This is NOT an example of form following function, but it does get us to stop and look. Haha!

IMO bookshelves are for books and the whole idea of decor in them makes no sense I like them in a room where you read or in an office where they are a nessessity.

I don't have anything against having them in a dining room -- you might like to see familiar "faces" there, or might even pull a book as part of a discussion -- but, um, not in this case! I guess the goal was to avoid any hint of color that might detract from the industrial finish items, but man! Made my teeth hurt. :)

Yep. People are snagging up bound books at estate sales for decor. If they read books at all its on their iPads.

Oh, man, somebody in my office just sent me this. A word of warning for those with soft hearts and fond memories of books...

https://www.pinterest.com/danier215/home-reverse-your-books/

8^0

those look like they are on their sides.

we should follow this trend and put away all of our pantry items with the cans facing backwards...just guess which kind of beans or soup you are grabbing.

oh man, I feel like one time I took all the soup labels off my grandma's soups for a label drive at school (do they still do those?)... that makes for some real cooking challenges in the months that follow!!!

Edited to add: @susanalanandwrigley, I'm virtually certain they're facing the wrong way. I think they just wanted the vague feel of books, and this is the cheapest way to acheive that... (plus, you can see some variation in the color of the paper!)

Seriously? Those have got to be placed in backwards. They could also flip the rug over and turn the stools upside down.

On the other hand.........maybe the designer was challenging us to
look at books as art -- shape and form, rather than title and book
sleeve.

One, but not the only, purpose of art is to challenge us to see things differently, or in a different light.

Here
is an example of seeing the linearity and form of books, and how they
might relate to the linearity of shelving. I don't think the designer
was proposing that a library should be shelved this way.

And aren't you curious to see what titles are behind the pages?I think the designer achieved his or her goal. On many levels.

I guess it would be a good way to hide the fact that all your books are trash or pornography or whatever ....

well, I do think people sometimes do books as art. but here, I think they're going more for books as backdrop, as textural setting for the lamps and chairs...

Noticed for a long time Joanna Gaines of "Fixer Upper" posed her book arrangements with the pages exposed, rather than the spine. Lately I've seen her expose more spines but mixed in with books whose jacket was simply white paper. Of course, you can always color block them if you're really artsy! Remember wrapping your textbooks with art paper to make them pretty , or even using brown paper bags to protect them so you got more $$ for them at the college bookstore??

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I guess I am too much of a book nerd but I will never understand color blocking with books! Books should be arranged by type and/or author, for ease of access not for creating a wall of color. If I were to see a room like those that deco shows above (which I've never seen in real life thank goodness), I would just think the owner was incredibly shallow if not downright stupid. I know, I shouldn't judge a book by its cover, but can I judge a book's owner by the way he or she displays the books?

I doubt the color blockers or the white paper wrappers are actually readers. They probably do all their reading electronically.

This was set up solely for aesthetics/photo shoot to highlight their furniture line I assume and the bookcase is only a pretty backdrop, not meant with function in mind. You have to take the entire room with a grain of salt..table so close to the fireplace for example. Anyone who loves books could still have this look from a décor standpoint, but would have a practical bookcase as well.

This decor style is so 2012. Lets move on. Form follows function.

I volunteer at an independent library and spend half my day shelving books. I may have nightmares about this.

Yeah, I'm a book and journal editor. It makes my teeth hurt.

acm - looking for a publisher - any ideas?Thanks!

These are definitely the shelves of a mystery book lover.

Deco, do an e book. They can be interactive, there is so much you can do. Check out apple, wow. Let me know when you do publish.

Considering blogging it. I'm not the author and its not about decor!

What is apple, wow?

Books as decor has been around nearly as long as books I think. There was a snide mention of buying books by the yard in either a Dickens or an Austen book. Wish I could remember. I'd go look it up but all my books are filed backwards.

I will put up a link for you, Deco, but takes time as Houzz makes me log back in.

http://www.apple.com/ibooks-author/gallery.html

Thanks, Tribble...

No worries, Deco. Compare it to what you can do on Amazon with Windows.

I always thought they did it on design shows so they aren't advertising books.