Read for FilthA judgment on your bookshelves.
( 1 ) In 2023, a study by the UK’s National Literacy Trust found that one in eight children who were receiving free school meals said that they did not own a book of their own. This is an increase since 2022, when one in 10 said the same.
On TikTok, #BookshelfWealth is in the running to be the most talked-about interior design trend of 2024. Contrary to what the hashtag might suggest, the aesthetic goes beyond simply having lots of books. Bookshelf-wealthy homes are comfortable and lived in: As well as a carefully curated and—crucially—read, collection of books, they typically feature expensive built-in bookshelves, art (often hung in front of the books) and sculptures and ceramics acquired on trips abroad.
But TikTok users were not the first to extol the virtue of books in interior design. Grand libraries have been a staple of English stately homes for centuries, dating to a time when merely owning books (never mind having the education and the leisure to enjoy and make use of them) was itself a marker of social class.
Still, the trend seems to have taken root: At the time of writing, one book-forward video from interior designer Kailee Blalock has 1.4 million views. Which begs the question: What, if anything, does a well-presented collection of books say about their owners today?
( 1 ) In 2023, a study by the UK’s National Literacy Trust found that one in eight children who were receiving free school meals said that they did not own a book of their own. This is an increase since 2022, when one in 10 said the same.
