Recently I have been searching for beautiful ideas to decorate a clients vast floor to ceiling built-in bookshelf. Today it sits empty for the most part and we plan to fill it with lovely books, artwork, family pictures and stylish home accessories.
With all this commotion about books, I ran across delightful cover designs for hardback classics on the Penguin Blog UK. They are currently available at Anthropologie and here are my favorites designs:
Organizing books by color is a fun way to decorate bookshelves and add color to a room. For a simple "how to" - go here.
Do you decorate with books you have read, will read or never intend to read?
*images from Flickr
There is a popular image going around the blogosphere of a bookshelf with books arranged by color. It's really stunning. I would give that a try.
ReplyDeleteIf I'm not mistaken, I just saw some of those books at Anthropologie...
ReplyDeleteYes! I did see them there...here's a link:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.anthropologie.com/anthro/catalog/category.jsp?popId=HOME&navAction=top&navCount=5&isSortBy=true&pushId=HOME-BOOKS&id=HOME-BOOKS
With books I love and have read, it makes me happy just to see them...fashion, decor and travel, one on Audrey Hepburn of course. Goodwill would be a good place to pick some to cover, I would imagine! Good luck! Janell
ReplyDeleteMy mom and I love these decorated book spines. They look so polished and sophisticated. I would love to be able to get a few of these or figure out a way to make my own. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteI decorate with some of my books, but not all. I actually found some really nice gray ones (like new) recently at a thrift store for $2 each, but that's very unusual. I like the Anthropology books that you're showing.
ReplyDeletepk @ Room Remix
what's that saying? A house without books is like a room without windows?
ReplyDeleteI love books but am conscious of storage space and cost. Fortunately we have a great library close by.
ReplyDeleteToo bad they don't lend by the suitcase full, for those of us who want to decorate with books as well as read them!
I love that first set of french books from Doxa Home.
ReplyDeleteI have found books at local antique stores for $2-3 a piece with beautiful covers. I will have to try ebay to!
Thanks for visiting my blog!
I NEED those classics from Anthro. So fabulous!
ReplyDeleteLOVE the colors of the Doxa set....
ReplyDeletebut pricey, so i'm inspired to hunt the antique spots/flea markets for older books w/great colors....
(great for rooms that truly need to be staged in a certain color scheme!)
Also, check out the great sets of vintage books at : www.wisteria.com
(they have sets of turquoise, red or blues)
love the turq. ones....
Happy Thanksgiving week!
Jeanette
www.jvwhome.com
http://jvwhome.blogspot.com
I love books but am conscious of storage space and cost.
ReplyDeleteMake website india
I had a love-hate relationship with books. An avid reader, there are books in every room in my home, but there was a time when I was in university, that the site of a book would almost sicken me. There was SO much to read, and so LITTLE time. The rule of thumb in those days was definitely NO BOOKS in the bedroom, as when my eyes focused first thing in the morning, they were the last thing I wanted to see! Now of course, some twenty years later, since I have rediscovered the joy of reading, there are precious books everywhere; pleasure reading, most of it. My husband and I have an actual library of work-related and theological books, helpful books, but not particularly beautiful. Then in my bedroom, by the side table, I have books that I have read recently, or am in the process of reading. In little piles here and there are the lovely, old cloth bound books. Esays by Lamb, the poetry of Wordsworth, some Dickens, a LOVELY LARGE cloth bound book of Jane Austen with BEAUTIFUL lithographs in it. Lovely to look at, but a bit too large to hold without the use of a table! It looks absolutely beautiful though, and is a great place to perch a cup of tea (everr-so-carefully though, as you wouldn't want to damage the cover. So use a coaster!) If you are ever in the Halifax, Nova Scotia area, do take the time to visit John Doull's bookstore in the downtown area. It is a treasure-trove of second hand, anitque and interesting books. One could get delightfully ost in there for hours at a time. He may even have a presence on the web. It has been many years since I visited there, since my usband and I now live in tha absolute opposite coast of this massive country!
ReplyDeleteOh, I wanted to say that I was amused and delighted by the peacock feathers that festooned the cover of the copy of "Dorian Grey". How appropriate to the character of the main protagonist!
ReplyDeleteNick Olsen just asked the same question over at .. oh what's it called ... Nick's Dream House. And my answer is never - can't waste the shelf space.
ReplyDeleteFunny how the old Penguin books look so nice on a shelf but so unappealing to read. At least to me.
the top set in green is Aidan Gray Home. i have those - I bought a few cases for client.
ReplyDeleteTaraShaw.com has some that are fabulous!
Joni
I'm the one that found those books on ebay - they were 7 a piece, including freight. I bought a pallet of them - it was like six boxes for around 1k. i already have sold much of them to clients! what a great deal! he says he does this alot on ebay. thanks for the shoutout!
ReplyDeleteJoni
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ReplyDeleteThat Sense and Sensibility book is really pretty. I like to decorate with books that I have read. I like the things I live with to be things that I love, and books that are just displayed without having been "loved" are somehow kind of depressing to me. ha
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