In Praise of Books

The “Bookshelf Wealth” trend is about more than just the books. Decorative objects, travel mementos, and sculptures add to the mix, making a truly individual statement–a visual snapshot of the homeowner’s interests.

The “Bookshelf Wealth” trend is about more than just the books. Decorative objects, travel mementos, and sculptures add to the mix, making a truly individual statement–a visual snapshot of the homeowner’s interests.

Photo by Gross & Daley

Social media influences culture, with ‘trends’ popping up on platforms like Instagram (see us at @glenngisslerdesign) or TikTok vying for our attention.

There is one recent craze with a catchy, but sorta silly name that did garner my attention: “Bookshelf Wealth,” here summarized by The New York Times, “…there has lately been much ado about people who own a great number of books and — this is critical — have managed to stage them in a pleasing manner.” 

And it is not only the Times that has written about the trend: House Beautiful, Apartment Therapy, and Architectural Digest have all weighed in! 

I mostly welcome the focus on owning books because there has been a seismic shift in reading preferences in the digital age, with more and more people choosing online content over traditional books and other printed matter.

For this client in Litchfield County, Connecticut, we lined the entire library perimeter with floor-to-ceiling shelves to accommodate their vast collection of books. The royal purple is a playful choice counterbalanced by the buttery-yellow paint.

For this client in Litchfield County, Connecticut, we lined the entire library perimeter with floor-to-ceiling shelves to accommodate their vast collection of books. The royal purple is a playful choice counterbalanced by the buttery-yellow paint.

I grew up in a home with lots of books, accumulated by my father as a newspaper journalist with curiosity about history, great books, the youth culture of the 1960s and 70s, feminism, politics, urban planning, and much more. Despite feeling ‘oppressed’ by the abundance and pervasiveness of HIS books during my rebellious teenage years, I looked at more than a few of them, expanding my worldview knowledge of history and eventually developing my own passions, including books. 

My book collection really started in high school, gaining increased momentum during the seven years I was in college, collecting seminal and influential books on architectural and design history, as well as contemporary architecture and design. As a self-described ‘perpetual student,’ I have found endless inspiration from printed matter, and unlike some people who are content with borrowing books from a library, I like to keep my books around me!  



An armless sofa with silk velvet cushions in my Brooklyn Heights living room provides the perfect spot to consider the many volumes that stand at the ready on my bookshelves.

An armless sofa with silk velvet cushions in my Brooklyn Heights living room provides the perfect spot to consider the many volumes that stand at the ready on my bookshelves.

The library in my Greek Revival home in Litchfield County, Connecticut, is populated with a collection of vessels, decorative objects, and furnishings. I encourage guests to spend time here, considering one (or more!) of the books on a pair of shelves there.

The library in my Greek Revival home in Litchfield County, Connecticut, is populated with a collection of vessels, decorative objects, and furnishings. I encourage guests to spend time here, considering one (or more!) of the books on a pair of shelves there.

Many decades later, between my apartment in Brooklyn Heights, my weekend house in Litchfield County, and my design studio, my extensive collection includes countless (I don’t dare count!) design, architecture, cultural history, fashion, art, and photography books, modern literature, unique artist books, rare editions, and signed copies by Andy Warhol and Patti Smith.

Today, like nearly everyone, I spend too much time viewing digital technology, but I deeply appreciate printed matter and the tactile experience of reading on paper. Many of my design clients also share a love for books. People’s book collections are often a revealing and very personal history of their evolving interests and subjects they enjoy.

The physicality of books is an entirely different experience than viewing a screen; typeface and paper selection matter, well-conceived and edited printed images, double-page spreads, and detail images selected to inspire,  And so, in designing spaces, I almost always incorporate books, sometimes a LOT of books, and if space allows, I include objects or artwork and implement practical solutions like short horizontal shelves for oversized books. 



We imagined a creative way to utilize the alcove at the bottom of this sweeping staircase in a duplex near the United Nations.
Sherwin Williams’ Languid Blue 6226 bathes the ceiling of this Carnegie Hill entryway, inviting family and friends to relax in the way porch ceilings–painted in a similar shade–do in the American South. Follow this link to see the rest of this home.

In one New York City duplex apartment, we designed curved bookshelves below a sweeping stairway, emphasizing the integration of books into living spaces. Another home I designed has 1,000 art books, and another has a vast library covering a broad range of classic literature.



Custom built-in bookshelves wrap the perimeter of this apartment on lower 5th Avenue, which holds more than 1000 books revealing the history of art. As such, the dining table doubles as a home office and research space.

Custom built-in bookshelves wrap the perimeter of this apartment on lower 5th Avenue, which holds more than 1000 books revealing the history of art. As such, the dining table doubles as a home office and research space.

For clients with a collection of rare art books and first editions, we designed elegant cases with glass fronts to protect them from dust and excess humidity.

For clients with a collection of rare art books and first editions, we designed elegant cases with glass fronts to protect them from dust and excess humidity.

Looking into the future, it’s hard to predict how changes in publishing will impact printed matter. Some suggest books will go the way of the dinosaur; others think they’ll be more appreciated than ever. I am in the latter camp, so here’s to gathering “Bookshelf Wealth!”

My Interview with Carl Dellatore, Editor of ‘Interior Design Master Class’ from Rizzoli

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I first met Carl Dellatore three years ago this month; after having followed his blog for some time I’d asked him to visit with me at my office to talk about the work he was doing around developing content strategies. We’ve been working together ever since.

At the time, in addition to working with designers and vendors on crafting digital presences that advance their brands, Carl expressed a wish to study design formally, but was challenged by how to go back to school at his age. I made the suggestion that he begin with Edith Wharton’s The Decoration of Houses first published in 1897 — still widely regarded as the first book to read when embarking on a career in interior decoration.

What follows is a Q&A that explains what happened next… (more…)

Interior Design Master Class by Carl Dellatore

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This week I learned that my good friend and colleague Carl Dellatore’s eagerly anticipated book, Interior Design Master Class, is officially finished and off to the printer. I’m both grateful and excited to have been part of Carl’s project from its inception, and to be included in the incredibly talented roster of designers who have contributed to the book.

In my capacity as the President elect of the ASID New York Metro Chapter, I have been working with the New York School of Interior Design on an event to celebrate the book. If you’d like to be kept abreast of the event – and of other events being scheduled around the country – you can join the book’s mailing list by following this link.

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And the book is available for pre-order if you’d like to be one of the first to receive a copy.

(cover photography credits clockwise from upper left: James Merrell, Nelson Hancock, Christian Garibaldi, Pieter Estersohn, Eric Piasecki, Steve Freihon)

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Clinton Smith’s ‘The Romance of Flowers’

Veranda

I am certain that most people who work in interior design – either as designers themselves or as members of the press who chronicle our work — have a fondness for flowers, for flowers are as integral a part of an interior as furnishings and art.  The color of flowers, the scale and silhouette, often in juxtaposition, can work magic to enliven a room with any number of moods – including passion and intrigue. The effect can be alchemical.

That is the premise of Veranda editor Clinton Smith’s new book, ‘The Romance of Flowers’, with page after page of rooms which include a wide variety of blossoms that all call to mind affairs of the heart….

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Jonas: The Art of Fine Upholstery

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Recently we received a copy of a newly published book titled ‘Jonas: The Art of Fine Upholstery’ from our friends and long time collaborators at Jonas.

The book, with a forward by Veranda editor Clinton Smith and introduction by the firm’s owners Steven Jonas and Charles Berlin, takes the reader through Jonas’ history, which is traced back to the late 19th century in Austria through to it’s present day impressive 12,000 square foot space on West 18th Street in New York City.

Following a fascinating examination of the family-owned firm, the book shines a light on the artisanal craft that members of the interior design community have come to both love and respect from the storied workroom…

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