Thursday, April 29, 2010

How To Indulge Your Naughty Book Love

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These are my bookshelves. They are fairly unimpressive, but also overflowing.

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Ideally, 'overflowing' would be a welcome arrangement, but my 90 sq. ft. bedroom is not ideal (and despite me calling them unimpressive, I think they are pretty amazing—much better than the huge bookcase I had in before that took up too much floor space). Books keep coming and I have no place to put them. What you see here, this is literally the ONLY SPACE I HAVE if I want to keep my room from looking like it belongs on Hoarders! As a result, my office desk is becoming a bookshelf in itself. The stack has grown so much that co-workers have begun to comment, and I'm thinking about operating a small lending library from my cubicle.


When I see rooms (or photos of rooms) with plentiful, floor-to-ceiling bookcases, I get envious. I dream of the day I have more than 90 sq. ft. of living space and a library (and I mean a room, not just a collection) of my very own.

Actually, 'dream' is the wrong word. I fantasize. I have wicked fantasies about a room that contains beautiful built-ins around which the rest of the room flows, colorful spines aligned neatly in a row, enormous windows, and a big comfy chair. Bookshelf space goes right on my list of house 'must-haves,' along with a front porch and a record collection.

Since you're reading book blogs, there's a good chance we share the same fantasy. How would you feel about a room like this? Or this? Or this? And don't you just love libraries like this and bookstores like this? I'm assuming you shouted, "Oh, yes!" out loud right there, and there's a new site I discovered created for people like us. And it's called...

Are you ready for this?

Head on over and indulge in some...Bookshelf Porn. Which one is your favorite?

3 comments:

Christina said...

I HATE Bookshelf Porn - for the mere fact taht I have a tiny New York apartment. My dream has been, for many years, to eventually buy my own place here in the city. It would be a two bedroom, the second one being a guestroom/office/library. Mainly library with dark wood, a bar, tall ceilings that require a ladder for hard to reach books on the built-ins. And a daybed that serves as a place to curl up wtih a book and a trundle to pull out when my parents visit and need a place to sleep.

If that ever happens, I'm totally submitting a photo Bookshelf Porn. Until then, I'm avoiding the site because I can't handle the jealousy!

Kari said...

The people I babysit for have a huge brownstone in the West Village. The room I sleep in is technically the library/office, so I sleep on a daybed surrounded by floor-to-ceiling bookcases. It is wonderful. I want their house!

angiebrooke said...

I am definitely diggin' the third this.....wow I would love to have shelving like that for all my books. I've got them all over. my desk, stacked on the floor by my desk, the steps outside my room, three bookshelves in the living room and a whole cupboard in the kitchen dedicated to cookbooks..... Great site!