{"id":185418,"date":"2025-06-15T04:00:14","date_gmt":"2025-06-15T04:00:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/185418\/"},"modified":"2025-06-15T04:00:14","modified_gmt":"2025-06-15T04:00:14","slug":"wealthy-families-desperate-to-fill-shelves-so-they-appear-well-read-are-snapping-up-books-by-the-metre","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/185418\/","title":{"rendered":"Wealthy families desperate to fill shelves so they appear well-read are snapping up books by the metre"},"content":{"rendered":"

By ROSIE TAYLOR <\/p>\n

Published: 19:31 EDT, 14 June 2025 | Updated: 19:57 EDT, 14 June 2025 <\/p>\n

Bookshelves in luxury homes are being filled with envy-inspiring collections \u2013 which will never be read by their owners.<\/p>\n

Specialist wholesalers have long sold books intended only for decorative purposes to hotel chains and film set designers.\u00a0<\/p>\n

But these companies have seen a growing trend in wealthy homeowners buying vintage and award-winning books by the metre in a bid to make their homes look more sophisticated.<\/p>\n

Experts say a well-stocked bookcase<\/a> has become a symbol of a \u2018luxury lifestyle\u2019 and being well-educated. It comes amid a growing trend driven by social media, with 11.8 million posts across Instagram and TikTok<\/a> under the hashtag #bookshelf.<\/p>\n

Lauren Giles, founder of Curated Books, told The Mail on Sunday: \u2018So few of us have time to read any more, so having a well-stocked bookshelf has become a way of signalling that you have the luxury of time.\u00a0<\/p>\n

‘It\u2019s an indicator of a high-end lifestyle<\/a>, as well as giving people credibility and making them appear intellectual.\u2019<\/p>\n

Her business, based in West Sussex, sells everything from vintage Pelican paperbacks for \u00a379 per metre, to antique leather-bound tomes costing between \u00a3330 and \u00a3990 per metre.\u00a0<\/p>\n

She has seen a \u2018huge shift\u2019 and now around a third of her customers are interior designers working for private buyers, including celebrities and MPs.<\/p>\n

\"Bookshelves <\/p>\n

Bookshelves in luxury homes are being filled with envy-inspiring collections \u2013 which will never be read by their owners<\/p>\n

\"Lauren <\/p>\n

Lauren Giles, founder of Curated Books, told The Mail on Sunday:\u00a0‘It\u2019s an indicator of a high-end lifestyle, as well as giving people credibility and making them appear intellectual\u2019<\/p>\n

Ms Giles said: \u2018Only about 5 per cent of my clients are actually interested in reading the books. For most people, it\u2019s about the aesthetics or to help create a good impression.\u2019<\/p>\n

Sue Williams, co-founder of London-based Books By Metre, has also seen a rise in requests.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Her company covers old books with new dust jackets to match a colour scheme.\u00a0<\/p>\n

She said: \u2018More people like the idea of having lots of books around. But it\u2019s about filling the shelves to match a scheme, usually [our customers] are not intending to read them.\u2019<\/p>\n

Interior design lecturer Hannah Soulsby, who founded design firm Anima & Amare, regularly buys books to improve the aesthetics of a room.<\/p>\n

Ms Soulsby said: \u2018Being able to buy a bulk load of books that match a specific colour scheme makes life much easier.<\/p>\n

\u2018Only you and the [home] owner know the books aren\u2019t going to be read, but when people walk into the room they are pleasantly surprised because books make a space look much more aesthetically pleasing.\u2019<\/p>\n

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