Continuing my fascination with people who colour-code their bookshelves, and to further prove my theory that literature colour-coders are much more stylish and witty than your average mortal, I bring you part 2 in my 2-part series. This time I'm having a quick chat with interior blogger, ex-music industry professional and all-round cool person Fiona from StylophileUK...
EM: What inspired you to colour code your book shelves?
F: I would love to say it was an original idea but I am a shameless leaper on an interiors bandwagon...it was something I spotted in Livingetc in the 90s!
EM: How long did it take?
F: No time at all, depending on the number of books. This is a condensed version of our last one, so, er...a couple of hours? Definitely a possible-in-an-evening switch up.
EM: What was the trickiest bit to get right?
F: If you have too many books of one colour it's a bit of a nightmare; we have zillions of black spines as Mr Styleophile reads prolifically and mainly military history or crime books - they rarely come with a jauntily coloured jacket...
EM: What would you have been doing if you hadn't been colour coding your book shelf?
F: Wallpapering something. If it stands still long enough, I'll wallpaper it.
EM: Any colour coding tips?
F: Yes: it looks more effective with a coloured backdrop so consider painting the shelves the same colour as your walls if you really want to make the books pop out. Dark works well. Also, you can rainbow each shelf if you prefer, that looks quite fun. If the books you are using are roughly the same size it looks more uniform if that's your thing...larger coffee table books and hardbacks can go sideways on, perhaps on the shelf below to break up the vignette with a plant, gesso star or picture frame.
EM: Thanks Fiona. If anyone else has a colour-coded bookshelf they're proud of, do drop me a line. Who know, maybe this series will extend to a part 3?
