A 38-volume early 19th century French travelling library containing the works of ten 17th and 18th century French authors including Corneille, Voltaire, Molière, Fénelon and Racine, many with portrait frontispieces. Bindings are in full leather, the page edges gilded, and the spines and covers decorated with gilt tooling. The carry-case, in the form of a book, is 25x35cm, with marbled paper edges. Each book measures 9cm tall.
Designed in 1941. Made of Beech with 3 compartments.Treated with clarcoat. Length 500, width 270, height 270 mm.
Large thanks to Cosmopolitan which has picked out Rooms of Their Own to feature in their list of "32 Gift Ideas for Writers That’ll Get Those Creative Juices Flowing". Here's what they say:
Sometimes the best way to cure writer’s block is to get lost in a fascinating book, and this one will definitely do the trick. It takes readers around the world to show where 50 of the most beloved writers and authors ever found their inspiration.
The coffer is made of wood, covered with leather, with a metal lock and fittings. Leather straps were threaded under the bands on the side for it to be used as a carrying case. Attached to the inside of the lid is a woodcut depicting God the Father in Majesty; it is derived from a liturgical book printed in Paris in 1491.
You can now stop the search for the best reading spot at home thanks to this HOMCOM bookcase seat. Made from particle board for strength and reliability over the years, the base is crafted into a design which features six open cubes for handy storage, with a curved cut-out seat and soft padded cushion to allow you to comfortably immerse your head into your book for hours. Sleek rustic brown in colour, it will sit in any style room with ease in a unique design.
Handcrafted from solid wood its geometric design creates plenty of storage space with its discrete pockets of shelf space.
Libro is a free staircase; a cross between shelving and footstool. Simply placed on the ground like a piece of furniture, away from the wall and on the threshold to the next floor, Libro will take you by surprise. Made of steel and bamboo, the straight or quarter turn Libro staircase is very stable and hardwearing. An elegant handrail can also be added, should you wish.
There are a lot of bookshelves and bookcases in the illustrations by James Oses in my new book Rooms of Their Own about where great writers write/wrote. Here's his interpretation of the circular setup beloved of the iconic 16th century essayist Michel de Montaigne in his tower writing room. We know that around part of the walls were rows of curving bookcases where he kept his personal library of around 1,000 books while on the ceiling above his head where he worked were dozens of motivational quotes.
We create "cells, or neurons atoms" equal pieces together, we are able to generate all different "organs, molecules or brains", offering the possibility to create a multitude of possible combinations ("people, materials or thoughts "). To do this, we work on finding new simple geometric shapes that allow a multitude of possible combinations between them.
Kambiam for Homify
"I asked an architect about the design of a unique bookshelf. I asked him, "I want a bookshelf that can hold all the books I have now. Also, I want to make it a place where I can come up with ideas by myself." That's how this bookshelf was born. A part of the shelf board is extended to become a desk or a table. You can get inside. You can put things other than books. In other words, it's a bookshelf, a desk, a table, a room, and also storage."
My new book, Rooms of Their Own is published today. Here is some information about a book I think you'll enjoy plus a few sample images (John Steinbeck's and Virginia Woolf's writing huts) and pages.
Rooms of Their Own travels around the world examining the unique spaces, habits and rituals in which famous writers created their most notable works.
The perennial question asked of all authors is, 'How do you write?'. What do they require of their room or desk? Do they have favourite pens, paper or typewriters? And have they found the perfect daily routine to channel their creativity? Crossing centuries, continents and genres, Alex Johnson has pooled 50 of the best writers and transports you to the heart of their writing rooms – from attics and studies to billiard rooms and bathtubs.
Discover the ins and outs of how each great writer penned their famous texts, and the routines and habits they perfected. Meet authors who rely on silence and seclusion and those who need people, music and whisky. Meet novelists who travel half-way across the world to a luxury writing retreat, and others who just need an empty shed at the bottom of the garden. Some are particular about pencils, inks, paper and typewriters, and some will scribble on anything – including the furniture. But whether they write in the library or in cars, under trees, private islands, hotel rooms or towers – each of these stories confirms that there is no 'best way' to write.
From James Baldwin, writing in the small hours of the morning in his Paris apartment, to DH Lawrence writing at the foot of a towering Ponderosa pine tree, to the Brontë sisters managing in a crowded co-working space, this book takes us into the lives of some of history's greatest ever writers, with each writing space illustrated in evocative watercolour by James Oses.
Oleg is a wooden cubic or spherical container module with many legs. It can change its function changing its position. It can colonize spaces with infinite combinations of modules. The legs allow it to be placed in different ways to create different furnitures.
Andrea Cingoli and Umberto La Sorda for Concepticon Design
Ashley Tisdale admitted she’d bought all her books for a photoshoot – and as Adele and Gwyneth Paltrow will attest, her hankering for a brainy backdrop is anything but novel.
Shelf-promotion: the art of furnishing rooms with books you haven't read at The Guardian.
My latest book, Rooms of Their Own, is out next month (but of course pre-orderable from your local bookshop and the other usual suspects). I think all readers of Bookshelf will enjoy it. Here's some information about it, plus a couple of sample spreads featuring the work of the highly talented illustrator James Oses.
Rooms of Their Own travels around the world examining the unique spaces, habits and rituals in which famous writers created their most notable works.
The perennial question asked of all authors is, 'How do you write?'. What do they require of their room or desk? Do they have favourite pens, paper or typewriters? And have they found the perfect daily routine to channel their creativity? Crossing centuries, continents and genres, Alex Johnson has pooled 50 of the best writers and transports you to the heart of their writing rooms – from attics and studies to billiard rooms and bathtubs.
Discover the ins and outs of how each great writer penned their famous texts, and the routines and habits they perfected. Meet authors who rely on silence and seclusion and those who need people, music and whisky. Meet novelists who travel half-way across the world to a luxury writing retreat, and others who just need an empty shed at the bottom of the garden. Some are particular about pencils, inks, paper and typewriters, and some will scribble on anything – including the furniture. But whether they write in the library or in cars, under trees, private islands, hotel rooms or towers – each of these stories confirms that there is no 'best way' to write.
From James Baldwin, writing in the small hours of the morning in his Paris apartment, to DH Lawrence writing at the foot of a towering Ponderosa pine tree, to the Brontë sisters managing in a crowded co-working space, this book takes us into the lives of some of history's greatest ever writers, with each writing space illustrated in evocative watercolour by James Oses.
In looking at the working lives of our favourite authors, bibliophiles will be transported to other worlds, aspiring writers will find inspiration and literature fans will gain deeper insight into their most-loved authors.
The pieces are composed by iron rod in burnished or titanium finishings, with glass shelves in bronze or green reflective finish. The simple structure utilizes the industrial processing of the cadenced rod, in diverse diameters, according to a rhythmic partition. The essential volume is delineated thanks to the match of straight lines: the rhythm is punctuated by the rods positioned at different intervals on a seemingly rigorous structure whithin which the books and the inserted objects complete the shape by writing new compositions from time to time.
Our bookshelves are often occupied by a number of books which we have finished or would not read these days; while those in often use always can be seen on our desks and sofa, or around pillows. Can we just break the routine by creating a temporary book shelf to place the books you having been reading? Cloud Bookshelf is such an invention to take in unfinished books or those for constant checking.It has two parts: the “cloud” used to place books and the “raindrop” functioned as a bookmark. “Cloud” can record the books that you have been reading; “raindrop” shows you the exact place where you have left.
Dinah Johnson who runs the marvellous Handwritten Letter Appreciation Society from her writing shed garden office has organised a postcard fundraiser for the Disasters Emergency Committee Ukraine Appeal.
It's a simple idea. You donate £5 and Dinah sends you - wherever you live in the world - a lovely postcard of her Letter Writing Shed written by her, the founder. All proceeds (after postage) go to the appeal to help the people of Ukraine. You can pay at her site by PayPal by clicking here or if you live in the UK you can also send a cheque made payable to “The Handwritten Letter Appreciation Society” to PO Box 9347, Swanage, Dorset, BH19 9BG.
"Thank you so much for considering sponsoring a postcard," says Dinah. "Writing postcards is one thing I know I can do."
We've done it here at Bookshelf and we hope you will consider doing so too.
