The rustic bookcase
The rustic bookcase is a fascinating combination of a 15th or 16th Century invention with a mid to late 20th Century style. To begin with the invention of the bookcase, this (logically) came about following the invention of the movable type printing press in the mid 1400s. That is not to say books did not exist before this time as clearly books had already been produced by being handwritten on parchment. There were also some early attempts at printing on cloth, but these used wooden blocks of print that covered the whole page. The difficulties of carving a whole page of text from wood – backwards – can only be imagined, so it is not surprising that it did not lead to the mass appearance of entire books.
Anyway, printing and the manufacture of paper lead to the internet revolution of the 15th and 16th Century. Now, for the first time in the history of mankind, it was possible to store and share information with people on a grand scale. Of course, this dissemination of knowledge changed the development of civilisation but, on a more practical level, it also created a demand for bookcases. Prior to this, handwritten books had been stored in small numbers. Because of their scarcity and value, they were locked in cases or cabinets. Remember this is still some 500 years before the rustic bookcase was created, but gradually the doors were left off the book cases or book cabinets and the modern bookcase was created.
Some of the oldest bookcases in the UK are at the Bodleian Library at Oxford University and date back to the late 1500s. The basic design of the bookcase has remained largely unchanged to the present day. Various experiments have been tried with the styling of bookcases, ranging from ornamentation on a grand scale with elaborate cornices and columns, to minimalist creations in steel and even rustic bookcases (!), but the need to stack books in a way that makes them accessible is always the primary governing factor.
End of the line for the bookcase?
It remains to be seen what the future is for the bookcase, whether rustic bookcase or any other kind. The arrival of electronic communications and entertainment media has led to the invention of TV cabinets, Hi Fi cabinets and so on, and although books remain popular at the moment it has only been 70 years or so since the electronic media really took its first steps.
So the bookcase may date back 500 years, but the rustic bookcase and rustic furniture in general is perhaps only one tenth of that age. As far as Britain is concerned, the fashion appears to have started in the 1960s. Several influences seem to have combined together and perhaps the most significant was the ending of the Second World War. Rationing of many things continued for 8 years after the war and even then, obtaining some materials such as wood for furniture making or construction remained difficult. Added to this, many people had lost their homes and all their furniture during the conflict, so the furniture making industry was hard pressed to meet demand.
The development of rustic furniture
The obvious solution was to salvage or use old furniture wherever possible. After the many deprivations of the previous decades, creating a home, even with many pieces of salvaged furniture, was a welcome and comforting step on the road to a normal existence. At the same time, revisions to the taxation system of Britain meant that the owners of large houses and estates now had difficulty in finding resources to maintain their properties.
For the wealthy in these difficult circumstances, living surrounded by elegant furniture that had become rather faded or worn became acceptable and then positively fashionable and the shabby chic style was born. With ‘tatty’ furniture now socially acceptable, the worn look took on an identity of its own and rustic furniture became desirable.
The rustic furniture look then underwent another change as stocks of genuinely old, worn, furniture began to run out. New furniture was made and deliberately treated to look old. Early attempts were sometimes crude or even bizarre, but today the aging and patination of new furniture is a recognised and accepted look in its own right. The brand new rustic bookcase is the perfect addition to a country cottage, a Victorian town house, barn conversion or anywhere wanting that comfortable, lived-in look.