apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

We live in strange times when people think books are unattractive but that macrame owls and ceramic giraffes are stylish.

not fond of ornamental use of books :-(

(with the possible exception of the Brian Heiser ...)

The brown paper covered books remind me too much of middle school when that was a required thing to do to protect our borrowed school copies of textbooks. Not really wanting to relive that.
I love the look and diversity of books, just as they are.
I do have to say the work Heiser does is quite eye-catching though.

Yikes! I hate the idea of cutting up a book. It's terrible. There are plenty of varieties of art without desecrating books.

I do like the look of the paper covered books!
It reminds of this friend I had, when I was 15, who covered all of her books in either pink or black paper, to go with the current color scheme of her tiny room...

Is it just me, or have there have been sooo many posts on this subject recently? I think the general consensus is that people like books, they broadly don't like to colour-code them (although some are fond of this look), and they definitely don't like them concealed, covered, turned back to front, or have their book-like nature subverted in any way. Can we all agree on this?

Yes, Tallulah, we all agree.

Next subject, please!

Here, here, Tallulah! MOVING ON......

well said, T :-)

Geez - If you don't like the way your books look - Just get rid of them!

This is a good idea for a college student with ugly textbooks in a small living space.

If you want color coded look alike books, just buy sets of encyclopedias! Books, in and of themselves, ARE art in my world.

Inetestingly - I had a friend with bi-polar disorder, and all the different spine colors of his books REALLY freaked him out and made him anxious. He covered all of his books with brown kraft paper and very neatly wrote the names in pen. It was a great solution to his problem and looked beautiful - a whole wall of gently rippling brown paper and understated black text. I would advocate that way more than organizing by color. Without the labels it seems kind of pointless.

brown paper!

now i can keep my signed, first edition copy of 'the divinci code' on my shelf without my friends thinking i'm a lowbrow. actually, i don't have that book, signed or unsigned... but the idea of covering your books with paper seems awful. how are you supposed to find what you are looking for?

aside from fiction, most of my books are graphic design and photography books that i like to reference often for inspiration.

looks kinda cool. but function before fashion.

I have seen ( Martha maybe?) cover books with Glassine. Since it is translucent you can still see your books but don't have to design around them.

Vellum would work just as well.

seriously every time I see the brown wrappers on shelves I think of meat wrapped up from the butcher's shop not books. If you are ashamed of your books, you need some help or a closet to put them in, not wrapping them up in cheap paper. Book arts can be amazing but these suggestions are not.