When you’re searching for a definitive “best of” list, especially relating to music, you probably search for it on YouTube or streaming services like Spotify or Apple Music. You don’t really look for a book to read since it’s missing the multimedia aspect that comes with most of these lists. But if it’s a very pretty, limited edition coffee table book, you probably might consider getting that instead.
Designer: Apple Music
That’s what Apple Music is hoping for with the release of Apple Music: 100 Best Albums, a companion to the list that they have previously published online. The list was compiled by their team of experts together with some artists like Pharrell Williams, Charli XCX, J Balvin, and Maren Morris. You can own this list presented in a minimalist but expensive looking book that you can display at home for bragging rights. Actually reading it is another thing of course.
The book has the album cover on one side and then the liner notes and in-depth analysis on the other side. It has a custom-designed translucent acrylic slipcase with the Apple Music logo etched on it. It has a linen hardcover debossed with the logo and the edge of the pages are golden gilded. The back of the case has the edition number and inside you have the hand-numbered ex libris.
The reason for the numbers indicated is that there will only be 1,500 pcs produced so they emphasize the limited nature of this item. That’s also the reason why the price tag for this coffee table book is pretty expensive. It is now available for pre-order for those willing to shell out $450 for it. I will probably stick to reading the list online and streaming it on my music service of choice.
One of the things I make sure when I go out of the house is that I have a book with me, in case of “reading emergencies”. Most of the time though I just stick it inside my bag since my bag is usually big enough to hold multitudes. But for those who don’t usually carry bags big enough to hold a book or two, an alternative to just carrying around that book should be available.
Designers: MAEKAN x DSPTCH
The MAEKAN x DSPTCH Book Strap is that option for those who still want to carry around books or those who want their reading material to be on display. It is big, or rather, long enough to hold things like books, magazines, and even tablets and laptops. It is one way to “show off” that you still read printed media or at least carry them around in case you need to read one.
The book strap is made from a herringbone seatbelt webbing that is around 1″ long and mil-spec webbing. The elastic horizontal strap can be stretched to accommodate whatever it is that you’ll be carrying while the two vertical straps are adjustable. You can place the items in it and then adjust to secure. It is able to carry items between 8 and 16 inches. It is an exposed strap design so you have to make sure that you secure the items by adjusting according to what you’ll place “inside”. But you can also use it for a book bag that doesn’t have straps, in case you don’t want it to be that exposed.
As someone who has a lot of small things inside my bag along with books and my gadgets, the original design for this will definitely not work for me. I might also be paranoid that something will fall out although it seems like it’s designed for that not to happen. But it will definitely appeal to a certain segment of the reading market.
The word that perfectly defines me, and is a major part of my identity is ‘Bibliophile’. I’m a bibliophile through and through! Give me a good book, and I’ll be tucked away in a corner with it for hours on end, completely detached from reality and immersed in the fictional world. My love for books means I own a lot of them, and I love coming across functional and adorable products that make my reading experience smoother and more fun. We’ve curated a collection of clever and must-have products that every bibliophile needs in their arsenal. From a transparent bookmark that holds your book open for you at all times, to a nifty reading light you can clip onto your book – these fun yet functional products will improve your reading experience by manifolds.
1. Bookish Bookmark
This ingenious little design is called the Bookish Bookmark, and it provides you with a smooth and hands-free reading session, ensuring your book stays open while you read it. You don’t need to adopt any uncomfortable workarounds to keep your book open while reading or performing other tasks while doing so. It has a clear transparent design, making it great for those who follow cookbooks while preparing meals.
If you’re a true blue bibliophile, and you like to display your books at home, then the Bookish Bookmark is the product for you. You can keep your book open, adding an aesthetically pleasing element to your desk, coffee table, or bookshelf on account of its transparent design.
What we like
Lets you showcase your beloved books in an organized and attractive style
What we dislike
The bookmark seems to be too large for small books and isn’t an ideal option for those who like small and subtle bookmarks
2. Japanese Lantern Candle
If you like spending your evenings curled up with your favorite book in the warm light of a candle, then you may want to consider purchasing the Japanese Lantern Candle. This beautiful little candle is inspired by the Japanese ‘chouchin’ lantern, and it offers some soft yet generous illumination to your reading sessions.
The Japanese Lantern Candle draws inspiration from the iconic Japanese lantern design. The age-old lantern was modernized, creating a surreal lighting solution with a calming glow. The product is handcrafted by artisans in Kurashiki, Japan, making it a veritable collectible.
What we like
The outer wax doesn’t melt too fast, creating a clear body on the lantern candle
What we dislike
The candle does have an open flame, so make sure you don’t place your books too close to it, for fear of catching fire
3. Bowie 2.0
Every book lover needs a trustworthy and dependable reading light, and I do swear by Bowie 2.0. This clever reading light not only offers illumination to the pages of your book but the room as well. The light looks like a leather fashion accessory, that you can easily clip onto the left and right sides of your book cover.
Why is it noteworthy?
The light’s strap features LEDs, which offer a soft and warm glow, that is powerful enough to let you read in the dark. The strap illuminates the pages with a warm LED light, allowing you to read easily and peacefully. You can turn the pages and move about without the light causing any issues.
What we like
Equipped with touch-sensitive brightness settings, that let you adjust the LED brightness
What we dislike
Some people may find it inconvenient and annoying to hold a book with a clipped-on reading light
4. The Ptolomeo Bookshelf
Created by Bruno Rainaldi, the Ptolomeo Bookshelf is a beautiful ode to books, and the people who love to read. The bookshelf is designed especially for bibliophiles, serving as a rejuvenated and refreshing variant of the traditional bookshelf. The revamped design converts an everyday bookshelf into a fascinating design object, bordering on an art piece.
Why is it noteworthy?
The bookshelf is freestanding, amped by a clean and minimal form, which disappears or becomes ‘invisible’ as you fill it up with books! Ptolomeo’s thin and narrow shelves seem to vanish once you place books in them. The mesmerizing piece creates the impression of a stack of books floating in the air.
What we like
The bookshelf seems to “mock the law of gravity”, creating a playful illusion
Functional and sturdy furniture piece, plus amped with good aesthetics
What we dislike
It is a large and space-consuming piece, not well-suited for smaller homes
5. Reference Bookend
Designed by Henry Julier, the Reference is a minimal and classy bookend, designed for those who love to showcase their favorite books. The bookend was created to be a problem-solving tool, facilitating greater connections between the product, and the people who use it. The bookend features a round top flange offering users enough material to hold onto while adding books and adjusting it.
Why is it noteworthy?
Light bookends are tough to adjust with heavy books, hence the Reference was created to function as a sturdy, heavy, and stiff sheet steel bookend that doesn’t need downward pressure to firmly hold onto the books. The Reference Bookend is also quite easy to pick up and put down as and when needed, owing to its unique form.
What we like
The sturdy form that holds the books without any external pressure or support
What we dislike
The aesthetics of the bookend are pretty somber and sober, and may not appeal to everyone’s tastes
Flowers are things of beauty, whether it’s a single stem or a dozen heads. They have a naturally enchanting appearance that almost makes them feel like they come from a different world, one that’s filled with color, magic, and dreams. Those are the things that fairy tales are made of, so it’s not surprising that flowers often play an important role in these literally fantastic stories, even if just to create that mystical atmosphere. It may just be fiction, but you can bring a bit of that magic to your home with this elegant book that transforms into an enchanting pop-up vase that makes it look like your flowers are magically growing from the book, creating an atmosphere of awe and wonder at every turn of the page.
A vase is traditionally made of glass, ceramic, clay, or even plastic, basically any rigid material that creates a stable vessel for flowers to stand in. These are also naturally water-resistant since the plants will need water to survive longer. The last thing you’d expect is for a vase to be made out of paper, let alone one that pops out from a book like one of those kids’ fairy tale books, but that’s exactly the enchanting story that this Flowery Tale vase wants to tell.
When you turn over the cover, you’re immediately greeted by a 3D silhouette of a vase cut out from the pages of the book. Turn the page and you’ll behold yet another vase design, equally graceful and beautiful as the first. A third design awaits you on another page, giving you the power to choose how you’d like the day’s floral arrangement to be. Even better, you can turn the book upside and it will still work as a proper vase, which means you have six possible variations to choose from.
The magic behind it is actually the glass tube that you insert into the spine of the book to hold the flower and the bit of water to keep the plant alive for a few more days. The tube can be inserted right side up or upside down and it will work just fine. All vase designs, however, have a narrow silhouette on the “top” and a larger shape at the “bottom,” so you can choose which side to use depending on the volume of the flowers you intend to place.
The pages of the book are made from 100% natural pulp paper, but you don’t have to fret about accidentally splashing it with water thanks to the “OK Rain Guard” water-resistant coating applied to the material. Whether you want to highlight a single flower or impress with a bouquet, this creative Pop-up Book Vase will set the perfect stage for your design and the epic story that is your life.
Reading is already a difficult task for people with visual impairments, but it’s especially challenging when it comes to material that involves a lot of visual elements. Adults might have not much of a problem visualizing those words in their minds, but children who are still developing their mental libraries will probably have a harder time. Fairy tales and fictional books with fantasy elements are examples of these highly visual materials, and simply hearing the narration or feeling the words through Braille feels rather insufficient to capture the emotions and magic of the stories. This electronic book concept tries to offer an equally magical experience that makes the objects and scenes pop out from the book, almost literally.
Designers: Subin Kim, Yujeong Shin, Seungyeon Lee
It’s pretty amazing how blind and visually impaired people can read a book while sliding their hands across seemingly random dots, almost like magic. But the text on a page doesn’t exactly show the images associated with the words, relying on your imagination to conjure up those associations mentally. Of course, that comes almost like second nature for those with normal eyesight, but the visually impaired, especially younger ones, need a bigger boost to help match words with shapes and objects.
bbook is a concept for an electronic 3D book that provides all the necessary tools for a child with visual impairments to not only make sense of but also enjoy such fantastical books. It has an audio component that reads the book out loud, with large tactile buttons that let the reader skip forward or backward as desired. There’s also a dynamic Braille “page” where dots rise and sink as the words change.
The most interesting part of the book, however, is the fabric-like material on the opposite page. This soft material would also rise to create bumps but not as words in Braille but as actual three-dimensional objects related to the story being told. It could be Snow White’s apple, Cinderella’s glass slipper, or the wolf in Little Red Riding Hood. In addition to the educational value of this feature, it also helps make the story feel even more magical.
Every part of the 3D book was designed so that a visually impaired individual could use it without assistance. Even the charging indicators are elevating dots rather than LEDs so they can feel how much more time it needs. bbook also has a rather interesting feature where each individual story is inserted into the device like a USB stick, making each tale a memorable and magical experience.
Sitting atop your book sort of like a halo, the Bowio 2.0 is a genius reading light that illuminates your pages and not your entire room. The light, styled like a leather fashion accessory, clips onto the left and right sides of your book cover, while LEDs built into its strap cast a soft glow that’s powerful enough to let you read in the pitch dark.
In an era dominated by OLED displays, it’s refreshing to see a book-light like the Bowio make the kind of impact it’s making. Now in its second edition, the Bowio 2.0 builds upon the success of its predecessor which raised over half a million dollars from 7000 backers back in 2021. The world’s most funded book light is back for round two, with a few improvements to its design, craftsmanship, and functionality.
The format of the Bowio 2.0 remains unchanged for the sole reason that it works so brilliantly. Sitting on your book like a golden arch, the Bowio 2.0 shines warm LED lights at your pages, allowing you to read, turn pages, and move around without having the light cause you or anyone discomfort. The Bowio 2.0 clips onto each end of your book (and is long enough to fit larger books or even board games like DnD), with multiple LEDs that cast a warm diffused glow that doesn’t cause any shadows, helping you read clearly. It attaches directly to your book, unlike other body-worn reading lights, which means you can adjust yourself without worrying about the light’s orientation going askew, and like its predecessor, the Bowio 2.0 has touch-sensitive brightness settings built in that let you adjust the LED brightness to suit your needs.
Bowio GameLight is specifically designed for Game Masters, it fits seamlessly with both carton and wooden screens.
Craftsmanship is one of Bowio 2.0’s highlights, with varieties spanning both vegan and genuine leather options. No matter which material you pick, the Bowio’s stitching and edge-finishing are impeccable, and the leather has just the right amount of stiffness to hold its shape no matter how you use it. Metal buckles on both ends separate the LED strip from the Bowio 2.0’s magnetic clip, and N52 neodymium magnets in the clips on each side help the Bowio 2.0 firmly grasp onto both paperback and hardbound books. High CRI LEDs offer better color rendering than regular LEDs, and draw power from a battery pack that gives it up to 95 hours (depending on the brightness setting) of use on a full charge. You can run your Bowio on 1.5V rechargeable batteries, charging them through a built-in USB-C port, or use disposable AAA batteries that are more readily available.
The Bowio 2.0 campaign is seeing a pretty good response right off the bat, which gives me hope for a human race that still prefers offline entertainment like reading and gaming (it even got an Honorable Mention at the 2023 LIT Lighting Design Awards). The self-proclaimed book light attaches onto board games too, allowing you to play in dimly lit environments, and each Bowio 2.0 ships with a tabletop standing accessory if you opt for its ‘Gamer’ edition. For the avid bookworm, the Bowio 2.0 is available in pastel or colorful vegan leather editions, along with an Alcantara synthetic leather variant. However, if you’re looking for something more au naturel, you’ve got variants made from cowhide in regular, suede, and even textured variants to resemble snake or croc leather… and finally a 24K gold gilded leather book light for elite bookworms. Each Bowio 2.0 comes packaged in a classy plastic-free kraft carton box that can easily be composted/recycled, and ships globally.
Books have long been a source of knowledge, escape, and self-expression for people from all walks of life. The genres we read often reflect our tastes and interests, allowing us to showcase our individuality. However, in today’s fast-paced world, reading can sometimes feel like a daunting task, akin to homework. To bridge the gap between our love for books and our busy lives, the ORDO Book Side Table was created, providing a unique and functional solution to help us embrace reading more effortlessly.
The ORDO Book Side Table is more than just a piece of furniture; it’s a statement of personal style and a reflection of your literary preferences. In a world where the average person reads only 5-6 books per year, this innovative table allows you to display your favorite reads proudly. With six book boards incorporated into the design, you can curate a selection that suits your taste and personality.
Reading should be an enjoyable experience, not a chore. The ORDO Book Side Table acknowledges the weight of books, both literally and figuratively. Its unique feature of providing a space for hanging books on the side table allows you to experience reading more lightly, much like clothes hanging on a dryer rack. This innovative design not only makes your books easily accessible but also adds an artistic touch to your living space.
Furthermore, the table’s “Resting Part” offers a convenient spot to save your place in the book you’re reading. This thoughtful addition ensures that your reading materials are always within arm’s reach, making your reading experience even more enjoyable.
The marriage of straight lines and curves in its design forms a harmonious aesthetic, blending seamlessly into various interior styles. Whether your home boasts a modern, minimalist decor or a more classic ambiance, the ORDO Book Side Table effortlessly complements any environment. The ORDO Book Side Table is designed with versatility in mind. Its rotation capability enables you to switch between two types: Type 1, measuring 600x360x350 mm, and Type 2, with dimensions of 500x360x500 mm. This adaptability allows you to customize the table’s height according to your environment and preferences, ensuring it seamlessly fits into any room.
The creation of ORDO involved a meticulous design process. Beginning with conceptualization and sketching, it progressed to the development of prototypes to ensure structural integrity and the proper sizing of components. The materials chosen, including MDF, stainless steel pipes, and steel book racks, were carefully selected to provide durability while maintaining a lightweight appearance.
After production through various companies in Euljiro, meticulous sanding and painting work were carried out to create a final product that exudes quality and craftsmanship. The result is a piece of furniture that not only serves a practical purpose but also enhances the aesthetic appeal of your living space.
In a world where the demands of modern life can often overshadow our love for reading, the ORDO Book Side Table rekindles our passion for books. Its innovative design allows us to express our individuality, making our book collections an integral part of our living space. With its practical features and adaptability, this piece of furniture not only makes reading more accessible but also elevates the overall aesthetics of our homes. In a world where life is undoubtedly better with books, the ORDO Book Side Table makes that life even more enjoyable.
One problem that never seems to leave us, especially if you’re living in a major city – is the lack of space! If you’re an independent millennial who recently moved out of their family home and into their own, then a major issue that you may be dealing with almost every day…is space constraints in your own home. Our modern millennial homes have many virtues, but one thing they lack is space! Space constraint is something most of us end up dealing with every day. Smart storage solutions can be lifesavers in such tricky and compact situations. And one such well-designed storage solution is the Ptolomeo Bookshelf.
Bruno Rainaldi designed the Ptolomeo Bookshelf as a tribute to books, and the people who love to read them! Designed, especially for bibliophiles, the Ptolomeo Bookshelf is a revamped and rejuvenated version of a traditional bookshelf. It transforms an ordinary bookshelf into an intriguing design object. Ptolomeo is a freestanding bookcase with a clean and minimal structure that becomes ‘invisible’ once you fill it up with books!
Ptolomeo features rather thin and narrow shelves that disappear from sight once you line them with books. It literally creates an illusion of a stack of books floating in the air! The shelf was designed by Rainaldi as an ode to homes where books are collected, cherished and prized, and stacked together so high that “they seem to mock the law of gravity”. Not only does Ptolomeo provide a stable structure, but it also allows users to enjoy the aesthetics of such a unique and innovative bookcase.
The Ptolomeo Bookshelf has been crafted using stainless steel and can be finished off in options of black or white lacquer, or the Corten effect. The bookcase is available in three sizes, and you can even add an extra shelf accessory to hold your magazines or large-format books and novels. Quite interestingly, the bookshelf is named after Ptolemy I Soter – the Greek general who founded the library of Alexandria. If you’re a bibliophile whose looking for the ultimate bookshelf to display and showcase your prized books, then the Ptolomeo Bookshelf is the furniture piece for you!
A bookshelf is an excellent way to enhance a space, however, it can be a rather straightforward and boring one too. Bookshelves when imagined and designed as part of a room aren’t given much importance or imparted with any exceptional qualities. At first glance, a bookshelf’s main function is to organize and declutter your space and provide a pleasant backdrop for your room. But what if you were to re-imagine this furniture piece, transforming it into an avant-garde style statement, rather than just a bunch of wooden shelves attached to a wall? Well, that’s exactly what Deniz Aktay did with Hullabaloo.
The Hullabaloo is a stand-alone bookshelf that twists and turns in an eclipsing fashion. It’s built by arranging four cuboidal quadrants and twisting them, in order to create a full circle. Aktay calls it ‘a double bent Möbius strip’. In order to make it functional, and a great storage solution, he had to open each quadrant on one side, to create two similar quadrants. A translucent back provides the design with a captivating sense of mystery, in turn motivating you to walk around the piece to get a better look at it.
We often hear the saying that ‘form follows function’. In this case, the function is fit into the form to create this spectacular furniture design, that seems more like a sculpture. The best part is that the shape doesn’t reveal itself in one glance, it takes you multiple glances from various angles to get a holistic idea and proper understanding of the piece. The aesthetics of the Hullabaloo have been given ample attention and then the function has been effortlessly yet carefully tucked into the spiraling quadrants.
The Hullabaloo is great for spacious spaces that have enough area to hold and host such a significant piece. It could function as a centerpiece or focal point of such a space, allowing you to walk around it and truly take in its form and striking aesthetics. However, if you’re someone who resides in a smaller space or tiny home, then the Hullabaloo may not be the best option for your living space.
Bookmarks are great for those times you need to put a book aside for a while to do other things. There are even quite a few designs available for these, from simple cards to decorative fixtures or even multi-functional night lamps. But when you want to keep your book open just to reach for a drink or a snack, however, bookmarks can’t do squat. Especially if you actually want to keep on reading the open book. Fortunately, the solution doesn’t require sophisticated designs or complicated mechanics. All you need is some outside-the-box thinking and put a book on a book, just like this rather unconventional acrylic bookmark that, oddly enough, also looks like a book.
Designer: TENT
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There are admittedly a few bookmarks made from clear acrylic, but those run in the more common design of rectangular pieces meant to be inserted in between pages. There are some that are pretty much paperweights to hold a page down, but their design doesn’t really make that convenient or elegant. You might as well just put weights on every corner of the book to keep it open.
The moment you take a look at Book on Book, you know it’s not your average bookmark. It looks like more than just a regular book but an open book at that, a true page-turner if there ever was one. Sure, it won’t lay nicely flat on a desk if you place it there unused, but that’s definitely not what it was designed for anyway. This bookish bookmark is supposed to sit on your book and keep it open so that you can have your tea (or preferred drink) and keep on reading calmly.
The acrylic bookmark’s unique shape ensures that the book not only stays open but also in its natural curved form. It has enough weight at 220g to make that happen, but it doesn’t force the book to lie flat and damage its binding in the process. It’s the perfect way to keep the book open while you use both your hands for other things, like snacking, sewing, or cooking.
Of course, the “bookception’s” transparent body makes it possible to read the text underneath. Its size is perfect for covering a pocketbook from end to end, but it can be used for larger books as well. If it can cover the entire page, it can also protect the page from, say, oil smudges or crumbs. Now you have the perfect way to keep that cookbook open while you toil in the kitchen over a recipe.
There’s no denying that this open bookmark, despite its simple shape, is also a thing of beauty, like a mystical crystal tome that almost deserves to be enthroned on a shelf like any other book. You can definitely do that, but that would deny it its true purpose, a purpose that encourages you never to stop reading, even when your hands are busy with something else.
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