I’ve seen this on some decorating shows recently, including Nate and Jeremiah. My response, as a sane book lover and reader, is WTF?!

Truly this is the most idiotic decorating trend of all time.

Offsite Link

by Anonymous

reply 50

May 20, 2018 11:21 PM

Yeah, its a real dumbass idea. But, what would you expect from Nate and Jeremiah?

by Anonymous

reply 1

May 14, 2018 12:42 AM

What is the purpose of this other than to prevent you from reading the title of the books on their spines?

by Anonymous

reply 2

May 14, 2018 12:43 AM

R2, I’m guessing that the purpose is uniformity and lack of color. I like colorful spines with different fonts, personally.

by Anonymous

reply 3

May 14, 2018 12:45 AM

I doubt anyone who decorates like that actually reads books so this will work out quite well for them.

by Anonymous

reply 5

May 14, 2018 12:48 AM

How funny. This trend suits the outrage culture to a T that they must be shielded from potentially offensive spines of your favorite novels.

by Anonymous

reply 6

May 14, 2018 12:51 AM

Hate the backwards spine thing. I have a friend who organizes books by color--also annoying, though not as annoying.

Real readers organize in some way that's actually functional--I organize by subject and, in subjects like fiction, alphabetically.

by Anonymous

reply 7

May 14, 2018 12:52 AM

I wonder what Jeremiah likes to read. I’d like to read to him in bed.

by Anonymous

reply 8

May 14, 2018 1:00 AM

Nate Berkus has THE absolute worst taste!

by Anonymous

reply 9

May 14, 2018 1:03 AM

Ugh...on TV shows they have to do this so they don’t have to pay rights to all of the authors for displaying their work and IP. If people do this in real life, they’re idiots.

by Anonymous

reply 10

May 14, 2018 1:06 AM

This is another idiotic decorating idea that only appeals to people who think HGTV is high design. That entire network should be prosecuted for crimes against good taste.

by Anonymous

reply 11

May 14, 2018 1:06 AM

The mediocre framed pencil drawing is an instant disqualifier.

by Anonymous

reply 12

May 14, 2018 1:07 AM

I actually read that realtors recommend this if you have a lot of books

by Anonymous

reply 13

May 14, 2018 1:08 AM

Readers should not take advice from Realtors on anything other than buying and selling houses.

by Anonymous

reply 14

May 14, 2018 1:10 AM

I’ve cut the number of books I own drastically.

I realized I will never re-read most of them. Since I have a kindle, if I want to read something, I’ll just get it on the kindle.

That said, I arrange books by size. Taller books on the left and shorter on the right. Looks nice that way

by Anonymous

reply 15

May 14, 2018 1:10 AM

Backwards books should be a crime and it's also just idiotic, not edgy or hip.

by Anonymous

reply 16

May 14, 2018 1:27 AM

I never thought I'd write this but I actually prefer the dreaded stacked books to this backwards dreck.

by Anonymous

reply 17

May 14, 2018 2:56 AM

If I saw this in someone's house, I would think they are both ignorant and posers. It screams fake.

by Anonymous

reply 18

May 14, 2018 5:57 AM

Books are AWFULLY decorative, don't you think.

by Anonymous

reply 19

May 14, 2018 6:07 AM

[quote] If I come to your house and you’ve done this to your books, I’m flipping over your coffee table. Because an upside-down table makes just as little sense as a book filed on the shelf, spine in.

Offsite Link

by Anonymous

reply 20

May 14, 2018 6:13 AM

Nate Berkus doesn't actually read books, so it makes perfect sense he would be in favor of this.

by Anonymous

reply 21

May 14, 2018 6:14 AM

At that point they may as well just get rid of them altogether.

by Anonymous

reply 22

May 14, 2018 6:16 AM

This has got to be the most ridiculous thing I have ever seen concerning decor. It's on a par with that Israeli chef who puts questionable chocoates in questionable shoes. What's the point of having books on a shelf if you can't see what their titles are and make it more difficult to pull them from the shelf?! Does this mean I should read the books from end to beginning?

by Anonymous

reply 23

May 14, 2018 6:22 AM

[quote]I actually prefer the dreaded stacked books to this backwards dreck.

Actually, stacking books is better for the bindings than the vertical way we traditionally display them, unless you have them jammed so tightly together that the covers hold the pages up.

by Anonymous

reply 24

May 19, 2018 9:14 PM

I wish I could track down the interview I read around 1980 where Halston insisted that backwards was the only tasteful way to display books. Whole walls of backward books.

by Anonymous

reply 25

May 19, 2018 9:18 PM

The trend that will last till this weekend. Let's not worry about it.

by Anonymous

reply 26

May 19, 2018 9:20 PM

r15, Get rid of them all. You currently reveal yourself to be a buffoon.

by Anonymous

reply 28

May 19, 2018 9:28 PM

I'm going them better! I'm also turning around my wall art; facing my TV to the outside; and taking the labels off my canned goods!

by Anonymous

reply 29

May 19, 2018 9:31 PM

Because let's face it, the whole point of books is decoration.

by Anonymous

reply 30

May 19, 2018 9:32 PM

What would you guys do with a bunch of Monocle magazines? I am sick of looking at the huge stack of them. They're supposed to be collectors items.

by Anonymous

reply 31

May 19, 2018 9:33 PM

This is a stupid trend and whoever brought it back should be frozen in carbonite.

by Anonymous

reply 32

May 19, 2018 9:35 PM

That is stupid, impractical, and ugly!

by Anonymous

reply 33

May 19, 2018 10:06 PM

R31, I would take them to a reliable bookbinder and have them bound in annual volumes, in leather, with your family crest embossed on the front, like we gays do with Spy magazine. Marbleized end papers optional but recommended.

by Anonymous

reply 34

May 19, 2018 10:16 PM

This is a trend for people who have too much time and nothing of importance to do.

by Anonymous

reply 35

May 19, 2018 10:23 PM

Dang R19. (I mean Gloria Upson.) You said the top drawer line I was going to use. Though, I must say that backward books are ghastly.

by Anonymous

reply 37

May 19, 2018 10:32 PM

Please. For any of the chimp fetuses under 30 and most of the other embarrassments over 30, books are merely a decorative item anyway.

I'd throw a match into them after a spritz of cooking oil.

by Anonymous

reply 38

May 19, 2018 10:37 PM

I went on a designer house tour in my town several years ago and they did this---all the books turned around in the study that had floor to ceiling mahogany book shelves on three walls.. The person hosting said the designer who decorated that room turned them because the room was so dark with all the spines (mostly dark colors) facing forward. It was so silly though. Every person who entered the room asked the host the same question---"what's up with the books"? It distracted from everything else the designer did in that room.

by Anonymous

reply 39

May 19, 2018 10:46 PM

I understand it - but it’s lazy. It is really hard to coordinate book colors and sizes. But that is the job fool. This is stupid and lazy.

by Anonymous

reply 40

May 19, 2018 11:01 PM

Dust and paper mite collectors.

by Anonymous

reply 41

May 20, 2018 1:41 AM

Domino featured books piled into non-functioning fireplaces - all with spines to the wall.

That was 2007 or 2008

by Anonymous

reply 42

May 20, 2018 1:50 AM

It doesn't look good. It looks stupid. It looks like hoarders.

by Anonymous

reply 43

May 20, 2018 1:54 AM

If the different spine colors bother you that much you could cover the books in white or brown paper and write the name on the covered spine, if you’re really OCD about it you could do them all in printed labels or fancy copperplate or something.

I love books but they take up so much space I need to be strict with myself about sending them off to the charity shop once or twice a year. I keep some I can’t bear to part with but I wouldn’t dream of wasting time covering them up.

by Anonymous

reply 44

May 20, 2018 2:03 AM

R31, Upright magazine holders work well--each holds about 8-10 issues. You can then put them on bookshelves. I like the ones covered in book cloth, but there are a lot of choices.

by Anonymous

reply 45

May 20, 2018 2:04 AM

This doesn't make sense. How do you find a book that you want to read then? Do you pulll them all out one by one until you find the right one? Stupid.

by Anonymous

reply 46

May 20, 2018 2:23 AM

Just place them neatly in a bookshelf

Offsite Link

by Anonymous

reply 49

May 20, 2018 4:18 PM

This is to hide those Reader’s Digest classics that you were stupid enough to buy

by Anonymous

reply 50

May 20, 2018 11:21 PM