Every time you flip a page of a book (regardless of its content) you are accosted by a scent that refuses to fade away.

It may be the mustiness of a yellowing page, freshness of mown sides or potent helpings of glue and ink but every page and book has it’s own distinct fragrance. Just like that, it also has its own personality, which shines best when it’s in the hands of its owner.

Whether the book is stacked neatly in a bookshelf, strewn across a table or lying on the ground, it has a story to tell. But this story is always fluid. There was once a time when books sat cloistered in unimaginative and on the whole, utilitarian shelves that only worked to diminish their beauty. But now, people are unabashed about the books they own and want to scream their titles to the world. With this comes an influx of creative thought that makes owning a book an art — much like flower arrangements, every aspect of the showcase matters, including the bookshelf.

Alifia Shabbir, who owns a start-up called ‘Designmint’, works on innovative home decor items, including bookshelves. Maintaining a minimalist theme, she creates shelves that are not only utilitarian but also bring out the best aesthetics. “The shelves I make are from metal and some of them are upcycled from scraps. The idea behind ‘Designmint’ is to create something unique, one-of-a-kind, so that people relate to their home decor,” she says.

Relating to the shelves has become increasingly important as they (along with the books) reflect one’s personality. Says Rohith Subramanian, founder of ‘Fundmydreams’, “When I moved houses, what happened was that all my clothes and other items fit into one bag but I needed a car to fit all my books in. In the new house, I kept these books stacked on the floor for a while but that didn’t work out because my help would grumble each time she swept the room. This is when I decided to get a bookshelf.” After failing to find a good shelf on online stores, he decided to make one of his own. “The ones I found were expensive so I bought some wood, hired a carpenter and made one myself. I’m different from normal ‘jantha’ and your regular, rectangular shelves don’t reflect my personality and who I am,” he adds. The outcome was a large shelf in the shape of a ‘V’, inspired by ‘V for Vendetta’.

Elaborating on his idea, Rohith says, “I love the movie and comic. The idea of standing up for what you want inspires me.” When Maitri Vasudev, a student, was renovating her house, she decided to get a bookshelf that represents her more accurately. “Before, we had a shelf built in the wall with granite slabs and wooden doors. There was nothing unique about it. When we decided to renovate the house, I thought I’d get something different. Now, I have a marble designed back board with nothing but thin slabs of glass to hold the books. I wanted textured material but that was too expensive,” she says.

While open shelves could be a bot tiresome to maintain, it’s nothing people can’t handle. “I love to dust so I don’t mind cleaning the shelf every week. I’d rather people see my collection and borrow them if they like something. Yes, there is a possibility that I might never get the book back (it’s happened before) but I don’t mind that,” says Maitri. Proud of her book collection, she mentions that displaying the books is just as important as owning them.

Alifia, who likes minimal artwork, designs shelves in geometric shapes. She also custom-makes them for the customer. So, whether it’s an invisible shelf, equilibrium shelf, ones made from pipes or in patterns that you like best, there is always space to get creative. “Though these shelves can’t hold as many books as the traditional ones, they look good and brighten up the house. People can opt to rotate their books on these stands,” she says.

source:  http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> Supplements> MetroLife / by Ananya Revanna / DHNS , November 18th, 2015