I was shopping for a gift for *ahem* someone else when I was pulled into the shop Gloss at the Lab by their rows of prettily displayed clothing and accessories. The real standout was this wall of display shelves crafted from vintage books.
The shelves at Gloss were suspended by simple "L" brackets (not seen above), and I was able to find a DIY tutorial for a similar project on Real Simple. The only modifications that I would make would be to glue a few of the pages to the top cover so that the book can be oriented forward and open. I would also replace the top "L" with a flush mount anchor affixed to the top cover of the book and the wall.
Let me know if you decide to give this a try and how it works out!
(Image: Kim Lucian)
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. . . and I hear another book worshipper/librarian collapse.
No. That's TERRIBLE!!!
I worship books, but I don't think all books should be held so highly that cutting them, drilling into them, or otherwise mangling them for aesthetic purposes should be viewed as a crime. Such as encyclopedia sets from the 1960s and 1970s. These are prevalent, thrift stores usually can't sell them and won't accept them, so all you can do with them is recycle them. Unless you want three bookshelves' worth of inaccurate and outdated information. I bet you can find loads on ebay.
Plus, there are a lot of bad and useless books in the world, in terms of content. But they may still smell great and look great. Make some damn shelves, forget the librarians! (And I love librarians!) Not all books are worth saving forever and ever.
That was me. I had to get smelling salts and fan myself.
Love the out-of-the-box thinking.
Regarding the photo though: as a faithful AT reader, I adore how great photography takes most articles to the next level in terms of artistry and aesthetics. So it's a little sad to see all the recent blurry iphone shots on AT.... I know this is just a blog, I guess I just have elevated expectations from one of the best blogs on design online. Photos don't have to be fancy, but a properly focused shot with a proper sensor, or alternatively a polished product image from the vendor, would speak to the professionalism of the article...
It's not about being precious about books: this just looks ugly.
Fantastic! I've been looking for a new punchy way to display all my stripper shoes!
Ha!
Just an FYI that touching shoes to books is considered disrespectful in my part of the world, India :-) The thought is that shoe soles are considered to be dirty (they usually are), and you don't defile a source of knowledge with dirt.
I find that a lot of things that look striking in an in-store display don't work nearly as well in a home. It ends up very contrived and trying-too-hard. I've seen people try to take ideas from Anthropologie's amazing displays (wallpapering with vintage magazines, covering irregular woodblocks with string...) and it just ends up looking like something destined for Regretsy.
I'm a librarian and I love it!
The message would be a little more explicit if the shoes could be shown grinding cigarette stubs into the books, or tracking mud across them.
How about using them to display your books arranged by color.... ; )
Am I the only one wondering how anybody can walk in those shoes?
Ha! I love it. It would make people on both sides of the how-to-treat-books-debate explode!
Sickening.
I like the idea of this, but something about putting those truly heinous foot-binding devices on books is making me physically ill. I have an epic shoe collection, but this is full of no.
This is cute for a Point of Purchase design. It would look cheesy in a home.
It's not about not using useless books as decor, I'm all for repurposing, but there is something slightly offensive about displaying what sherrme so delicately called a collection of "stripper shoes" on books, it just doesn't seem right.......
Yeah, I"m with others here: this is really striking in a shop or other commercial display, but would probably look kind of ridiculous in an apartment.
Also, calling these stripper shoes is kind of hilarious; I didn't realize the many, many (MANY) women who enjoy tall heels all take their clothes off for money.