I saw this photo over on Exile Bibliophile (you do follow that site, right? You should) and it I saw so many things in this Parisian library that would improve my home library. Or yours.
First, the lamps. It almost looks like an oops and causes your brain to stutter, but then you realize how many problems these metal half-shades solve. It’s brilliant.
Next up is the curved bookshelf with the counter-height slanted standing desk along the top. While I could not use the curve. I do have the perfect wall downstairs where one of these would do just nicely. That extra top adds some utility and display function to an otherwise boring flat bookshelf top. Very very handy.
Here are two hotels that are built around the bookish crowd, one is very modern while the other is a bit more stately and both are very swank.
The Library Hotel is in NYC and seems to be close to everything fun and book related. Packages do not just include wine, cheese, blah blah blah (the usual) but they also offer deals for NYC Public Library tours and have a staff Librarian who will select books for your room, make runs to the Strand for books. There are so many great reading nooks in the photos, on their site.
Most every room has bookshelves on at least one wall (just like I’d like my house to be).
On the other side of the globe is the newly opened The Library hotel in Thailand. The whole place keeps high design in mind (which fortunately includes high bookshelves). It’s a great contrast to the New York hotel with it’s bright colors and stark white interiors. While I didn’t see any cozy reading nooks, there are plenty of benches and chairs positioned all over to allow the reading of great books and great views.
Here is a quick photo tour of the Friends of the Hoover Library Used-Book Store. It’s located on The Plaza back near the magazines and snack bar and there is another “secret” room downstairs that has $1 books!
They keep carts outside the shop with $1 books. Its always worth looking through as 90% are hardbacks and many are donated (a.k.a. books without library markings/stickers). They have a nice easy to understand pricing system once inside.
Now the Library Used-Book Store keeps an overflow room of used books downstairs along the wall of the community room. All of these books in the “Book Nook” are $1. The turnover here isn’t as high as upstairs so I don’t check on this every visit. But I have found some gems there. So do check often.
To get to the room, go back out to the main library hallway and follow it around towards the non-fiction sections. As you are approaching the “quiet study cubicles” there will be a stairway on the right. Take this downstairs. Once downstairs take a left and you’ll see the room.
The folks over at Type Token featured the work of Hong Seon Jang the other day. The artist has a show in Denver right now where patrons can check out his cityscapes composed of lead type. This is truly amazing and a great way to show off type pieces. Most of the typography-related art that I run across consists of the printed letterforms, but this takes the mechanical type and pushes into the architectural realm.
