How To Create Book-Filled Spaces That Tell Their Own Story

With an advanced degree in Library and Information Science and decades in the book industry, Christy Smirl, founder of Jackson Hole-based Foxtail Books & Library Services, curates and organizes luxury home libraries with an elevated mix of culture, literature and art. Here, she explains how to create aesthetic book-filled spaces that tell unique stories.

What makes a great library? A collection that reflects its owners’ life and adds layers of interest to a home. The most incredible architecture and design can feel impersonal—like a vacation rental—without books.

Can you share any curation tips? Building a library is an exercise in looking at the variety of things that make up a life. The books on our shelves reflect our past but also our potential. Ask yourself: Where are you from and where have you traveled? What are your passions and what do you want to know more about? Think big! There’s a book for everything.

How do you design spaces that inspire curiosity? By creating a collection that is eclectic and feels organic. Mixing old things and new, different patterns, colors, subjects and genres. There’s always something unusual out there, whether in format or content. Books are emblems of curiosity and hope.