Karim El-Sayed
Senior Editor, Home & Design
Karim El-Sayed is the Senior Editor for Home & Design at Wall Shelf Journal, where he oversees the Home Chapters and Objects & Finds sections. With a background in architectural history, his work focuses on how our environments shape our lives and stories. Before joining the Journal, he was the long-time architecture critic for 'Metropolis Today' and a contributing editor at 'Artisan Home'. He is the author of 'The Grammar of Rooms,' a book examining the unspoken language of domestic design. Karim's essays explore everything from the provenance of a particular chair to the evolution of the modern kitchen, always with an eye toward craftsmanship and context.
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Latest Articles
Fast Fashion Home Decor Trends Outpace Sustainable Options
A staggering 10 million tons of furniture and home furnishings are discarded in the US annually, a figure that has more than doubled since 1990.
Jul 1, 2026 · 2 min read
Book Riot Sells Promo Slots in Niche & Popular Deals Newsletters
A single slot in Book Riot's 'Deals' newsletter costs publishers $500, a stark contrast to the free library cart offered to new subscribers.
Jun 29, 2026 · 2 min read
Kaitlyn Tiffany's 'Housewives Underground' Explores Unsung Challengers
Decades after the Warren Report declared its findings on the John F.
Jun 24, 2026 · 2 min read
Black List and Zando Launch Horror Novel Contest with $25,000 Deal
The Black List and Zando's Evil Twin imprint have launched an initiative offering an unprecedented $25,000 publishing deal directly to an unknown horror novelist, bypassing traditional submission hurd
Jun 23, 2026 · 2 min read
Preserving Knowledge: The Enduring Challenge for Libraries
In 1815, after British forces burned the Library of Congress, former President Thomas Jefferson sold his entire 6,487-volume personal collection to restart the nation's intellectual heart.
Jun 23, 2026 · 2 min read
Bureaucracy Worsens Lifeguard Shortage
Only 480 certified lifeguards are available for city beaches and pools this summer, a drastic shortfall from the 1,400 to 1,500 needed to ensure the safety of 13 million annual visitors across the cit
Jun 21, 2026 · 2 min read
Congress Stalls on $500B Economic Stability Act, Recession Looms
With just weeks until the March 15th deadline, economists warn of a potential recession if Congress fails to pass the 'Economic Stability Act.
Jun 20, 2026 · 2 min read
Jon Klassen explores ghosts in children's stories
In a recent 'Publisher's Weekly' interview, acclaimed author-illustrator Jon Klassen revealed he designs his ghost characters not to be scary, but 'more like a quiet, misunderstood neighbor.
Jun 19, 2026 · 3 min read
David Thomson's criticism shaped American film discourse
For decades, David Thomson's 'Biographical Dictionary of Film' has been the undisputed bible for cinephiles, yet its dense, often contrarian entries rarely reached the average American moviegoer choos
Jun 19, 2026 · 3 min read
Writers Explore Shifting Global Perceptions of America's Role
A young man from Michoacan recently paid $10,000 to a smuggler, risking everything to cross the US border, driven by unsustainable living conditions in his home country, according to Al Jazeera .
Jun 15, 2026 · 3 min read
Amazon Editors Reveal Best Books of 2026 So Far
Tayari Jones' novel 'Kin' claimed the #1 spot on Amazon's Best Books of 2026 So Far list, instantly signaling a major literary event.
Jun 14, 2026 · 2 min read
Photographer David Plowden Dies at 93, Documenting a Changing America
Photographer David Plowden, who spent decades capturing the 'poetry in the artifacts of manual labor' across a changing America, has died at 93, leaving behind an archive of nearly 5,500 black and whi
Jun 14, 2026 · 3 min read
Elizabeth Stordeur Pryor's new book 'Something We Said' is a daughter's reckoning.
At just 12, Elizabeth Stordeur Pryor watched her father, Richard Pryor, publicly challenge Barbara Walters' use of the n-word—a word he himself used on stage, yet had forbidden his daughter to ever le
Jun 13, 2026 · 2 min read
Stephan Talty's 'American School of Spies' Explores WWII Spies
Archaeologists, typically associated with uncovering ancient ruins, actively sabotaged enemy infrastructure during World War II.
Jun 11, 2026 · 2 min read
Deborah Lutz reveals new Emily Brontë biography, 'This Dark Night'
The preface of Deborah Lutz's new biography, 'This Dark Night', makes a chilling promise: to reveal the famously enigmatic Emily Brontë.
Jun 11, 2026 · 2 min read
Enterprise AI: Slow Adoption Despite Consumer Hype
Despite Apple's splashy AI unveiling in 2026, 94% of asset managers still use artificial intelligence for operational tasks or as a co-pilot, not for making critical investment decisions.
Jun 10, 2026 · 4 min read
Andrew Sean Greer's 'Villa Coco' Delivers a Heartfelt New Novel
At Villa Coco, sparks literally fly from an enormous fireplace, mirroring the Baronessa’s impatience and Geoffrey’s affair with her married nephew.
Jun 6, 2026 · 2 min read
Curators Offer Diverse Summer Book Recommendations
NPR is already highlighting 10 new books for release in June, signaling an early and intense start to the 2026 summer reading season, as reported by The Detroit News .
Jun 6, 2026 · 3 min read
New Books Explore Wedding Season Drama and Emotional Costs
A recent 'Dear Prudence' letter exposed a mother-in-law's financial wedding gift as a catalyst for tantrums and silent treatments, turning a joyous occasion into a nightmare for the engaged couple, ac
Jun 5, 2026 · 2 min read
Event Explores Eric Jay Dolin's 'The Wreck of the Mentor'
On June 30th, 2026, the Newport History Museum will host an event delving into the fate of the American whaleship Mentor, which met its demise in 1832 on a remote reef in the western Pacific, as repor
Jun 4, 2026 · 2 min read