Many people have a book that’s changed their life. This kind of emotional response can cause people to feel strongly about books, protective even. That’s why decorating with books elicits equally strong opinions.
In week three of our design debate series, which coincides with the second presidential debate at 9 p.m. EDT Sunday, Oct. 9, we turn to two professional designers who share a passion for books but differ greatly in their opinions on how those books should be displayed in a home. Is it OK to organize books by color? Or should they be arranged by genre, title, author or anything else that focuses on the content rather than the cover?
Is it in bad taste to buy random books just to fill empty bookcases? Gabi Patt will argue that it’s all fair game, while Joanne Padvaiskas will take a position against such practices. Interestingly, the points they bring up, and the inevitable continuation of this discussion, could in turn fill a library’s worth of books.
In week three of our design debate series, which coincides with the second presidential debate at 9 p.m. EDT Sunday, Oct. 9, we turn to two professional designers who share a passion for books but differ greatly in their opinions on how those books should be displayed in a home. Is it OK to organize books by color? Or should they be arranged by genre, title, author or anything else that focuses on the content rather than the cover?
Is it in bad taste to buy random books just to fill empty bookcases? Gabi Patt will argue that it’s all fair game, while Joanne Padvaiskas will take a position against such practices. Interestingly, the points they bring up, and the inevitable continuation of this discussion, could in turn fill a library’s worth of books.
Noz Design
The Case for Decorating With Books
Arguing for: Gabi Patt
Expertise: “I’m an interior designer who did not go into the ‘family business’ of medicine but rather followed my heart into the world of art and design,” Patt says. “I’m a native Californian who lived in Chicago and moved to Israel with my family during junior high. I studied design and decorating in London and Jerusalem, and have been working as a designer for more than 20 years.”
Why she’s for it: “Some people find using books as art or decor disrespectful, uncultured or uneducated,” Patt says. “Having grown up in a house with books of almost every subject covering almost all the walls in my house, I consider myself someone who can advocate using books as a decorating vehicle.”
Arguing for: Gabi Patt
Expertise: “I’m an interior designer who did not go into the ‘family business’ of medicine but rather followed my heart into the world of art and design,” Patt says. “I’m a native Californian who lived in Chicago and moved to Israel with my family during junior high. I studied design and decorating in London and Jerusalem, and have been working as a designer for more than 20 years.”
Why she’s for it: “Some people find using books as art or decor disrespectful, uncultured or uneducated,” Patt says. “Having grown up in a house with books of almost every subject covering almost all the walls in my house, I consider myself someone who can advocate using books as a decorating vehicle.”
Increation
“The books in my childhood home were grouped by subject. Science and books of medicine — my father was a professor of microbiology and a pediatrician — covered most of the living room walls, while the Talmud and various encyclopedias could be found in the dining room. Our family room was filled from floor to ceiling with books of general reading, travel and art. Imagine the joy when I discovered my mother’s John Steinbeck collection. What a glorious winter’s reading that was.”
Casey Design/Planning Group Inc.
“And here’s the point: Books are beautiful. They bring warmth, color and character to any room. They can be displayed standing upright or in varying positions — some piled on their side, others in a row standing up. They can be grouped by size or by color or even by language.
“When decorating our homes, we use plants, fish and even show off food by buying glass-front refrigerators — so why not books? Books were never off-limits to us as kids. They were so much a part of my growing up that I can’t imagine a house without them.”
“When decorating our homes, we use plants, fish and even show off food by buying glass-front refrigerators — so why not books? Books were never off-limits to us as kids. They were so much a part of my growing up that I can’t imagine a house without them.”
Crowell + Co. Interiors
“There was a house featured in Houzz that had a wall of colored books that were chosen just for decorating the room [shown here]. They weren’t chosen for their subject matter — just for decoration, for the beauty they would bring to the room. Such scope for imagination, as Anne of Green Gables was known to say. I loved it. Why are books off-limits as art, but a huge painting with stripes of colors is legit?
“In a world gone cyber, I desperately need to see, smell and be surrounded by those beautiful ‘spined’ friends. So, here I am, potentially ruining my reputation, voting wholeheartedly for book lovers and decorating enthusiasts to go ahead and purchase a whole wall of books because they will beautify your rooms. And don’t be surprised if you find your son or daughter lounging and reading a book they plucked off your shelf, because who can suppress the urge to read when surrounded by wonderful books?”
“In a world gone cyber, I desperately need to see, smell and be surrounded by those beautiful ‘spined’ friends. So, here I am, potentially ruining my reputation, voting wholeheartedly for book lovers and decorating enthusiasts to go ahead and purchase a whole wall of books because they will beautify your rooms. And don’t be surprised if you find your son or daughter lounging and reading a book they plucked off your shelf, because who can suppress the urge to read when surrounded by wonderful books?”
Delta Trimming
The Case Against Decorating With Books
Arguing against: Joanne Padvaiskas of Wow Great Place
Expertise: “I own a design and decorating firm that specializes in residential design in Montreal,” Padvaiskas says. “We do everything from simple paint color consultations to full-scale renovations involving every part of a home. I have been in the design industry for more than 20 years and have owned my own firm for 13 years.”
Why she’s against it: “I am often asked to design built-in cabinetry for my clients, in particular bookshelves that usually flank a fireplace or a television, often in rooms meant to be libraries or reading areas, and once in a while, I have bookshelves sneaking into a kitchen design,” she says. “One client, a retired teacher and librarian, asked me to design a wall of bookshelves to display her vast assortment of books. For her, they are a comfort; they surround her like a warm blanket. She spends hours sorting through them, arranging them as only the librarian in her would.”
Arguing against: Joanne Padvaiskas of Wow Great Place
Expertise: “I own a design and decorating firm that specializes in residential design in Montreal,” Padvaiskas says. “We do everything from simple paint color consultations to full-scale renovations involving every part of a home. I have been in the design industry for more than 20 years and have owned my own firm for 13 years.”
Why she’s against it: “I am often asked to design built-in cabinetry for my clients, in particular bookshelves that usually flank a fireplace or a television, often in rooms meant to be libraries or reading areas, and once in a while, I have bookshelves sneaking into a kitchen design,” she says. “One client, a retired teacher and librarian, asked me to design a wall of bookshelves to display her vast assortment of books. For her, they are a comfort; they surround her like a warm blanket. She spends hours sorting through them, arranging them as only the librarian in her would.”
Wow Great Place
“Now, don’t get me wrong. I love bookshelves, but I never design them for people without first discussing what they might want to display on them. I would never suggest to a client who does not already have books, or opts strictly for a Kindle for their reading, to then go out and buy books simply to fill shelves. A bookshelf is just a shelf, and there are a myriad of different things that can be used to adorn a shelf other than books.
“The client and I will take time to sort through what they might want to display: plants, picture frames, art, sculptures, decorative bowls and boxes, knickknacks, trophies, speakers, toys, collections, and, yes, books. Most of the items are things a client normally has on hand already. It is usually why they are in need of shelves to begin with. To display things, store things, keep them within reach and to love them.”
“The client and I will take time to sort through what they might want to display: plants, picture frames, art, sculptures, decorative bowls and boxes, knickknacks, trophies, speakers, toys, collections, and, yes, books. Most of the items are things a client normally has on hand already. It is usually why they are in need of shelves to begin with. To display things, store things, keep them within reach and to love them.”
Shade Abdul Architecture
“Each of us collects books, usually throughout a lifetime. Children’s books, schoolbooks, novels (hardcover or paperback, the ones we choose to read for enjoyment and the ones we are forced to read in school), encyclopedias (remember those?), cookbooks, coffee table books, self-help books, magazines and the list goes on.
“Some people prefer to hang on to every book, while others do not, instead purging as they go. For those who hang on to their books, it is a no-brainer to use bookshelves to store and display their books. We like to see them, touch them, read through the titles, smell them, carefully break in their spines.
“For people who are not book people and who have shelves in their home or install shelves in their home, the idea of consciously going out and buying books simply with the intent to fill shelves seems wasteful, almost shameful, like cheating on the books. ‘I’ll buy you, but I won’t ever read you.’ How sad.”
“Some people prefer to hang on to every book, while others do not, instead purging as they go. For those who hang on to their books, it is a no-brainer to use bookshelves to store and display their books. We like to see them, touch them, read through the titles, smell them, carefully break in their spines.
“For people who are not book people and who have shelves in their home or install shelves in their home, the idea of consciously going out and buying books simply with the intent to fill shelves seems wasteful, almost shameful, like cheating on the books. ‘I’ll buy you, but I won’t ever read you.’ How sad.”
Cory Connor Designs
“Books earn their spot on a shelf, so to me, putting a book on display without at least having the intention of one day picking it up seems like cheating on the books. It also seems like a waste of money. Why invest in bookshelves to display books you won’t ever read? Buy a big piece of original art instead.
“Books offer clues into one’s interests, one’s personality, one’s psyche. Peruse someone’s bookshelves, and there is something almost magical about what the books reveal about a person. Conversations get started around books. Friendships get formed.
“Based on that, if I had a client who asked me to fill their bookshelves with books through yard sales or getting books by the yard or — yikes! — to purchase books based on the color of the book jacket or even re-cover books in colored paper, I would refuse and offer them choices from the display items I noted above.”
“Books offer clues into one’s interests, one’s personality, one’s psyche. Peruse someone’s bookshelves, and there is something almost magical about what the books reveal about a person. Conversations get started around books. Friendships get formed.
“Based on that, if I had a client who asked me to fill their bookshelves with books through yard sales or getting books by the yard or — yikes! — to purchase books based on the color of the book jacket or even re-cover books in colored paper, I would refuse and offer them choices from the display items I noted above.”
Louise Lakier
“If the client asked me why, I would tell them there is something frankly fake about books put on a shelf that will never get touched. There is something about books that have been sorted and displayed by color (unless they are a series, like law books or old tomes) that seems pretentious, even superficial. Like telling the world the content of the book is not what’s important; that it’s the exterior shell that is. Doesn’t that seem to go against everything we try to teach our young people about humanity? It’s what’s inside that counts. Looks aren’t important. ‘Don’t judge a book by its cover.’ Remember?
“When displaying intentionally by color, the books morph into chunks of red, green, blue, yellow and so on, and they no longer appear to be books. So why use books if color blocking is the goal? I think designers who sort books by color, and the client that allows this to happen, are missing the point of books. They need to look at other pieces to display, or forget about having bookshelves. Support your local artists instead.”
“When displaying intentionally by color, the books morph into chunks of red, green, blue, yellow and so on, and they no longer appear to be books. So why use books if color blocking is the goal? I think designers who sort books by color, and the client that allows this to happen, are missing the point of books. They need to look at other pieces to display, or forget about having bookshelves. Support your local artists instead.”
SH Designs Inc
Cornerstone Architects
Patt’s Rebuttal
“The designer who is against using books as a decorative element in design has mentioned ‘cheating,’ ‘looks fake’ and ‘wasteful.’ Would we be wasteful or cheating if we displayed a vase without putting flowers inside it? No.
“Many people feel books are sacred and can only be kept if our first and foremost intention is to read them. It is considered sacrilege if we use them for any other reason than to read them. If we start with that train of thought, we are in danger of taking that a step further. ‘Only books that will further knowledge or teach us something of value should be kept or displayed.’”
“The designer who is against using books as a decorative element in design has mentioned ‘cheating,’ ‘looks fake’ and ‘wasteful.’ Would we be wasteful or cheating if we displayed a vase without putting flowers inside it? No.
“Many people feel books are sacred and can only be kept if our first and foremost intention is to read them. It is considered sacrilege if we use them for any other reason than to read them. If we start with that train of thought, we are in danger of taking that a step further. ‘Only books that will further knowledge or teach us something of value should be kept or displayed.’”
usona
Rikki Snyder
“‘Don’t judge a book by its cover’? Well, apparently we do —otherwise millions of dollars wouldn’t be spent a year on graphics on the covers of books. If you are worried about being disrespectful to books by showing them off rather than reading them, then I must introduce you to a Hebrew Talmudic saying: Mitoch shelo lishma, ba lishma. ‘Doing something good without the proper intention may lead to acting properly with the right intention.’
“And because the Talmud can be pretty tricky to understand sometimes, I will explain it simply: A person may go out and buy books by the yard at a garage sale just to fill his shelves, but one day, he may find himself staring at his bookshelves, and pull out a book and start reading. That person, if he had never bought those books, may have never discovered the joy of reading.
“But that is irrelevant. I still believe books can be used purely for the beauty and warmth they bring to a room.”
“And because the Talmud can be pretty tricky to understand sometimes, I will explain it simply: A person may go out and buy books by the yard at a garage sale just to fill his shelves, but one day, he may find himself staring at his bookshelves, and pull out a book and start reading. That person, if he had never bought those books, may have never discovered the joy of reading.
“But that is irrelevant. I still believe books can be used purely for the beauty and warmth they bring to a room.”
Moshi Gitelis - Photographer
Padvaiskas’ Rebuttal
“My opponent made some valid points, and, in fact, we do agree on several things, namely that books are meant to be displayed and that they have an intrinsic beauty that people love and appreciate.
“Where we disagree is with the idea of books being used strictly for display purposes. Sure, the shot of the room with the books organized by color, or wrapped in colored paper, looks like it belongs in a magazine. Artistically, it is a lovely photograph, but in my opinion, the look itself seems too staged. Frankly, I found it to be fake, not inspiring.”
“My opponent made some valid points, and, in fact, we do agree on several things, namely that books are meant to be displayed and that they have an intrinsic beauty that people love and appreciate.
“Where we disagree is with the idea of books being used strictly for display purposes. Sure, the shot of the room with the books organized by color, or wrapped in colored paper, looks like it belongs in a magazine. Artistically, it is a lovely photograph, but in my opinion, the look itself seems too staged. Frankly, I found it to be fake, not inspiring.”
JP Warren Interiors
“I can not agree at all with the concept of buying books, let alone a whole wall of them, merely to display them. That, to me, is backward-thinking. You display your books because you love your books. You don’t go out and buy a bunch of random books, display them and hope someone might pick one up one day. That is what bookstores are for.
“Why not buy a whole bunch of picture frames and keep the generic pictures of the family that came with the frame? They look nice, so why not display them?
“Books are a window into our soul. They are more than just things to put on a shelf. People have such strong emotional connections to books, I just can not imagine reducing the powerful book down to something as basic as a trinket on a shelf.
“To me, emotion, not design, rules on this one.”
Poll: Are you for or against decorating with books?
Next debate: How to handle modern updates to the interiors of old or historic homes
More Design Debates: Should You Ever Paint a Wood Ceiling White? | Is It OK to Hang the TV Over the Fireplace?
“Why not buy a whole bunch of picture frames and keep the generic pictures of the family that came with the frame? They look nice, so why not display them?
“Books are a window into our soul. They are more than just things to put on a shelf. People have such strong emotional connections to books, I just can not imagine reducing the powerful book down to something as basic as a trinket on a shelf.
“To me, emotion, not design, rules on this one.”
Poll: Are you for or against decorating with books?
Next debate: How to handle modern updates to the interiors of old or historic homes
More Design Debates: Should You Ever Paint a Wood Ceiling White? | Is It OK to Hang the TV Over the Fireplace?
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