By Aishwarya Bhargav
A home library should be an integral part of every house. No two homes have similar libraries. While some libraries are limited to a shelf or two containing and assortment of novels, others span rooms of books, stacked in dozens of shelves. The inhabitants of homes with libraries, spend weekends and vacations lost in the enchanted world of reading.
Rainy evenings are incomplete without a book in one hand and a cup of tea in the other.
Ending a tiring day with a book in hand is a dream come true for book lovers. With the advent of technology, books have been partially replaced with e-readers and tablets for shear convenience of storage. Yet, the physical copy of a book is more endearing to many people than bits and bytes on a computer screen.
A tastefully designed and organised home library is a piece of art that blends the books into the atmosphere of your home. Here are ten simple and stunning design ideas to spruce up your home library this new year.
1. The Bookshelf Staircase
If space is a major constraint, the easiest way to design your home library is by making your staircase the library. Books can be arranged on multiple levels and can be accessed without a ladder. Additionally, you don’t need a couch! You can sit on the stairs and read away.
2. The Mural of Books
Books can be incorporated into the existing décor of the house by adding shelves. Existing shelves can be creatively improvised to create murals that serve a two-in-one purpose. Murals are functional as well as decorative, and hence make a great design choice for your library.
3. Colour Schemes
Books can be sorted on the basis of similar colours, and can be arranged to form a rainbow or a colour wheel. Colour combinations can be used to depict scenery and other abstract designs. Books can also be arranged more simply and subtly.
4. Sliding Shelves
There is one shelf, another shelf behind it and yet another one behind the second shelf. Sliding shelves offer the perfect solution to space shortage. Books can be categorised and placed in the shelves. These shelves can double up as a partition between rooms or a sliding door.
5. Invisible Bookshelves
The invisible bookshelf is a DIY Project that can be completed in less than an evening. A bent piece of sheet metal, nails and a drill is all one needs to complete this sleek and stylish project. Pre-bent shelves are available in hardware stores and it can be installed in minutes.
6. Bookshelves under the Bed
The space under the bed is often underutilized. Most avid readers love to read before going to bed and the most convenient location to install a mini home library is under the bed. Reaching out to your favourite book was never easier!
Drive the monsters under the bed away and keep books there instead.
7. Food for thought
Keeping an eye on a baking cake is a mundane task that can be made more interesting with a kitchen home library. Cookbooks, magazines, pots and pans are an odd yet practical combination.
8. Cozy Book Loft
If space is not a constraint, a book loft with a large window and cushions provides an ideal ambience for nourishing our grey cells. The loft can be equipped with a book staircase to make it more design efficient. This book loft can become a nook, a hideaway and even a playground for both the children and the adults in the home.
9. Book Carts
If keeping things in one place is not your forte, investing in a portable book cart is a wise choice. The trendy and functional carts can be moved from one place to another. The book cart is a good piece of décor in nurseries and can be used to store toys and books.
10. Book Caddy
A book caddy is a book shelf, just that it needs minimal or no assembly and installation. It is a convenient way to store books categorically in small home libraries. Building a caddy requires a few hours of work and buying on off the shelf is not very difficult.
About the Author
Aishwarya Bhargav is a Research Scholar at the National University of Singapore. Her research primarily focuses on biomaterials and their applications. She is an avid blogger and a foodie.
