Books in the Closet.

© Sarah @ Thrifty Decor Chick

I recently came across a gorgeous decorating project I just had to share.

Last month, Sarah at Thrifty Decor Chick turned a fitted wardrobe into a fabulous book nook.

© Sarah @ Thrifty Decor Chick

I love nooks. As a student, one of the rooms I rented had a large cupboard-under-the-stairs with a sloping ceiling and painted bright red on the inside.

First thing after I moved in, I lugged my bed in there and turned the space into a cosy miniature bedroom.

The bed barely fit and it took great agility to get in and out every day, but that only added to the fun. Really.

Still, charming as it may have been, my improvised bed nook was nowhere near as beautiful as this book nook.

What a clever and creative use of space. I think this will soon be everyone's favourite part of the house, kids and adults alike.

On her website, Sarah tells us all about how she made the nook and she shares plenty of gorgeous photographs. She even posted a detailed how-to of the entire process, in case you feel inspired.

Thanks, Sarah, for sharing this wonderful idea and letting me use your pictures!

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B is for Books.

Part of my library.

B was a no-brainer for me. Books, of course. What else?

I learnt to read - more or less by accident - at age 4. My brother, who's a few years older than me, was learning at school, and I had the habit of eavesdropping when he practised his letters and words at home. Afterwards, I would sneak in, steal his textbook and try to match the pictures with the sounds.


My favourite reading chair.

Since then, I've read nearly everything I could get my hands on - and forgotten most of it. My taste in books is eclectic, to say the least.

I tend to read in bursts, fast, focusing more on characters than events. Often, all I'll remember about a novel after a few weeks, months or years are snippets of personality, intense emotions and sensory impressions.

Now, in honour of 'Books', I wanted to share a list of the books that have had the biggest impact on my life, and a few pictures of the favourite corners of my bookshelves.



Books that have affected me most:

• Patrick Süskind - Perfume - it opened up my senses to a whole new level of awareness and made me pay much more attention to scents, flavours, colours, beauty and ugliness in the world outside.
• Ursula K. Le Guin - Changing Planes - it made me realize that having a wild imagination isn't necessarily a bad thing.
• Willa Cather - My Antonia - it made me consider that any setting or person - however plain or uninteresting they might seem at first - can be turned into a captivating story, providing you dig deep enough.
• Marion Zimmer Bradley - Mists of Avalon - I read it as a teenager and it was the first time I encountered such a tragic and complex character (Morgaine) that I could at the same time like and dislike, understand and fault for what she did.
• A.S. Byatt - Possession - because of the particular flavour of the interwoven worlds and characters, which gave me so much to think about.
• Umberto Eco - Foucault's Pendulum - for bringing back mystery and magic at a time when I really needed it.
• William Faulkner - Absalom Absalom! - because it was so wonderfully complicated and showed me how enjoyable it is to stretch your mind.

Favourite corners of my bookshelves:

Which books have had the biggest impact on your life?

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For the Love of Books...

I've been an avid reader for most of my life, and even though I love my Kindle, I'm still crazy about books. There's nothing like the smell of ink, the weight of a real book on my lap and the touch of paper to my fingertips. An instant cure for stress.

And then I discovered the photoblog Bookshelf Porn. Okay, I don't like the name, but the site's got a lot of great pictures. Of books, obviously, and shelves. And rooms and houses I wouldn't mind living in.

I don't know why I'm so crazy about bookshelves, other people's as well as my own. I suspect part of the the feeling is childlike wonder, remembering how I felt (and still feel) in libraries, looking at all the treasures that would take years to explore.

Bookshelves are filled with the thoughts of generations. In every book that is written, a writer synthesizes ideas and beliefs, mental and emotional experiments not only of herself but everyone she has learnt from: the people she's encountered, her teachers, family, friends and her wider sociocultural environment. Every story offers the invaluable opportunity to look at the world through somebody else's eyes. Bookshelves really are treasure chests, in every way that matters.

So, if you want to go on a daydream or a quest for inspiration on how to store your own collected wisdom, have a look at the Bookshelf Porn archive.

Which are your favourites?

I think for now, I'd go for this one:

The photograph made me think of Solange, a great librarian I knew a long time ago. She gave me a lovely picture frame with the quote: 'Overal heb ik rust gezocht, maar nergens gevonden, dan in een hoekje met een boekje.' - Thomas van Kempen.

(It roughly translates as: 'I've looked everywhere to find peace and quiet, but couldn't find it, except in a corner with a book.')

The frame has become one of those items I will never ever part with and I have it on my writing desk for those days when I need the reminder.

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Bookstairs.

Wow. I so need this...


Via apartment therapy




Via apartment therapy



Here's the full article.

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