“People used to say to me, ‘What are you doing? Didn’t you get the memo that printed books are over?’” recalls library designer Thatcher Wine of early aughts naysayers. “I didn’t agree. I felt like books are important to the world and reading is one of those magical activities that we all wished we had more time to do. It focuses our attention, transports us and makes us better people.”

Indeed, hotels across the world are now filling their lobbies and bars with weighty tomes. New luxury condo towers are adding immaculately curated reading rooms to their amenity packages. And most significantly, homeowners are filling shelves with books that reflect who they are — in high-design, color-coded, matchy-matchy fashion, of course. Blame this literary Instagram-moment on Wine, founder of Juniper Books, whose own “For the Love of Books: Designing and Curating a Home Library,” with co-author Elizabeth Lane, is out now.

Since he launched his company in 2001, Wine, a born-and-bred New Yorker, has revolutionized library design. A techie turned rare book dealer, he got his start after receiving multiple requests for books on specific subjects with jackets in specific colors.

Today, he’s the go-to specialist for hotels (like the famed Library Bar at the NoMad Hotel), real estate developers (like Stephen Ross’ Related Group) and retailers (like Kiehl’s). But he points out that roughly 70 percent of his business is made up of enthusiastic private collectors — who, by the way, include celebrities like Jessica Chastain, Shonda Rhimes, Oprah Winfrey and childhood friend Gwyneth Paltrow, who touts him on her lifestyle site Goop.

“When you hire me, we go over three things,” explains Wine. “How much space do you have, what subjects are you interested in and what you want your library to look like.”

The designer has the most fun with that third question. In 2010, he began creating custom book jackets that allow him to turn a bookshelf into a canvas. The slip-on covers, or even luxurious custom leather-bound editions (a leather-bound set of “Harry Potter” books goes for $2,995 on his Web site), allow him to unify disparate editions by a single author, turn a messy shelf into a client’s favorite painting or even make a library glow with a “color wall” of books — spine text omitted.

“My job is to give people permission to do whatever they want with books,” Wine says, pointing to commissions for libraries in only black, white and gray, or collections made up entirely of female authors or mystery writers. “We have some clients for whom the content is extremely important. Others just want a certain look. Often we combine the two. We don’t pass any judgment.”

The designer may sell books by the foot, but he insists that his approach isn’t all style over substance. In fact, he says just getting books out into the world is good for everyone, especially struggling writers and publishing houses.

“The world has gotten really noisy and books are a refuge where you can settle your nerves,” he says. “People react to being surrounded by books.”