I am paper obsessed mostly drawn to vintage paper. Much of personal artwork is intertwined with framed illustrations from old books. And my love of books goes beyond the story they hold to the cover, binding, and the paper the pages are made from, especially the end sheets. I am fascinated by the colors created by the art of Suminagashi "floating ink" first used in Japan for bookbinding in the 12th Century, brought to Germany in the 17th century and then to Italy.
A trip to Paris many years ago found me looking for the "secrets" of the city of lights. Don't get me wrong, I didn't miss the must-sees and yes, I stood at the top of the Effiel Tower feeling surreal and reminding myself that I was indeed standing in this infamous place so drink it all in and commit it to memory. I still remember the hazy and chilly day and how awestruck I found it.
On this trip to Paris the most special memory was riding the subway to discover a Paris flea market. And the treasure I brought back from that market were two leather bound books with the most beautifully designed bookbinding. Ironically both books were published in London; The Poetical Works by S. T. Coleridge and Westward Ho! by Charles Kingsley, but it wasn't the titles of these books that had me giving them a plane ride back home. It was the beauty of them. Imagining the bookmaker handmaking the marbleized end sheets, hand tooling and etching the leather covers, sewing the pages, gluing and pressing it all into a stunning package.
The obsession of bookbinding paper for me comes from the history of the process that creates this beauty. Payhembury Marbled Papers specializes in these old patterns and describes using floating water-based paints in a gelatinous sizing that is created by boiling carragheen seaweed.
I am loving this captured art not only in books and journals, but also in design elements for the home. How beautiful to discover inspirational takes on bookbinding in fabric, art, wallpaper, accessory pieces, lighting and more.
The ceiling design in the above image took me directly to bookbinding marble paper. The elaborate moulding is a must for this reference and the reflection in the mirror of this pattern is pure joy.
The colors of the book pages form are an inspiration that rivals any common paint deck. A stack of these books is a designer's dream to curate inspiration from. Imagine the palette of color, fabric, texture and accessorizing that can come from this! Even taking the book pages literally and creating a custom paint technique that hints at blocks of bookbinding. Just stop now!
And this design inspiration isn't just for the traditionalist. Design styles are often put into boxes along with the persons who like a particular style are put in the same confines. I find this to be a hinderance to the most well-designed spaces. We've all heard it - inspiration can come from anywhere. Then why prevent that from being the case when designing a plan? We have all been tempted to shop a particular vendor, look only in a particular place, limit design research to a certain lighting source, and reference other designers works in a designated style all based on our or our clients' style. In doing so, we have diminished the potential that a great space is giving us.
If we believe that inspiration can be found anywhere (and I truly do believe that) than we must take down the barriers of departmentalizing interior design styles. Step into your dirty little secret of rebellion - we all have it. Ours is not to mimic style or let others define style - ours is to see something and be inspired to place it in uncharacteristic places because when that happens things are seen in a fresh light. This is not disrespectful of the original creator's intent, even if history hasn't documented what the truly was. Taking something of inspiration and using it to fit into yours or your clients' style is honoring that creator or history. Don't think vintage or historic means stuffy or stodgy, both are the furthest from the truth.
Modern art like Alexander Calder and Joan Miro can be my interpretation of bookbinding obsession, it may not be yours and it probably wasn't at all what these artists had in mind or what the designer of this space had in mind, but it still remains mine. My inspiration when I look at these works.
The designer of the velvet fabric on this fab screen may not have been drawing inspiration from bookbinding but it can be my story when I see this photograph and my story that I add to a design plan. We all interpret differently and are inspired differently. We need to hold onto and be proud to show those interpretative convictions.
It is important to our souls to find out the inspiration or interpretation of a creator's product - art or fabric or poem or book or sculpture - even it doesn't match ours. Its food that feeds our creative well-being. The search for inspiration and meaning is a necessity for the creative, it is our foraging. Our design plan needs to have a story, a reason - every piece that finds itself in our plan has a purpose - nothing chosen for a space without it. This doesn't mean it needs to be the original intent of that item.
Our inspiration search feeds our creative soul although sometimes we leave morsels on the plate. Remembering those morsels left behind, dropped on the "forest" floor while foraging for inspiration haunts us. It happens to me. Things I discover and leave behind because in the moment I don't know how I would apply the find to a design plan (for my own home most often). And then I find myself including them in my musings of my blog posts and searching in hopes of discovering them again. Most call this antiquing, thrifting, spending a lazy Sunday afternoon.
My musings about my paper bookbinding obsession may have started in Paris, but it continues. A few years ago, I found myself rummaging through an old warehouse for treasures (always with creaky wood floors for some reason) only to discover (while digging) a flat box holding stacks of paper. Paper obsessed me gasped for breath. . . and then carefully dug in with a slow reverence for the treasure before me, quietly so that no one else knew what I had just found. After all I didn't want to share. Sheet after sheet of bookbinding was piled in this box and if that wasn't enough, under it all I found these delicate sheets of transferware patterns some cut and some full sheets. Of course, it would be obvious that I picked up the box and headed straight to pay. I didn't - a life regret - I left the entire box behind because I didn't have a clue what I would do with it all. Ugh! So, I muse...
I have framed a collection of some of the quirkiest vintage paper I have found. Why didn't I think about using that box of bookbinding paper as a background for intaglios? Do I have any intaglios? No. But still.
According to Brene Brown, a perfectionist is most worried about judgment. They have a big fear of being judged negatively by others and that is why they place such pressure on themselves to get things “perfect”. I love that even when a well-worn book loses its cover it isn't without merit - the inspiration from its pages (especially the bookbinding pages) remains for those who notice.
Take a suggestion from me - when you see, hear or read something that inspires you - buy it, write it down, highlight it, reference it. Do whatever it takes to add it to your library so you can recall it. Things like this come into our lives for a reason. Honor them by safe keeping them for that moment. Whether it will be for us or to share somewhere down the road.
What will your ex libris show? Be inspired!
Sources: Lee Jofa, Frederic Magazine, Payhembury Marbled Papers, Kate Brett, Summerhill & Bishop, Wikimedia Foundation, Alexa Hampton, Sarah Bartholomew Design, One Kindesign, Anthropolgie, Susi Bellamy, Timorous Beasties, Architectural Digest, Pinterest
