THINKING OF MY SHELF

I ADMIT IT: I’M A BOOKCASE NUT

It can sneak up on you, but there comes a time in every girl’s life when things change. I’m talking about that moment when you suddenly understand the previously unfathomable allure of homewares.

I’ve gone from squealing about shoes to spending my shoe money on an “investment lounge”’ and my 20-something self would be horrified.

She wouldn’t understand spending three hours in a linen store comparing 50 shades of grey. Come to think of it, she wouldn’t be caught dead in a linen store. That’s what mums are for.

While airing my dirty laundry (in Italian hampers I spent ages hunting down online), I need to confess I’ve also become hooked on bookcase porn. It’s the obsession that’s launched a thousand Pinterest accounts, inundated Instagram and inspired, well, books.

Storage is sexy for us bookshelf people. We’re the voyeurs who get off on peeking into lounge rooms and libraries around the world. Colour coding is our catnip, theming a thrill and the perfect cover cascade our holy grail.

I have a stockpile of stackable cubes in case war breaks out with Sweden (it could happen), interfering with international Ikea relations.

Once a literary purist, I’ve caught myself choosing reads with stand-out spines and attractive jackets. It’s no longer what’s inside that counts.

There is no better excuse to go shopping than a new season, bringing new trends. In that spirit, enjoy an issue packed with autumn ideas for your home and wardrobe.