Bookshelf wealth, the current decor trend on TikTok

When it comes to aesthetic trends, social media loves catchy names.

Cottagecore. dark academia. Eclectic grandpa.

These days, a new name is added to the list: Bookshelf wealth.

On TikTok and other digital platforms, there has been a lot of talk lately about people who own a large number of books and – this is essential – manage to present them in an enjoyable way.

If you’ve ever seen a Nancy Meyers movie, this look might mean something to you. Warm and welcoming. Polite, but not stuffy. A bronze lamp here. A vintage vase there (with fresh cut flowers, of course). Perhaps there’s a cozy seating area near the floor-to-ceiling display, with an overstuffed sofa topped with tasteful cushions.

Kailee Blalock, an interior designer in San Diego, posted a video on TikTok last month aimed at defining the richness of a library and teaching how to achieve that aesthetic in your home.

“These are not exhibition books,” warns M^me Blalock, 26, in the video, which has been viewed more than 1.3 million times. “These are books that have been chosen and read. »

Watch the video on TikTok (in English)

This literary look, she continues, pairs well with photos hanging on the walls, sometimes even partially blocking the shelves, as well as mismatched fabric patterns and a bit of clutter.

During an interview, Mr.^me Blalock expanded on his advice. “I think to achieve this look and lifestyle you have to be an avid reader and enjoy collecting things, especially artwork and sculptures,” she said.

Reactions… and criticism

Although M^me Blalock is not the originator of the expression bookshelf wealth, his video sparked a lot of discussion online. “The day I “grow” books instead of buying what I like to read, I will know that I have truly failed as a human being,” commented one user. Others have pointed out that the wealth of a library has less to do with reading than with wealth itself.

One of the people who responded to M’s video was Breana Newton, a legal coordinator in Princeton, New Jersey who regularly posts content about books on TikTok.^me Blalock. “I’m going to show you the wealth of my shelves,” says M^me Newton, 33, in his own video. “Ready?” »

She then gives a brief tour of her house, pointing out books everywhere – on shelves, in overflowing piles here and there, and scattered on the bed. It doesn’t feel like the plays were staged or the books were purchased with the idea of ​​what they would look like on Instagram in mind.

During an interview, Mr.^me Newton said she was concerned that trends such as bookshelf wealth encourage overconsumption.

This year, she added, she’s trying not to buy new books.

Another critic of the trend, Keila Tirado-Leist, said in a reaction video: “Who benefits from having to constantly name, qualify and attach richness to any style or aesthetic of decorating? inside? »

Keila Tirado-Leist, a lifestyle content creator in Madison, Wisconsin, compared the bookshelf wealth At quiet luxury (discreet luxury) and stealth wealth (stealth wealth), styles that have been making waves on social media recently.

However, she understood that what drives an interior design trend like this is the desire to create a home that is, well, welcoming. In another video, she describes the idea of ​​layering, which is gradually acquiring pieces until you have a finished look, rather than buying a bunch of things all at once in order to follow a trend.

“Decorating a house takes time,” said M^me Tirado-Leist.

Another TikTok user was more direct in a response to M’s video^me Blalock: “Bookshelf wealth doesn’t mean you have books. This means you have built-in shelves. »

The original version of this article was published by the New York Times.

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