Thematic Bookshelf
Steel, glass, wood

The concept behind a thematic bookshelf is to use underlying themes, narratives or other characteristics of a book's contents (for example, location, era, decor) as design elements. This piece also serves as a focus of a book's prominence in one's life by providing an almost shrine-like environment for its display. In this particular work, I chose a book about Zen Buddhism because Zen:

-is a philosophy of simplicity.
-is supportive but does not overwhelm with dogma.
-encourages mindfulness in all activities.
-celebrates and finds beauty in imperfection.
-accepts that things change; nothing is permanent.


The connection between the bookshelf's design and my interpretation of Zen is seen in the hammer forged components, the edges of the steel, the rust, the marks left by the cutting torch and the glass. The book resting on the metal represents how Zen supports us as we support it.