That's the 1st time I've ever seen that and I'm not that crazy about it.

Laurie

I have done it, and liked it. But now I lean the smaller paintings at the back of the shelves. The layering is kinda nice either way.

I have always loved how that looks in the magazines- just something unexpected... Never tried it at home because I didn't want to put holes into my furniture :(

Love paintergirl's idea of using art leaning at the back of the shelves!

I've seen this alot too and most of the time, like it. I also use paintergirl's idea and like that look too. Or use pictures on easels on the shelves.

tina

Pretty good way of annoucing that your books are just for show, not use.

whitecap-that's what my DH said. But if you have a big bookcase that is not filled...you don't have to put the picture over actual books. Also, I have plenty of books that I have read, liked and want to keep, but probably won't read again. So if I had to, I would put some of those books behind the art.

eh...like I said, I am torn.

I like the look, too. I think it breaks up a large expanse, and with proper placement, shouldn't block access to the books. Also, who is to say what the difference is between what we copy from a magazine and what inspires us? I think all of us are guilty of copying someone else's idea here, at least, I know I am. But I call it inspiration. :)
Dee

I haven't seen it before. Looks lame to me.

I have seen it before and I kinda like the look, but it just seems so impractical to me. If you remove something from the shelf, you're going to jostle the painting, or have to remove it each time. I don't want to bang nails into my shelves either. I have done what others mentioned -- prop a small painting at the back of the shelf, or perch it on a small easel.

It shows up sometimes in magazines, etc. but I think this particular example is not the best I've seen, and agree that if this is the first you've seen of it then it does look lame. I do like it when the scale and art are right.

What's the point? This look is a confusing background for the art and obstructs access to the books. I go along with the other posters who suggest leaning framed art against the back of a shelf or setting it on an easel. I actually enjoy looking at book spines.

Yes, I just saw an example of this very recently but I can't remember now where. It was a very opulent room, with bookcases lining all or most of the walls. In that case, hanging a picture like this kind of makes sense. In the example above, not so much.

Seen many examples in books and magazines (and yes! indeed -- I DO copy ideas from both!!!)

Have not done it here -- but I certainly like the idea -- for smaller artwork/prints/photos/maps/charts etc.

Saw one room with black bookshelves -- and the owner had hung a collection of small black-and-white antique silhouettes on the center support. Very nice!

I do have artworks on my bookshelves -- usually mixed into the items on the shelf.

Jan at rosemary Cottage

I really like the look, I have tons of inspiraton photos on this style. Here are a few from my Photobucket.
I find that most of this look is done in conjunction with a English style of decor (either elegant or country style) that encourages layering.

I put books that I don't use as much behind the art, even if I want a book, it is easy to just remove the art and grab my book.

One of my favorite rooms that I have modeled my den after, Ralph Laurens den/office.

Kenneth J. Lane's:

another inspiration room:

andee and bungalow-yes, I should have said that the example I gave wasn't the BEST example. I just googled quickly. I will try to find a better example...have seen it a bunch in Elle Decor the past few months.

joyce-I also like framed artwork on a mirrored wall. I guess I do like a piece of art in an unexpected place.

dee-I guess I have just seen it soooo much I feel like it has been overdone. Funny how many people have posted that they have never seen it. I bet everyone will be noticing it a lot more now that they are aware of it. Funny how that happens.

If I go into someone's house and they have those throw pillows made of burlap...I just feel like they are copying a look that has been really popular lately. It's too specific. I am thinking this art on bookcase might be the same.

Anyway, just thinking outloud. I always enjoy discussing all these little details on this board!

My built-in's in the LR are exactly like the shelves in the picture, except mine have different sized shelf heights.

I use pictures that either lean back, or have a picture stand. But I don't use many pictures there because we're serious readers.

And you can't even access part of those shelves in the picture because of the big picture hanging there!

As pretty as it is, it's obviously for show only. Does the person just buy beige color books? lol. I had to look hard to see the pictures because of the monotone of color.

If you read, or keep reference books that you'll be using often, I wouldn't do it.

I like to be able to spot a book immediately by it's colored cover. I'd be standing there for days trying to find my book if everything was beige. lol

My guess would be it was originally done because you've run out of wall space for art, have art you want to display and that was the space available.
It becomes layering and done in the right was can cozy up a room and take away the formality.

I'm sure if you have free wall space--but do the look...it can or will come off as just being trendy or pretentious.

As for not having access to the books--a minor inconvenience...you're not moving a picture daily to get a book, so...

I have a big clock hanging in front of my china cabinet because I really don't have another space for it and I love it's look.

Jim

The great
Ralph Lauren's library:

{{!gwi}}

A RL store display:

Some other examples:

And sometimes a piece of art look good in a logical spot:

oooh, I love the examples! So far, though, the examples are in a dark, masculine looking room. I have also seen it done well in a lighter room...I will see if I can find an example. I did find this one example below...but it is also in a dark, library type room.

Here is a link that might be useful:

I mostly have the "darker" style room inspiration pics as you saw in my post above, but I do have this one lighter room example, but still traditional in style...

I like paintings hung in front of mirrors as well, so long as they are both large scale, and you'd put the painting there anyway if the mirror weren't there.

As to art on bookcase frames...I don't do it. I think it looks cluttered and a bit decoratorish, and doesn't let either the books or the pictures show to best advantage. But I also don't layer a lot of patterns, either. Ralph Lauren's study gives me the heebie-jeebies, truth to tell. I want to be able to focus on a good picture, and doing it with as much layering as he has done seems to me to be disrespectful of the pictures. Better, in my view, to designate gallery walls, and rotate your collection through them, as is done in museums. Otherwise, you just stop seeing them at all.

But I am easily distracted by too much visual stimulation in any one plane or space, and want my vistas to be a bit more digestible. If you like it, go right ahead! To test the look, you can sink a nail or hook into the top of your bookcase where you don't see it, and hang the picture with fishing line. I'd do this...either use two lines, running the filament through each of the screw eyes on the back of the picture, and hung from two nails on the top, spaced to match the frame width, or use one in the middle, which will show less. In any case, cut a length plus a generous extra bit for the knots, loop it through the wire or eyes, and tie a surgeon's loop knot on the hanging end(s). Use a little museum putty or poster putty on the back of the picture frame to stick it to the face frame of the bookcase at the top and bottom, so it doesn't wander around. Then you can live with it for a while and see how you both react.

Oh...in case you don't have a fisherman or sailor or boy scout (or surgeon!) at home...you tie a surgeon's loop knot by making a long loop in the end of the line, wrapping the doubled strand loosely around your finger, wrapping the looped end through that loop twice, and pulling it tight.
(If that's not clear, there's a site called animatedknots.com that can show you how to make all sorts of knots.)

Can you tell I'm avoiding doing something else.....??? :>>

I can just hear the designer staging these photoshoots for Ralph Lauren saying, "OK, chop, chop! Let's break up these long boring lines of books by slapping some art against the shelves." IRL means in real life, not "Inside Ralph Lauren."

"I like paintings hung in front of mirrors as well" Me too, love that look.

I like the pictures hung from book cases very much. Did you notice, though, that in the examples, the rooms have beautiful paneling? I wonder if the pictures were hung from the book cases to avoid putting holes in the fine paneling (which makes sense). Also, some of the rooms lack wall space for a picture.

Love the examples! What wonderful rooms to curl up with a good book and a can of diet Dr. Pepper ;)

here is a slightly more simple one.

{{!gwi}}

yes, bron...I know what you mean by "decoratish." That's kind of how I feel when I see a throw casually tossed on a chair, and it is in that same position the next time I visit the home. Or a bowl of fake fruit in the kitchen. Just too contrived.

I will have to wait and see..still have not decided where the bookcase will be.

I've never hung any paintings on my bookshelves but in my old apartment, I hung big plaster casts of architectural ornament, and for the reason that somebody else mentioned above: I had nowhere else to put the things. Then again, since the space behind was useless for books, anyway, I filled the space with empty Kleenex boxes to keep the books on either side from falling down. Here's one of photographer Roland Bello's shots of my black-painted closet-turned-book-room, from O at Home magazine.

I happen to really like the looks of RL's library, but even there, the art-over books thing looks a little stagy. Maybe it looks especially stagy there, since, unlike me in my 547 SF apartment, it's not like the guy doesn't have anywhere else to hang his art. In a place where space constraints don't make the layering thing absolutely mandatorry, I think this falls into the same category as the bushels of fresh produce piled on the kitchen counters of people who doesn't cook, or a pretty breakfast tray of hot coffee, fresh-squeezed orange juice & buttery croissants posing--angled, of course--on a puffy, comforter-covered bed. Hope somebody remembered to Scotchgard!

I agree with your husband.

As a super avid reader and book collector I don't like the look at all but I understand that sometimes you don't have the wall space for art. With wall-to-wall, just about, bookcases in the library and my office, there are very few chunks of wall for art. But I do place small pieces on shelves, like in judithva's lighter picture, and I love that look. I am always on the lookout for smaller pieces of art so I can do that layering thing.

I always get excited when magnaverde posts! That is an interesting idea...the architectual piece. hmmm..at least I have not seen THAT done over and over again. Definitely unique, whereas the artwork idea is not unique anymore.

Is that a yellow converse sneaker I see??? Please explain!

I also wanted to add that in my latest issue of Elle Decor, RL's Manhattan Apartment is showcased, and it is SUPER DUPER minimal. So, since he is so rich, he has the luxury of having a cluttered, layered, eclectic/traditional home, a contemporary apartment...and I am sure he has a rustic horse ranch and a tropical island paradise...etc etc. Unfortunately for us, we have to kind of find a style and embrace it.

If I had multiple homes, I could see going extreme in decorating each one.

Contrived, and how do you get the books out?

That is for people who can't or don't read.

I don't understand everyone who says it is for people who don't care about or love books? Or even worse... this look is for people who can't read at all? I can fit all my books on a half wall of bookshelves. However, if I make a full wall of book shelves and scatter them (books)about, I will have room to either hang the artwork on the book case (as described in this thread)...or do what others have suggested...lean pictures inside the book case. I can also display artifacts, statues etc in my book case.

It has nothing to do with literacy, or love of books. You can simply dislike a style without insulting the people who *do* like the style.

How do you get the books out? You do not place any books behind the picture.

Using bookshelves to support picures or objets d'art is hardly controversial. Appending them to the face of a shelf is a different matter altogether. I'm put in mind of a recent post on the Texas Garden Web Forum, where inquiry is made as to the varieties of plants that can be grown on the dash of one's car. And not to be tiresome about it, but many of the examples (including, I think, the one you posted a link to) show pictures so positioned as to make the retrieval of books awkward.

I don't care for the look, personally. I agree that unless there's some particular reason that are should be hung on the shelf (like lack of wall space, or maybe it's covering a big blemish...) it seems odd.

plants in a dashboard? Ha! I love it!

Well, I don't want to sit here and keep defending the look. Like I said (and the reason I started this thread) is I was iffy about it...but it has caught my eye a few times and because of that, I wanted to consider it. I just don't think retrieval of books has anything to do with it. You don't *have to* put books behind the picture. I don't think it means you don't like books, or you are illiterate, if you do something quirky with their display.

Kind of like the kitchen forum...discussing pot racks. Some people might say, "Oh, I must have my stuff out in the open, I *really cook,* I need easy access to my tools." It doesn't mean that others that keep their pots and pans in a cabinet don't like to or cannot cook. They just choose a different look for their kitchen.

It's really a matter of whether you like the look or not. I get it, you do not like the look!

dirtymartini - LOL, I'll guess you've missed other threads where "layering" is discussed and how it drives the more minimally inclined absolutely bonkers that such a thing can be going on in another person's house!

As for art being in front of some books and accessing them, unless you're a graduate of the Evelyn Wood Reading dynamics school...you're not handling those books on a daily bases.
If you are--why aren't they in a more convenient spot?

Wonderful inspiration pictures. I like the look, but then it tends towards decor as opposed to functionality so makes sense that some folks would not like it. I will take that RL library any day!!!

I have a picture on the front of our bookcase and it looks interesting there. Our books are all reference books and are used regularly...It is easy to see what book resides behind the picture and it is not difficult to reach around a 20"x26" picture frame to access a book! Without the picture on the front, our books would look quite boring!

I don't like this look at all. Books and bookshelves are so comfortingly *solid* and appending a piece of art to the front of the shelving feels quite unsettling to me. It's viscerally disturbing. (Maybe magna's works because architectural objects are also solid and sturdy?)

Displaying framed art or sculpture or any cherished object ON the shelving is lovely.

I've seen this look lately also and I'm not sold on it. It looks a bit odd to me.

I love all the inspiration photos because I'm also trying to decorate some shelves and they're giving me some ideas. I frequent the library because I usually don't read books more than once so I don't have a huge book collection, but I don't want a busy look with a lot of knick knacks.