Today is Book Lovers Day! The following are tips for creating, furnishing, and decorating a home library. Even if you don’t need recommendations on what books to add to your library, you might be unsure of how to design it. Whether you have extra room(s) in your home or are trying to carve out a corner in your living room or bedroom for your library, it’s important to know where your book collection will live.
A 2018 Architectural Digest article featured a modern white-on-white space, a room detailed with classical Ionic columns, a library that doubles as a dining room, and a library in an entrance hall.
Despite the rise of Kindle and the like, eBooks cannot compare to the feeling of a good book in your hands. Book lovers often prefer to display their favorite titles in a space that's cozy, personalized, and unique to them. While public and university libraries can be beautiful, home libraries are more intimate (but not any less splendid). The room can be cozy and colorful or elegant and formal, including stylish focal points like a fireplace, desk, or plush seating. This helps to keep the space just as irresistible as the volumes on the shelves.
You may not think you can afford a home library, entire rooms set aside for the sole purpose of displaying books are often found in high-end homes. However, a home library doesn't have to be huge-- it can be a spare bedroom, a walk-in attic, or just a quiet corner of a bedroom or family room. Nor does your shelving and furniture need to be expensive. You can create an enchanting home library using furniture and accessories you already own, or you can source items from second-hand stores or yard sales.
If your home already seems crowded, a functional but small library can be tucked beneath a staircase, for example. If you have a small off-the-kitchen home office, perhaps you can repurpose that space. Readers have even been known to convert a walk-in closet to a cozy library nook.
While inexpensive laminate bookcases are readily available, the weight of your books can often cause them to sag over time. Purchasing an assortment of sturdy wooden bookcases from your secondhand sources and then painting or staining them to match each other is a better option.
You might also consider repurposing found items to use as bookcases. Securing crates to each other and to the wall can be a perfectly adequate solution, or consider a a vintage china cabinet with glass doors to house a special collection. The hardware store has metal utility shelves for reasonable prices for a modern or industrial look, although the shelves are typically open on the sides, requiring some sort of bookend at the end of each row.
To determine how many bookcases you need, assume 11 books per foot of shelving and try not to fill shelves over 2/3. Visit awfullibrarybooks.net for further elaboration on this topic.
Next up is seating. Assuming you intend to actually read your books, and not just use them for display purposes, invest in comfortable seating that keeps you lingering for hours, lost in the story. Based on your personal style, consider a traditional, classic rocking chair, a reclining armchair, or a couch or loveseat so you can have another reader join you. If a comfortable piece is the wrong color or pattern, using remnants to reupholster may be a cost-effective solution.
Lighting is also an important consideration. Your library is an ideal place to show off a funky table lamp or statement sconces. Plan your lighting based on the time of day you tend to read most and the orientation of any windows in the room. If the room is sunny, you should also invest in heavy drapes to prevent fading on your book covers.
Finally, get personal! While many book lovers believe the books themselves are the best decoration, adding touches that reflect your style will encourage you to sped more time reading! Think attractive bookends, miniature dolls of favorite literary characters, or even a themed blanket thrown over your chair. Items that help create a restful, contemplative mood, possibly with literary themes, will pull the room together and make it your favorite place to be.