Fine print: boltholes for book lovers are on the rise

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Curated book library
(Image credit: press)

‘Kyoto’ partitions, €2,367, by Note Design Studio, for Zilenzio. ‘ABCD' sofa, from £5,200; ‘I-Beam’ steel side table, $487, by John Birch for RH Modern; ‘Lampada Poltrona' lamp, from £940, both by Luigi Caccia Dominioni, for Azucena. ‘Ren' bookcase, £7,548, by Neri & Hu, for Poltrona Frau. ‘Triumph bookends, from €125, by Josep Vila Capdevila, for Aparentment, from WallpaperSTORE*. Glasses €160, by Christiana Vannini, for Fassamano. ‘Equilibre d'Hermes' magnifying glass, £1,360, by Hermes. Vas, from $80, by Dana Bechert. ‘Edge' pot, from €33, by Stileben, for Skagerak. ‘Dias' step stool, €262, by Gridy, for Northern. ‘Botanical anatomy' rug, from £1,729, by Christopher Kane, for The Rug Company. Books courtesy of Penguin, Phaidon, Buly 1803, Steidl, Pan MacMillan and Mitchell Beazley

Digital may dominate these days, but at desirable destinations across the world, it seems hard copy is still proving a welcome diversion from devices. At Hotel Café Royal in London, Maison Assouline has created a library in the lobby, while in some hotels in the OD group, publisher Taschen has been tasked with stocking Book Bars. Meanwhile, at French estate Domaine des Etangs, the creation of a library (or two) that adequately serves this art-focused retreat has been treated like an art project in itself, while London’s new tea bar Teatulia will host a monthly Living Bookshelf, guest curated by creatives, starting with Tilda Swinton. And in Bath, you can turn over a new leaf in both beauty and literature at the new Aesop store.

All of this has inspired us to build a reading room of our own, curated around the subject of plants. Here are some recent releases we’re adding to the shelves...

Horticultural books

(Image credit: press)

Pictured from top: A Tribute to Flowers (€40, by Richard Fischer, for Te Neues)
For 15 years, photographer Richard Fischer has been capturing the beauty of rare and endangered ower species in his studio.

The Japanese Garden (£50, by Sophie Walker, for Phaidon)
This book explores the art of garden making in Japan, including Shinto shrines, tea gardens and contemporary Zen designs.

Strange Plants III (£38, edited by Zio Baritaux, for Zioxla, from Village Books)
The latest in a series of books that showcases plants in contemporary art.

Ways to Tie Trees (€50, by Woong Soak Teng, for Steidl)
A strangely captivating, loose-leaf collection of photographs of staked trees, captioned with their locations, in the manmade garden city of Singapore.

As originally featured in the November 2018 issue of Wallpaper* (W*236)