Hello, Gentle Readers! I was going to write about the historic houses I would be visiting if I were allowed to go anywhere, but I thought it would be too depressing.
Instead, I shall embrace our circumstances and take a moment to discuss bookcases.
Why, you ask? Well, last time, I mentioned that the next step in our in our ASPIRE House prep was styling the large étagère that occupies a corner of our bedroom. A HUGE thanks, by the way, to Century Furniture for lending us this handsome piece:
The contents of a bookcase should say something about the person who owns it. We’ve declared our room in the show house a Guest Bedroom, and we do have a mythical guest in mind: a favorite uncle.
This favorite uncle happens to be an academic, so we felt just fine packing the shelves with the complete works of Sir Walter Scott and Stoddard’s lectures. Visually, we wanted the shelves to look orderly, and these huge series fit the bill perfectly. Plus they’re vintage, and our room is a combo of modern and older things.
So bookcases have been on Amy’s and my minds professionally…but they’re sort of in the zeitgeist right now anyway, don’t you agree? With the emergence of Room Rater and other critics of famous people’s Zoom backgrounds, I think it’s safe to say that many of us have looked afresh at our bookcases for our own remote meetings.
My husband’s colleagues have asked about these shelves in our family room, which are in his virtual background:
I doubt he mentions how proud he is that he or I have read every single book on these shelves, including (and especially) the ones in Italian and Latin. (Shocker: that wasn’t me. The art books with lots of pictures? THOSE are the ones I’ve read. Anyway.)
Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos’s bookcase background has been a fun topic for some journalists, notably because there are so few books on them. Kind of ironic for a guy who got his start as a bookseller, dontcha think?
My friend and client Jacob Heilbrunn got a 10/10 from Room Rater for his kick-ass media room with blue bookcases, which he chose for his Zoom background. I had a little something to do with that…it was a proud moment for both of us ;)
Of course, you have the power to change your bookcase-oriented background, especially if you’re in the national spotlight, as Stacey Abrams is.
Here she is with the bookcase centered, but she’s blocking the titles. And it’s so small! She went to Yale Law School…I’m sure she’s read a gazillion books. She should have a MUCH larger bookcase!
In the interview below, she positions herself with the bookcase off-center, which is better. We still can’t read the titles, but that’s probably fine: it’s less distracting. And I would hang the art above the award.
Below is the best setup, to me, with the bookcase to the right and flowers on the left to balance the frame. What’s great about this shot is that you can’t tell how dinky the bookcase is. It could go on for miles! The flowers are a great idea, but these are past their prime. (Note to self: send flowers to Stacey Abrams.)
Anyway, Gentle Readers. I started this post because bookcases — étagères, shelves, whatever — have been my latest Show House focus. Thanks for sticking with me as I slide down the rabbit hole.
Annie Elliott Design is based in Washington, DC, and we travel for fun projects. Annie’s design work and insights have appeared in numerous local and national publications, including The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Washington Post, and Washingtonian Magazine. We look forward to seeing you at the ASPIRE House, which will be open from August 23 – September 13. Click here for tickets and COVID-19 safety protocols.