Between shelf and sculpture: books in the spotlight

Pia Seidel

9.5.2025

Translation: machine translated

Pictures: Pia Seidel

Books are only for reading? Nope, wrong thinking! These five examples prove it: They can do much more than just sit on a shelf. With the right design, they become a statement, art and a real eye-catcher.

At the recent Milan Design Week, creative furniture, shelves and stands showed how books can be staged in such a way that they almost look like sculptures - or at least attract everyone's attention. Let's take a look at what this looks like in practice.

1. not just any bookshelf, but a design icon

The first impressive example: «Ptolomeo» - a freestanding bookcase designed by Bruno Rainaldi for Opinion Ciatti. In the Limited Edition 2024, the column and shelves are made of black railway sheet metal, while the base is made of elegant marble. The cool thing about it? It makes optimum use of the space and emphasises height. The shelf itself recedes into the background, while the books make a grand entrance.

2. more than just a piece of furniture: «Coverless Books»

Normally, covers, titles and images influence how we perceive a book even before we open it. The modular set «Coverless Books» by Euijung Sung turns this around: instead of selecting books by title or cover, you can choose books based on keywords on the spine or text passages in the middle of the book.

3. form follows content - and looks so good

The design «Railing Book Stand» by Yang Shueiyuan also shifts the focus away from the look of the books and towards the content. Here, not only round tubes with ball joints were used, but also curved panels and an elastic band that keeps the page open.

4. books, concrete, poetry: a game of contrasts

The next example comes from the architect Aline Asmar d'Amman. In her shelves «Béton Littéraire», books are stacked and embedded in concrete. The result? Brutalist sculptures with a strong, almost magical presence.

But it doesn't stop at the shelves. The collection also includes sculptures in which books and wafer-thin layers of stone are fused together in a modern yet almost archaeological composition. These functional objects combine raw brutalism with the lightness of words.

5. an accountant who travels with you

The «Madera Book Holder» from Sser Studio is simple and practical. Thanks to its lightweight design, you can easily take it with you from room to room - whether to the bedroom, living room or your favourite spot in the sun. It emphasises the book cover.

Pia Seidel

Senior Editor

Pia.Seidel@digitecgalaxus.ch

Like a cheerleader, I love celebrating good design and bringing you closer to everything furniture- and interior design- related. I regularly curate simple yet sophisticated interior ideas, report on trends and interview creative minds about their work.

These articles might also interest you