Those stacked-bead posts are bobbin turning, a pattern French woodworkers have come back to again and again since the reign of Louis XIII in the 1600s, each bead shaped one at a time by hand. Found in Villeneuve-lès-Avignon and made in the mid-20th century, this open bookshelf runs four long shelves between three of those beaded posts, with no back panel, so the wall shows through behind whatever it holds. Open shelving like this was meant to be lived with, not shut away, the books, pottery, and small treasures of a household kept in view and within reach. Sylvie stands it beside an armchair in the living room, cream-spined books on one shelf and a pair of old black clay jars on the next. Please note, it must be secured to the wall.
