Second Life

One of the things you love best about being a part of the CIA’s Octopus division (don’t worry, we’re using the code name—we’re not stupid enough to blow your cover on the internet) is the chance to constantly reinvent yourself. Today you’re Bill Fryman, tuna fisherman from New Bedford, MA. Tomorrow, you’re Sergei Petrovskii, a Russian oil mogul crossing international waters on his Antagonist Yacht. The day after, only time will tell, though you’re hoping it will involve wreck diving off the coast of Laos. Or maybe something with unlimited access to SPAM With Bacon? The Biblioteca Bookshelf ($250) shares your penchant for reinvention, because it actually used to be a vintage coffee table. Many vintage coffee tables, in fact. Canadian Furniture Designer Matt Carr found inspiration in creating the original bookrack for himself when he stumbled upon two stunning vintage coffee tables. After finding a creative way to give them new life, he decided, “Hey, this is pretty cool. I should share this idea with the rest of the world.” (Or so we assume.) Carr recreated the Biblioteca Bookshelf for Umbra with a mahogany natural top and black lacquered legs. Now your copies of “Genius and Heroin” and “The Pocket Guide To Mischief” can reinvent themselves as “coffee table books” despite being tucked away onto a shelf. Clever.