Sunday, September 14, 2008

Why Libraries Are Back in Style
It's Not Because of Books; They're 'Memory Rooms' Or TV-Free Private Spaces

By JUNE FLETCHER writing in The Wall Street Journal.September 12, 2008.
In the library of her 5,800-square-foot house in Glen Cove, N.Y., Linda Teitelbaum keeps trophies from dog shows, needlepoint pillows of bulldogs and gold-framed photos of family. Though the plaid-papered room has a scattering of books, she often retreats to it not just to read but to remember the dogs she used to breed, to nap, or to get away from the TV. "It's my veg-out room," Ms. Teitelbaum says.

Reading rates are down and Americans say they love casual living. And yet, one of the most popular rooms in big new houses is a library. Rather than being about books, their appeal is often about creating a certain ambiance. "Libraries connote elegance and quality," says New York architect and interior designer Campion Platt, adding that most of his wealthy clients want one, even if they do most of their reading online.
Read the full piece at the WSJ online.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

So, as writers, instead of literary brilliance we should aim for Resene-colour-covers? Should we woo Architects instead of booksellers? Imagine the blurb - 'The perfect spine with inter-changeable loose covers to match any room.'