How Books Create Elegance In Your Home
Creating a design style around books is authentic and graceful
Prior to the 16th century, you were rich if you had books. They were expensive to produce, mostly copied by hand—the printing press having only just been invented in 1500—and therefore only the wealthiest families could boast having an extensive library in their homes.
Today, a sizable library remains a status as books exude an aura of style and gravitas. When it comes to interior design, books make a statement.
No need to look further than accounts of Jackie O’s famed 5th Avenue Manhattan apartment. Around the time that Jackie was working for DoubleDay, it’s reputed that books not only lined walls, but were piled on desks, below chairs and tables, and stacked in corners. The result was, unmistakably, ‘Jackie.’
When faced with design challenges in our office, a common refrain is “What Would Jackie Do?” and this post is an homage to her elegant embrace of books in all facets of interior design…
Bookish Looks: Books As Décor
When you think of books as décor, you probably think of built in bookshelves with elegant spines of leather-bound books; perhaps brass fittings and a little brass ladder, to help you get to the top shelf.
There is no need to be so traditional, if that’s not your style. There are a lot of other ways you can shelve books that add a different look to your space.
Need some vertical appeal in a high ceilinged room? How about this:
Another great look is to coordinate your books by color and fill your shelves in color groups. It might not be ideal for finding the right book you want, when you want it, but the visual appeal is outstanding, creating a real focal point for the eye.
For a more muted look to your bookshelves (to balance out color elsewhere in the room), try turning all of your books the other way, with the page edges facing out. It will create texture and a monochromatic color palette.
Worldwide Home Tip: If you’re reversing your books, don’t use books you’d like to find again! Instead head to the used bookstore, goodwill store and garage sales to pick up a few boxes of old books you can use. It doesn’t matter what the books you buy are about, you quite literally only want them for their lovely beige pages!
Do you have a cupboard or crawl space under the stairs? Thrill your kids by writing out a chapter from their favorite Harry Potter or Roald Dahl volume on the doorway. It’s a cute quirk that will keep the kids going back to the cupboard again and again. If your hand isn’t as steady as you’d like, you can achieve a similar look using wallpaper with text.
And finally, you can’t forget the comfy chair! The oasis chair in either grey or white is unique and provides the perfect place to settle in for a good long read…
Bookish Looks: Books As Furniture
You’re reading a book in your favorite chair but where to put your glass of wine? How about a side table made up of books?
This can be a fun DIY project, made up of large, old volumes you can easily pick up at the second hand store.
1. There’s a few ways to do this. If you’re working with hardcovers, simply glue them in a stack, biggest at the bottom, and twist the stack a little to look like a little winding staircase. Top it off with a piece of wood or lacquer the cover of the top book, and you’ve got a perfect spot for your cup.
2. If you’re working with softcovers, you’ll need to anchor the books with an intersecting rod down the middle to which the table top and bottom can be securely attached.
If this sounds like a lot of work and you’d rather get to the ‘reading with a glass of wine in hand’ part, a coffee table with shelves is the perfect way to add books without the DIY!
When you incorporate books into your home décor, it’s worth remembering that ‘a house without books is like a room without windows’ ~ Horace Mann, 1796-1859.
Have you used books in your home décor? Tell us about it in the comments below…
