Novel Living: Collecting, Decorating, and Crafting with Books

By Lisa Occhipinti and Thayer Allyson Gowdy

In this digital age, the fate of physical books remains in question. Even the concept of curling up with a good book conjures new images. But there remains a sensory thrill to physical books—to seeing and feeling them, to turning their pages—that makes many of us value them even more as digital reading grows in popularity. In Novel Living, artist Lisa Occhipinti celebrates her love for physical books by presenting us with her unique ideas for collecting and displaying them, for conserving and preserving them, and for crafting with them. Guided by Occhipinti’s artful eye, you’ll be inspired to build and display collections based on your personal passions and to use books for crafting, either by deconstructing or by copying favorite elements. Amazingly, most of the projects—ranging from easy shelving to a headboard constructed of book spines to napkins composed of scans of favorite text passages from books—require no special skills or supplies.

• Language: English
• Publisher: ABRAMS
• Release date: Jun 5, 2018
• ISBN: 9781683355526

Book preview

CHAPTER ONE

COLLECTING BOOKS

One of my prized possessions: the first book I ever bought, Wide Awake. I was four.

We all know the standard interior decorating practice of adding a mirror to make a room appear larger. Books are mirrors of a different kind; they reflect our values, our thoughts, and what we hold dear, adding another type of breadth to a room. Though books literally (and, well . . . literally) heighten the scope and vitality of a space, they are not merely a decorative device. Likewise, a library is more than just a physical place—it is a space that tells a story. In fact, a bookshelf is readable in and of itself; as though reading a page, your eyes move along the spines as you conjure impressions. Look at friends’ bookshelves and you’ll get a deeper understanding of who they are and, most likely, you will see some of the same titles that you own. This chapter explores the ins and outs of collecting and sourcing books to build your own personal library, or to shape one you might have already, and how the books you choose to collect and display breathe life into your home.

COLLECTING

A library is a collection that is built book by book, and if you read or engage with the books you own, you most likely know your collection inside out and have a history with each volume. Every book, in its own way, has touched you, informed you—something not many inanimate objects can do. Books, no matter how many you have, create an environment of thoughtfulness because each one was acquired for its individuality and is treasured for that reason.

Beyond reading them, we collect books as aesthetic objects. Their colored, rectangular (and sometimes square) shapes are works of art. Though they are sturdy, rigid forms, they are composed of soft, supple materials: paper, cloth, glue, thread, and ink. Enjoying a book is as much a tactile experience (feeling the fabric of the cover, the edges of the pages, or an embossed signet or title) as it is a visual experience (taking in the various typography styles, illustrations, and design elements).

Though popular and convenient, e-readers tend to eliminate the tactile experience of the book, reducing it solely to its content, which is only part of what a book is. With the advent and proliferation of e-readers, I consider book collecting a form of rescuing. I fear an era in which a book is something a generation has only heard about, or seen an image of on their screens. It is up to us to safeguard books, honor them, cherish them, engage our children with them, and live with them, not as treasures so precious they are kept beneath lock and key, but as objects in daily use. In this way, they become part of our personal histories, which contributes to a broader cultural

Reviews for Novel Living

[mstrust · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The author is an artist who uses books as her medium, so there are craft suggestions using books here. There are also step-by-step instructions for re-binding and re-attaching loose pages in a section for book preservation. The author discusses how to start a book collection and there are a few pics of bookshelving.