Thursday, March 16, 2006

BOOKS: If You've Been Shopping Around for Bookshelves for Your S&M Dungeon, Look No Further

As you may already know, I have a minor obsession with bookshelves. A while back, I thought these were the weirdest shelves I've ever seen, but I think this design might trump them.

They're made by an Italian company called Cedri Martini, and according to quintessential lifestyle navigators Charles & Marie, they're billed as "adhesive book shelves":
The concept is as simple as it is visually stunning, an always repeating pattern is attached to the wall (with screws, not adhesives…) and then you can have a blast and fill them up how ever you want to.
I mean, they're visual, and I'm definitely stunned, but I dunno about "visually stunning." Maybe I'm just old-fashioned, but I like to keep my books on something that doesn't remind me of my shower surround.

But, hey, I thought some of you weirdos might like them. So voila!

18 comments:

Carol Blymire said...

They're awful. Seems to me the only customer that might appreciate them is the kind of person who doesn't actually READ books, but just likes to cover them in white butcher paper so they all look alike and use them as decor. Either that, or someone who has fashioned their living room to look like the set from Buck Rogers or the flight deck of the Starship Enterprise. Gack.

Anonymous said...

Check out the "Conceal" bookshelf on umbra.com -- so named because you can't see it; it looks like the books are floating next to the wall. Now THAT is COOL.

Anonymous said...

I can think of a few people who would love those shelves. It goes without saying that these people are not book lovers.

Griffin said...

I don't get it. I mean, how does the display of books have anything to do with being a 'book lover' or not?

I like these shelves (though white would be better than black) and liked the previously mentioned shelves even more.

Tammy said...

I wouldn't say the two are mutually exclusive, Griffin. I might have said something like that a long time ago, but having posted a few photos of, er, "non-traditional" shelves on this site, I've learned that there are always a few dissenting voices in the crowd who really dig them. Shine on, you crazy diamonds!

Griffin said...

I should send you a picture of the last set of bookshelves I built. I hung them from the ceiling with steel rods.

Of course you can't see them anymore becuase they're covered with books. Just an excuse to build a new set...

Tammy said...

You should send me a picture! And then you should come to my house and build me some! Someone has to rescue me from my den of IKEA STEN crappiness.

Anonymous said...

My general problem with arty bookshelves is that they sacrifice an awful lot of function for form.

Sure, there are some very interesting shelves out there that are great for storing books, but for the most part, they just don't impress me. I want floor to celing shelves that use up every possible inch of available space. But that's just me.

I have similar issues with people who put bookshelves in places like their dining room (a'la Nigella Lawson), because all I see is food getting all over the books after just one unfortunate spill.

Maybe I'm weird.

--Deb said...

This is obviously one of those designers who has "art" books, maybe a dictionary, but not much else. What's so hard to fathom about the concept that a bookcase should be functional? And that we want MORE space for books, not less?

Griffin said...

I'd love to, Doppelganger. Always wanted to see the Pacific...

Of course it's a long car trip from the East Coast in an 1985 Volkswagen.

Maya said...

And to think, I was JUST lamenting the lack of bookshelves in my S&M dungeon...

No, really, they don't seem to make very good use of space - and I noticed they aren't very deep, which is bad, sez I - I seem to have a lot of really deep books, and I can totally see them flying off as I walk by and accidentally catch them with a sleeve or something.

Anonymous said...

I was one of the dissenters that actually liked the last set of over-designed bookshelves. These don't work for me. Not enough useable space. Plus, I don't want an entire wall of my house/apartment looking like the tread of my hiking boots.

Tammy said...

You know, I was just looking at these shelves again, and I think you actually can get a lot of books on them if you work them in vertically and horizontally. And I can sort of envision them made of wood instead of... whatever they're made of.

If they were made of wood AND filled up with books, I think they could actually look pretty cool. How's that for a 180? Well, maybe not a 180... more of a 165.

Andi said...

Hmm. I just think of my books ALL OVER the floor when I look at those shelves. And that is almost too traumatizing to deal with in itself.

Anonymous said...

Man, I can just see my cats doing the chase-hop-skid-THUMP! to the top of these shelves, kicking books out with their hind feet as they go.

If they were carpeted, they'd make a great cat-toy.

Anonymous said...

This would actually be perfect for my dungeon, as my collection of kink-related books isn't large enough for a "normal" bookshelf. The rest of the library, though, needs something bigger. :)

BabelBabe said...

They make my head hurt.

Anonymous said...

I actually kind of like them...but if they were made of wood instead of molded plastic. Even the molded plastic isn't so bad. I'm just desperate for more bookshelves!