No one is sure who said it, but it’s true:
“A room without books is like a body without
a soul.” There’s something captivating about a home
with a well-stocked library, an intangible quality that
even the most impeccably designed bookless interior can’t
replicate. Perhaps it’s the revealing hint of the dweller’s
personality, whether that means a prized collection
of first-edition George Eliot novels or glossy volumes
of Robert Frank images. Even an antiseptic hotel
suite suddenly becomes yours when there’s reading on
the bedside table; suddenly, there’s something to do.
A library’s appeal isn’t just intellectual; books
add warmth and color to any space. A quick scan of
#bookstagram calls up monochromatic groupings,
book-printed trompe l’oeil wallpaper, gravity-defying
shelving. And, of course, many of the books themselves
are stunning. This has never been lost on creatives:
Karl Lagerfeld’s massive home library was as striking as
it was essential, while Phillip Lim has made a colorful
wall of design volumes a centerpiece of his apartment.
There’s a reason Sonia Rykiel’s boutiques were all
book-lined—and that plenty of booksellers work with
decorators to help fill clients’ shelves.
This holiday season, enliven your
library and your living room.
Shelf Help
DREAM A LITTLE DREAM
PAIR TIM WALKER: SHOOT FOR THE MOON (THAMES &
HUDSON)—HERE, OPENED TO A FEATHERED
JENNIFER LAWRENCE—WITH A DECOUPAGE
PAPERWEIGHT, $60, JOHNDERIAN.COM (TOP), AND A
PEACOCK LAMP, $390, ONEKINGSLANE.COM (RIGHT).
GLAZE OVER
FROM AZULEJO TO TALAVERA, THE TILE
BOOK (THAMES & HUDSON) COVERS ALL
KINDS OF SURFACES. A PILLOW BY
FILLING SPACES, $150, ONEKINGSLANE
.COM, OFFERS A PLUSH INTERPRETATION.
GIFTS
GIFTS>118
POP O’CLOCK
END YOUR HOLIDAY MEAL, INFORMED BY FORTNUM &
MASON: CHRISTMAS & OTHER WINTER FEASTS
(FOURTH ESTATE), WITH A BANG!—A CRACKER FROM
LOVESHACKFANCY’S NEW HOMEWARE LINE.
VLIFE
116 DECEMBER 2019 VOGUE.COM
WALKER:
JENNIFER LAWRENCE WITH WHITE PEACOCK
. COPPED HALL, EPPING 2012 © TIM WALKER STUDIO.
FORTNUM & MASON: COURTESY OF FOURTH ESTATE. ALL OTHERS: COURTESY OF BRANDS/WEBSITES.
