Oliver Yaphe » Books

Library: Set the Tone

katherine — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 17:50:23 +0000

Onto the Library. In our house, this room is going to border our living room. The main floor is going to be pretty much wide-open. But I’m really excited about this space; it will offer a little cozy corner to escape to when need be. While the rest of the floor will have white walls and be airy, this space is going to have dark wood shelves and charcoal walls.

The sliding doors will likely stay open most of the time, but they’re there if needed. We’re not talking about a big amount of space here, but just enough to house our books, a built in desk and a lounge chair of some sort.

I’ve posted shots of bookshelves before, but here are a few more to get some inspiration going.

Below: Photo care of Roger Davies

Below: Architect Peter Eisenman care of Dwell Magazine

Below: Photo by Mikkel Vang

Below: Delson or Sherman Architects

Below: Photo from The Brooklyn Home Company

Below: Diane Von Furstenberg’s Hampton’s home. Photo from Habitually Chic

Below: Photo from Sarah Blee

Below: Design by Magdalena Keck

Below: Design by Feldman Architects

Book Envy

katherine — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 17:04:30 +0000

I not only have a thing for books, but also the shelves on which they are kept. I practically salivate when I see a well-lined bookshelf.

We’ve decided to build a small library / office in our new home for this very reason. Here are a few looks I admire:

Above: Photo by Ditte Isager

Above: Phillip Lim home care of NY Times; Habitually Chic

Style and Inspiration Blog

RUM Magazine

Gregory Phillips Architects

Revamped Classics

katherine — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 22:38:24 +0000

My book fetish continues. Look at these incredible covers by Penguin. I spotted these while blindly scrolling through the Fridas Fina blog – and I mean, blindly, because the entire site’s in Swedish.

The series was designed by Penguin Designer Coralie Bickford-Smith. They’re inspiring me to revisit some classics!

Tattered Cover

katherine — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 21:13:45 +0000

I’m a bit late in getting around to this posting. But, I was just at the checkout at the grocery store and spotted a New Yorker cover mentioning the passing of J.D.Salinger. Just seeing the cover got me thinking. It got me thinking about books and literature and the ipad and the future of publishing. I could go on.

One of the first rugs that I designed was called “books.” Sure, I could have had a more clever title, but really I wanted to pay homage to something that has inspired me since childhood. Books. Lots of books. Bookshelves. I love the idea of carrying around digital literature, but I love printed copies. I love collecting books. I love seeing my shelves expand. My bookshelf would never be complete without a copy of The Catcher in the Rye. Most people would probably say the same. That’s incredible, isn’t it?

It’s amazing that a single piece of literature could affect so many people. I first read Catcher in high school. It didn’t feel like an assignment. I knew from the first line, I’d be into it. I read it again years later and I loved it even more. I don’t remember all of the details that I should at this point, but the cover alone brings back memories and inspires me. It inspires me to read. It inspires me to write. It inspires me to talk about great writing. It’s reminded me that it’s been too many years since I’ve picked up my ratty burgundy copy of one of my favourite books of all time.

I’ve included a few cover samples so that maybe I won’t be alone in digging out my old copy.