Home library ideas: smart, professional and cozy place to enjoy quality time
Reading will never go out of style. Many have a certain number of literary publications acquired or inherited. The home library provides a collection of books and serves as a place to relax. Of course, today, most people read books in electronic format. But it can never be compared with the smell of paper, a pleasant rustle, tactile sensations during turning pages, which creates a unique atmosphere in the reading process.
To properly organize a library in your home, it is necessary to think carefully over the location of the books collection so that paper editions remain intact for a long time and become a remarkable decoration of the room. It is essential to ensure favorable conditions for this and treat the books themselves with care. For convenience, they can be arranged alphabetically or by genre—some sort the books by the color of covers. As a result, bookshelves look beautiful and neat.
Where to place the library
You cannot store books in the kitchen or in a dark closet, as they can become damp and deteriorate, as in other rooms with high humidity. The best place for a home library would be an office or living room. But it is not necessary to place all in one room. Sometimes books are located partially in different rooms, a bedroom, a corridor, a dining room and so on. To do this, you can build drywall structures or purchase suitable functional furniture. It is essential to consider the arrangement so that direct sunlight does not fall on the books. Sometimes space is used under the stairs, on the sides of doors, windows, above the head of the bed. Not always the number of square meters allows you to allocate a separate room for the library so that bookshelves can be distributed in different rooms.
For the library design to be always attractive, it is imperative to keep its filling in the best way. Books need some care. Their storage at home requires the following several rules:
Choosing furniture for your home library
Choosing furniture, you need to focus not only on the number of books but also on the footage of the room. To organize the reading space is necessary to purchase bookcases, racks, shelves, upholstered furniture, desks. Ultraviolet and dust adversely affect the paper, so it is advisable to store books in cabinets with translucent glass doors. Of course, you can use open racks, niches, or shelves, but then you will often have to clean them up by cleaning dust, which is very inconvenient and takes a lot of extra time. Therefore, this option is more suitable for storing a small number of books.
Modular furniture is very convenient; this makes it possible to select the necessary equipment independently. Built-in furniture design is an excellent solution to save space. A large abundance of various furniture is offered by modern manufacturers, which allows you to create an original and stylish atmosphere of your home library. The reading process itself should be comfortable; soft, comfortable chairs and sofas are purchased for this.
Take into consideration that furniture should be selected based on three main parameters:
You can decorate the interior of the library cabinet with stylish glass doors. Sliding wardrobes can become a modern analog. They are made to order from natural wood, decorated with original carvings. The wardrobe is better to be tall and compact. It will turn out to carve out more space for the installation of upholstered furniture, a coffee table.
Wall-mounted bookshelves will be the perfect solution for a young family whose book collection is still small. Shelves can be placed in the living room, bedroom, children’s room. The shape, size of such furniture should be chosen based on the general style of the room.
The home library is not only a place to store books but also a lounge. The atmosphere in the home library should be suitable for all family members.
Home library lighting
The arrangement must be organized in such a way as to avoid direct sunlight on the books. This form will protect the pages from yellowing, which leads to their fragility. In the working area, local lighting of sufficient intensity is created. For this, floor lamps, lamps, sconces are used. Near the chair, you can hang a wall lamp or put a floor lamp on a high leg. For a desk, purchase a desk lamp. During the reading, the light should fall on the left side, so there will be no shadow that creates inconvenience. Books located on shelves can also be highlighted with spotlights or LED strips. This will create a stylish atmosphere, but there is no need to overdo it because, for books, the effect of too intense light can be harmful.
Library in different home decor style
Classic style home library
The home library in the classical style is furnished with wooden furniture with carving elements, or strict, concise models with regular, clear forms in a traditional format. You can also add a soft chair with quilted textile upholstery but preferably made of high-quality leather. The classic style is complemented by parquet flooring or classic carpet. Classic definition in design will look authentic with paintings in carved frames, bas-reliefs, antique floor clocks with a pendulum, beautiful vases, and sophisticated figurines.
Modern style home library
In the design of the contemporary library, shelves, racks, cabinets of non-traditional shapes, and colors are used. It can be a drywall construction from a gypsum board or a rack. You can create an original and compact cabinet-library, consisting of a chair combined with bookshelves and a glass table. In the modern version, it is possible to arrange a place for books in harmony with any stylistic direction, be it a loft, Scandinavian, English, or marine style. At the same time, it is not necessary to purchase new-fashioned furniture, and you can restore the old and complement it with a decor corresponding to the style.
Minimalist home library
Minimalism is an excellent solution for a modern family. This direction is characterized by light colors, simple shapes of shelves, a lot of natural light, practicality. Decorative details should be almost absent.
Provence style home library
Sensitive, gentle, calm style. Ideal for decorating a women’s home library. The color scheme should be light: olive, peach, white, light green. You can apply a floral print. Furniture is better to choose old, rare.
How to organize a library in the main rooms of your house
Library design in the office
An ideal place for arranging a home library is a home office. Here you will have the opportunity to solve all your affairs, and after that, give yourself a rest, comfortably sitting in a soft chair. The library here can occupy either one, two, or even all four walls.
The design of the library can be designed in any style – from classic to ultramodern. But no matter which option you prefer, make sure that the interior of the cabinet-library will not get out of the general design of your home. Libraries furnished with antique furniture look very elegant and expensive. Upholstered leather chairs, a natural dark wood table, chairs with wooden armrests, tall bookcases are ideal for a classic home library.
If you prefer a modern style, the design of the library in your home office can be organized with the help of original bookshelves, the unusual shape of high-tech sofas and armchairs and other stylish furniture and accessories.
The home office library is not only a place to store books but also a vacation spot for apartment owners. The main task of the library is to organize books in such a way that they can be easily found when necessary.
To comfortably, rationally and at the same time beautifully place books, use modular furniture – modular compartments easily vary both in height and in width.
Library design in the living room
Often, the living room in the house performs several functions. In addition, modules for storing books, bookshelves, and sections can be installed here. Be sure to ensure that the books are protected from sunlight and moisture. There will be much less free space for your home library than in your office, but don’t be discouraged: special library furniture and advice from professional designers will come to your aid.
Thinking through the design of the library, you can not do without thoughtful lighting of the room. In this case, floor lamps will become an ideal option – they will become a real decoration of the library design, the very “highlight” that many are looking for, but only a few find. And finally, the last recommendation: when equipping the library in the living room, it is better to abandon the work desk in favor of a small coffee table.
Noble wood furniture, wooden walls, an elegant chandelier, and soft upholstery of sofas combine perfectly with the binding of old books.
Library design in children’s room
For the young reader, you can install a compact rack in the children’s room or bookshelves. Arrange books with the cover forward – so the child can easily find his favorite book by picture. Another advantage of this arrangement is that the child does not have to randomly sort through books in search of the right one, which means you do not have to tidy up the entire children’s library after the next raid of your little book lover. To exclude fractures, it is better to install low shelves, such that the child, trying to get a book, could easily get it out by simply stretching out his hand. For older children, tiered and hinged bookshelves are perfect.
Library design in the attic
A low wooden bookcase is used to store books. Having easily found the right book, you can enjoy reading, taking a seat on a soft sofa, or in a pouf.
Restoration of old cabinets
Many homes have cabinets that have been used for decades and remain intact. True, their appearance does not always fit into modern interiors. But this is not a reason to replace them with new furniture; it is enough to restore, change the exterior design. As a result, an exclusive and stylish thing can be obtained.
You can change the color of the cabinet in three stages:
First, sandpaper erases a layer of old varnish and paint. Further, if necessary, the existing defects are puttied with wood. After that, the cabinet surface is primed with a particular composition. In the end, the furniture can be painted in any chosen shades. After painting, the restored cabinet can be left as such, or add decorative elements. For example, if you cut out patterns or other details from paper, stick them on the surface with PVA glue and cover with clear varnish, you get designer furniture made using decoupage technique. For country style, you can decorate the cabinet surface with craquelure technology, painting it with special paints, varnishes, so that the effect of antiquity is obtained. Sometimes textile lace or wallpaper is glued to furniture, which looks very unusual and sophisticated. On sale, you can find many stylistic decorative details that can be used to create a stylish modern design for outdated cabinets.
You can make the interior of the library cabinet original with the help of old, long-needed furniture. Grandmother’s wardrobe, chest of drawers, obsolete shelves can always be restored, reused in the interior. This is a great way to save money, save pleasant memories from the past.
Having chosen the Provence style for the home library, you will have to abandon the idea of buying a new wardrobe. The old furniture is one of the main foundations in the design of such a design.
Restoration of old furniture requires certain experience, skills, equipment. If none of the above is present, it is better to entrust this task to a specialist. The restorer will do the job quickly, efficiently.
Sometimes old bookshelves, lockers do not need global restoration. The owners of the house only need to repair them a little, wash, replace the glass parts with new ones. If desired, novelty can be added to old furniture. Simply paint the inside walls of the cabinet with paint. Paint color should be chosen from the general color scheme of the interior. Also, it should be of high quality, non-toxic. Acrylic is good. It dries quickly, has almost no smell, looks fantastic.
Conclusion+photo gallery
Nowadays, home libraries are gaining popularity, and it is a fashionable trend in interior design. Reading books will never go out of style because it allows you to immerse yourself in fascinating stories of fiction and is an excellent soil for self-development. The presence of the library house emphasizes the high cultural status and impeccable taste of the owners. It is not necessary to provide a separate room for this. Moreover, living conditions do not always allow this. Therefore, beautifully and correctly placed books can be partially in almost any room. The main thing is to provide literary publications with favorable storage conditions. In the age of high technology, the presence of a home library in a modern interior seems to connect the time eras and give the room noble, aristocratic notes.
