Karl Lagerfeld Has Arranged His Floor-to-Ceiling Library Sideways

Iconic fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld does things differently than the rest of us–even with something as ordinary as a bookshelf. The creative director of Fendi and Chanel has a massive collection of publications that stack from the floor to the ceiling. Although we've previously seen some impressive solutions for displaying a large library, Lagerfeld manages to be unconventional without overthinking it: he simply stacks the hundreds of books horizontally rather than vertically.

Lagerfeld's rows and rows of books line the walls of his home, requiring a catwalk to access the upper parts of the stacks. Because of their landscape orientation, he doesn't have to tilt his head to read the titles, meaning he can breeze towards the book that he really wants.

The horizontal piling looks dramatic, especially paired with the minimalist decor and modern furniture. It does, however, present a logistical issue: if Lagerfeld wants a book on the bottom of the stack, he has to pull it out against the weight of what's on top. This minor inconvenience, however, seems like a small price to pay for an awe-inspiring arrangement.

Karl Lagerfeld: Website
via [The Khool, Core77]

Photography by Piotr Stoklosa.

Sara Barnes

Sara Barnes is a Staff Editor at My Modern Met, Manager of My Modern Met Store, and co-host of the My Modern Met Top Artist Podcast. As an illustrator and writer living in Seattle, she chronicles illustration, embroidery, and beyond through her blog Brown Paper Bag and Instagram @brwnpaperbag. She wrote a book about embroidery artist Sarah K. Benning titled 'Embroidered Life' that was published by Chronicle Books in 2019. Sara is a graduate of the Maryland Institute College of Art. She earned her BFA in Illustration in 2008 and MFA in Illustration Practice in 2013.
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