Hasta La Ideas

Documenting designs of the bookshelf revolution

Since 2007, Alex Johnson has kept a daily record of the closely followed world of bookshelf design with his blog simply titled “Bookshelf”. Faced with the e-book revolution and the downsizing of physical storage, the furniture staple remains a beloved component of the home, evolving from floor piles and mundane shelves to be embraced as a design object reflecting the spirit of the collector as well as the books themselves. Johnson’s new book, also called “Bookshelf“, curates the contemporary state of the household item as both a design and storage piece.

Admitting that e-books are certainly here to stay, Johnson points out that there exists a difference between book readers and book owners. While the former is content to consume the information and move on, the latter enjoys the experience of possessing, displaying and ultimately sharing tomes.

As affordable furnishing and democratic design bring creative solutions into homes everywhere, the demand for elegant bookshelves continues to rise. Minimalist or cluttered, asymmetrical or linear, the design of the bookshelf dictates the feel of the room it inhabits. Designers build from this premise, creating pieces that reflect the practical, spacial and aesthetic needs of book owners.

Johnson’s selections are accompanied by short biographies and web addresses to find and purchase each of the pieces. His work provides examples of the evolution of the single shelf, the incorporation of bookshelves into furniture and the departure from traditional box storage, among other trends. The more elegant examples include “Bike Shelf“, a minimalist, dual-purpose option for bookworm cyclists, as well as “Between Lines“, an amalgamation of intersecting letters made of steel and rubber that houses creative arrangements of books.

“Bookshelf” is available for purchase from Thames & Hudson and on Amazon. See more images of the book in our slideshow.

German designer Peter Böckel will present this combined book shelf and lamp at DMY Berlin this week.

Caled Readme, the design resembles a stretched lamp shade with the books stashed in a void between the two ends.

The steel cabinet is supported on maple legs and light is emitted from the translucent top surface.

Dezeen are media partners for DMY Berlin, which takes place 1-5 June 2011.

The information below is from Peter Böckel:

README is the convergence of a lamp and a shelf. Standing on four legs it also is lightly influenced by the characteristics of a small chest. It still holds the traits of a lampshade which is broken up by shelving. In addition there is some small storage at the top. The extrapolation of the two convergent origins is the decisive point.

Used materials are white maple and coated steel.

Peter Böckel is a young industrial designer from Germany. He graduated 2011 from the University of Applied Science Coburg. During his time at the university he collected work experience in the offices of N+P Industrial Design in Munich and Michael Young in Hong Kong. Besides his assistant teaching at the university, he organized and mentored workshops for students at universities in Istanbul.

His design interests are ranging from experimental and furniture to industrial design. He scrutinizes and interprets things and processes in abstract and unusual ways. Here he likes to move around border crossings.

This can be used in topics and in the meanings are. Equally important is to find the right dose of friction between product and user. Inspired by materials, technologies and his surroundings he creates iconic and contemporary products.

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Double Side by Matali Crasset	Dressed Up Furniture by KAMKAM	Furniture by Axel Bjurström