I am clutching to my books...and loving my new one!

Ok...if you don't already know from my previous post about my love of books...you can catch up here...then you will understand why this New York Times article, "Ikes ReDesigns Classic Bookshelf, Foreshadows the Demise of Books' saddens me....is the furniture industry (mainly Ikea) really ready to abandon our beloved glossy, wonderfully smelling books for tchotchkes?

NY Times Article

Don't get me wrong, as a decorator, I rely on a good set of tchotchkes in every room but books are also an integral part of every room I design. I also can appreciate the convenience of a Kindle...and I would absolutely get one for any fiction books I read. But there is something to be said for opening the glossy pages of a photography book, a design book, a travel book and even a children's book that cannot be replaced by technology.

Do you think books are on the demise or do you adore them as much as I do?

From the creator of the Design Sponge Blog

The same day I read this article, I also received my advance ordered copy of Design Sponge at Home....I am reeling over the beautiful pictures and the new book smell.....it is a MUST read! And Ikea....I have a spot on my traditional bookshelves for this little masterpiece!

Good Decor Reading....

I have to confess, I am a book junkie. During a summer in college, I interned at Book of the Month Club in the Time Warner building in NYC. Partially because it was so cool to work in a building filled with such incredible companies right in the heart of NYC and partially because they paid me in books.

Yes, the internship was non-paying....but they had a little section in the office that was called 'the free book shelf'.....needless to say, I got paid very well that summer....in books. I would salivate over books that weren't even about interests of mine..., gardening, history, geography....I loved the photos, the random topics and that new book smell was like a natural high for me. 

While mail-order publishing did not turn out to be my life's work, I did learn a lot that summer and at the end of August, the people I worked with were gracious enough to ship home the boxes upon boxes of free books that I had accumulated in my little cubicle that summer.

Needless to say, one of the first things we did when we bought our home was to rip down the faux-wood paneling in the den and have custom built-in bookshelves made. I needed a home for my collection after all!

So, I share all this in a very interesting lead-in to some of my favorite design books. One of which I don't even physically have yet! It is the Design*Sponge at Home and is currently available through pre-order at Barnes and Noble. For those of you who follow the Design Sponge blog (check it out here), you have already heard about the amazing 50% offer for those who pre-order by end of day July 29th! (it officially ends at 2:59am EST on July 30th).This book is like an amazing encyclopedia of design and you can't beat the price!
Order now!

Here is another one of my favorite decorating handbooks that I actually got at a garage sale!
 The Pocket Decorator by Pamela and Leslie Banker. It is hard to find- but it helps me recall the terms I have forgotten since design school (klismos, batik, transom...you get the idea!)

 And one more book for the shopping list: Martha Stewart's Homekeeping Handbook....just because it makes me feel like an authority at home!

BTW- I am super excited to be Guest Blogging at Smarty Pants Mama on Monday! If you aren't already a fan- go check it out a day in advance....and I'll see you there Monday!