Get your copy of our weekly print products at any of these convenient locations.

Interior designers' creative bent extends to their book lists

Linda Brazill  —  8/11/2008 4:19 pm

Bibliophiles. Volume voyeurs. Whatever you call us, we're obsessively curious to discover what other folks are reading.

When we leaf through magazines featuring lavish photo spreads about other people's houses and apartments -- not anyone we actually know, of course -- we're immediately drawn to the home libraries, the stacks of books piled on every available surface.

We turn the magazines upside down trying to read titles and use magnifiers to decipher what's on the bookshelf. I say "we" because I now know I'm not alone. When Atlanta blogger Jennifer Dwyer admitted to the practice, the comments readers posted on her blog, "The Peak of Chic" (www.peakofchic.com), proved we both have plenty of company.

On one of her blog posts earlier this year, "Time to Get Out the Magnifying Glass," Dwyer noted that she checks out the contents of other people's libraries out of curiosity," but also because she's always looking for new books to add to her personal design library. My reasons exactly.

But brilliant blogger that she is, Dwyer got the inspired idea to ask her favorite designers what's in their book pile. She writes a brief profile of the designer and posts it along with photos of them, their libraries and their top 10 book choices. You can find their answers on her other blog, "BiblioStyle," which she calls "your source for stylish books on sophisticated living" (www.bibliostylebooks.blogspot.com).

This is one fun read. She features interior decorating stars like John Stephanidis and Charlotte Moss as well as more au courant designers like Christopher Spitzmiller and Joe Nye.

I have to admit I was instantly jealous of Moss, who has a whole library devoted to gardening at one of her homes. Stephanidis surprised our blogger with his list of 13 titles, including Balzac and Carson McCullers, few of them actually devoted to design.

His quirky choices reminded me of the comments of one of my favorite designers, Victoria Hagan. "The world is full of inspiration, from the color of freshly picked corn on the cob to something I've seen in a museum, or a set in a movie," Hagan points out in Margaret Russell's book, "Designing Women."

Hagan's attitude and Stephanidis' list show that livable interiors takes inspiration from more than design books alone. Dwyer noted on her blog that literature, history and music were also "rich fonts of ideas."

But I think Spitzmiller captures the essence of what the most creative members of the design profession do with his book choices. He focuses on "the well-lived life" with a list of six titles on interiors, three cookbooks and one on gardening.

One big difference, however, between me and Dwyer and the other bibliophiles who responded to her original post, is that they all add these must-have titles to their Amazon.com "wish lists."

I go on the public library's Web site to see if I can borrow a copy before I do anything else.

For new books, I head to Barnes & Noble on Madison's west side, which has a great array of books on interior design as well as gardening.

It's also worth noting that many of the books that are making BiblioStyle's lists are out of print and can be expensive. So once I'm ready to buy, I always check local bookstores like Paul's, Avol's or Half Price Books, all of which have provided me with a wealth of titles over the years -- and no shipping charges.

Their shelves are always bulging with design books just begging to be taken to a good home like mine. Or perhaps yours?

Linda Brazill  —  8/11/2008 4:19 pm