Library Ladder in a Kitchen by Francoise Bollack Architects

by Julia Millay Walsh 3

Ever since I saw Audrey Hepburn sliding across rows of dusty books in a Greenwich Village bookstore in Funny Face, I've been strangely infatuated with library ladders. They have a sort of blue-blooded, East Coast prep school vibe which feeds the traditionalist in me. I don't see myself having a dedicated library in my home anytime soon, so I love that Françoise Bollack Architects used a library ladder as a way to access high shelving in a kitchen. It makes terrific use of vertical space, and those high cabinets are an ideal place to store unsightly, rarely used culinary gadgets like blenders and waffle makers that don't make the cut for the open shelving below. The rustic, antique look of the wooden ladder also juxtaposes nicely with the kitchen's state-of-the-art appliances. What do you think?