Got a bibliophile in your home? Then you probably also have a ton of books. While books are a great addition to any home (both in terms of functionality and decoration) it can sometimes be hard to know how to store or display them properly.
Whether you have a dozen books, or dozens of dozens, there are a few things you can do to make your home “library” a little more functional and beautiful. Here are some of our favorite tips.
Create a dedicated space. Most of us aren’t lucky enough to have an entire room to house all our books, but almost all of us have at least a small space that we can dedicate to storing or displaying books. Determine the space you’re going to use and how much room there is. This will help you pick out some furniture you need to hold your books.
Find the right furniture.
Standard bookshelves are great, of course, but they might not be the best fit for your space. You might need a corner bookshelf, for example, or floating shelves if there’s no more room on the floor. If you’re really tight on space, find multi-use furniture that can hold other things: dishes, linens, toys, etc. The key is finding what will work for your space, rather than trying to force a setup that won’t work.
Pare it down.
Unless you do have that entire room to use as a library (you lucky dog), you probably have limited space to work with for storing your books. Go through your stacks and cut out anything you don’t absolutely have to own. Keep books you haven’t yet read, ones you’re planning to reread, or ones that you really enjoyed. The rest can be donated.
Organize.
Let’s be real: it doesn’t make much sense to have your children’s books displayed right next to your World War II biopics. Categorize your books into at least a few general sections; if nothing else, at least separate the childrens books so they’re easily accessible by the little ones in the house.
Get creative with your displays.
There are no hard and fast rules when it comes to displaying your books. You can alphabetize them, group them by size or subject, or even create a rainbow effect by grouping like colors together. Try out a few different arrangements to see what works best in your room. You can even try laying some books down flat in a neat stack to add a little variation to your display.
Add some seating.
What good is a book if you don’t have a place to curl up and read it? You might not have a ton of room in your “library,” but if possible, add a cozy chair to create a warm, inviting feel to the space. If the chair looks lonely, you can also add a side table and/or a lamp to give it some company.
With a little planning and imagination, you can create a great home library that will be functional and beautiful. Happy reading!
Need a place to store some extra books? Check out Arizona Storage Centers. With facilities around the Phoenix area, including Phoenix, Deer Valley, Glendale, Gilbert, and Chandler, we offer convenient and reliable storage for all your possessions. Give us a call at 480-386-6022 or stop by one of our storage centers for more information.
