Whut Glamour: Floor-to-Ceiling Shelving

Dear College,

I hate to admit it, but lately I’ve turned into one of those people who thinks about my college days a lot. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not yearning for parties or lusting after a life of carefree fun. What I miss most about college is the library, where I spent my free time in lieu of having a social life. I was lucky enough to study at some of the prettiest libraries in America. This is my favorite library from my undergraduate years (Cornell’s Uris Library):

And this is my favorite library from my years in graduate school (The University of Pennsylvania’s Fisher Fine Arts Library):

And, just for good measure, here is a picture of Joan Didion with her husband, John Dunne, and their daughter, Quintana Roo sitting in a library. If that isn’t the epitome of glamour I don’t know what is.

So what does all this have to do with design and Hommemaking? Well I’ve developed a bit of an obsession with library-style floor-to-ceiling shelving. I was reminded of this obsession as I dined with my parents this evening and my mother was complaining about her book storage issues (“There’s never enough room for all of them!”). Books are comforting because they remind us that there are all these ideas sitting there waiting to be discovered. Anyway, enough about books, let’s look at some shelves:

I like this whole setup, but where did they get that HIDEOUS fake fireplace? Gross.

Do I hate these chairs? Or are they awesome? I think I hate them? Or I hate myself for hating them? Life is so hard!

I want  to eat dinner in this room. So elegant and inviting.

These aren’t bookshelves, but wouldn’t you die to cook in this kitchen? It looks like these people are getting ready to boil a nice tasty puppy (to the right of the stove). Don’t do it!

After seeing this image, I realized I need all of these dishes. But I never want to use them.

So, in conclusion, I really want some enormous shelves and 75,517 books. Stat.

Love,
Orlando