to be something else, it never looks right. I have seen top designers covering all the books with papers to match each other and the room, and that to me is outrageous. So, I suppose you can tell that I like the first photo the best?
Yes someone asked me once where to go and buy "nice big books" with hardcovers. I thought the question was strange so I asked what subject she is interested in? She said anything as long as the cover is nice and colorful since "they are going to sit on a coffee table with candle holders on top of them like in the magazines" Well, I thought maybe the title coffee table books misled her !!!!!
Books are to read, yes a stack of design and art books alongside a chair is fine. If you wnat something that looks like books, have a tromp l'oeil painting created.
Karena
Art by Karena
I also cannot get enough of books. In my house books and shoes require constant rearranging and clever ideas for fitting more and more.
In India I bought a number of popular design books rebound in brown leather with gold lettering. I learned that the craft of bookbinding originated in India. Being an Aesthete I also appreciate an attractive-looking book as much as its content. And I admit that I have bought antique leather-bound books for clients, simply for decoration. I learned that books in less popular languages are less expensive. I figure, if nobody is reading these Danish books why not display them at least and make the empty shelves more interesting.
I have had clients who had gotten a rid of all their books, calling them dust collectors. Speechless! But I have also had clients who cannot get a rid of any paper backs. I always buy hardcover books when available. I feel that paperbacks should be traded instead of kept, and hard-cover books should be collected and passed on.
Cheers,
Claudia
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