GRAPHĒ: Fashion Designer Philip Lim’s NYC Loft Is a Book-Filled Oasis

Floor-to-ceiling bookcases are the backbone of Philip Lim’s apartment—and the titles are organized via photographic memory.

"I didn’t start out as a book lover," admits Phillip Lim. "Initially, it was more about pragmatism: seeking knowledge having to do with research on work, on my interiors, building a home, even a word I wanted to understand more. But what I love about books is, once you start, you get to go deeper and deeper and deeper into a subject, and from there you go to another book, and another book, and soon after, you have a wall of books. And then you have two walls of books. And then—" The designer indicates the floor-to-ceiling bookcases that serve as the focal point of his loft apartment.

"Books inform you, but then they also become decoration. That may sound horrible to a true book lover, but I feel I honor them by making these objects part of my aesthetic world." The fact that the multicolored walls of spines are beautiful—as are many of the books themselves—is important to Lim’s conception of his highly personal apartment.

Lim chose every element: the old-board floors, the custom birch bar, the limestone counters. "It’s not for everyone," he concedes. "And it wouldn’t necessarily be easy to sell. But it’s my home; I built it for me, and books are the centerpiece."

His organizing principle is idiosyncratic. "They’re strangely organized in my head, as I’d organize clothes, or organize interiors. They’re not alphabetical, there’s no color-coding, there’s no system. Books about art would be next to interiors, interiors would be next to sofas. It’s a visual kind of memory," he explains.