All I can say about this "Lifestyle" article on "Clever Ways of Displaying Books" (left photo) is that this is for people who obviously don't read.
My stacks of books around the house (right photo) may not be orderly, but I know where each book is (pretty much), and I intend to read them or have read them.
I would say this is more about How not to Display Books, or as Beth said, OMG! And, Frank Burke wrote, "It's an excellent way to let your visitors know that you are 1) an idiot, 2) illiterate and 3) tasteless all at the same time. Be sure and look at the other "clever ways of displaying books." LOL!
Hat Tip to Beth Fedyn for sending.
I much prefer the way you "display" yours, Janet! Looks rather more like our house.
ReplyDeleteMaybe this book display idea keeps decorators busy and employed, but really?
At least we can be relieved that books are on shelves at all. I'm incensed at how many TV shows on home interiors have a decorator or realtor or whatever who advises the homeowners to "get rid of the clutter of books on those shelves and replace with a few simple decorative items!" Oh, my blood pressure just went up typing that!
AnnOxford
My book collection doesn't look quite that bad, but I gave hundreds of books to the local library over the last couple of years. Those I haven't read yet are still fitting into a bookcase, but those I have read over the last couple of months since a move to a small living space are stored in a box.
ReplyDeleteI agree the full shelves with colorful book covers appears to belong to non-readers. Or, people who have too much time on their hands.
Thanks for the great post.
Wow. Think of all those unread books, chosen for colors, or made into matched sets, with all those unread stories inside them.
ReplyDeleteI know exactly what you mean. When I sold my last house, I packed up all the books (a huge job, as you can imagine) and just had 'a few' on the shelves with objects. Since there were bookshelves in every room, I would imagine potential buyers wondered where the books had gone.
ReplyDeleteIt's obvious that there are too many people with too much time on their hands. I try to keep my books alphabetized by author. But there are some boxes on the floor with books that need homes on the shelves. So my system isn't foolproof.
ReplyDeleteBooks with the spines turned to the wall?! Does that give you hives?! Next we'll turn paintings to the wall and chairs upside down? I've noticed on "Perry Mason" and "Leave It To Beaver" re-runs and old movies how often bookcases full of books are in the background. How many current TV shows or movies show books as a normal part of a house? Very sad, indeed. Think of all the extra insulation they're missing out on! (Both literal and metaphorical insulation ....)
ReplyDeleteI am aghast when I watch HGTV and a homeowner (who is obviously shallow and not someone I would want to know) says, "You must get rid of those ugly shelves. I simply don't know what to do with them.) As Lucy says, arrgh!
ReplyDeleteNeed bookshelves, lots of them. I have one wall floor to ceiling 7 feet wide. It's great.
ReplyDeleteAnd I did clean them out about five years ago and gave books to the local library. Now I have favorites which I did design with some crafts and actual bookends, to look rather nice.
There's another bookshelf in the bedroom; those I want to leave full so I can look at my favorites when I need a Zen moment. That's where I look.
But books on the floor? Sacrilege. Never. I'd break out in hives if I did that, not even in a college dorm room. My parents must have thrown the fear of Satan on us if we left books on the floor. These a books, sacred art. I am horrified a friend does that.
I have the possible floor books stacked on my bed--the whole right side is books--my TBR pile.
None ever touch the floor except when the neighboring dachshund knocks them off and I roundly scold her and pick them up.
I have downsized once again. Books are difficult for me to purge. I have let go of all magazines and that was not easy for me. On breaks from the task of organizing my collection on two etageres, I look to the web for inspiration. These etageres are tricky. I have chosen to go with color coordination. I am able to see each title and I do read and refer to these books. The idea that color coordination means one does not read is absurd.
ReplyDeleteThe mess on the right would block my chi. I have stopped short of wrapping books in vellum. I thought about it. It is likely a project I would abort. I called my step-wife, an artist and she aborted the very same project. She is crafty beyond belief. I have donated only five books so far. I miss one of them. They are reliable friends. They never change.