Anyone with passion for reading can have a mini-library set in their homes via bookcases that can be built into furniture or concealed within walls to save space. Depending on your budget and frequency of use, you can choose between varieties of built-in options or simply buy furniture with bookcases built into them to avoid having to buy separate bookcases later on. Given the modern day emphasis on maximizing floor space, interior decorators and architects are coming up with amazing space saving solutions that allow homeowners to build bookcases into the most unusual places around the home.
Bookshelf stairs
Pioneered by London based Levitate Architects for the rental apartment of a couple known simply as Veronika and Sebastian, the book-lined staircase is a great way to store a lot of books in one of the most neglected spots in a house. Since the space beneath the steps of the stairs is pretty much wasted if the stairs are walled on both sides and you cannot utilize the under stair space any other way, having the front end of the steps removed to store house books can be an innovative and novel solution to book lover’s storage problem. Perfect for suburban homes as well as cramped city apartments, the bookshelf staircase is an innovative approach to store books within easy reach as well.
Bookcase built into rafters
Under stair spaces have been converted into bookcases for ages, but one space that people almost always neglect when it comes to thinking of store is the space directly above their heads! Since floor space is at a premium in city homes, utilizing space above the floor can help immensely. With rafters already being built into most traditional homes, one only needs to add a horizontal shelf to it and paint the whole ceiling in the same color to make stored books stand out even more. The bookcase built onto rafters idea also works particularly well if you have young children or spirited pets around the house since they won’t be able to get their hands on your precious titles without asking you to take them down.
Couches and chairs with built-in bookcases
Any house, be it a small, open concept urban apartment or a lavish mansion spread over acres, is bound to have a few chairs and couches. Since there is no escaping these staples, having chairs and couches with storage space already built into them can be a real stroke of brilliance for homeowners looking for some extra space to house their books. Depending on how many books you have, you can throw in a single accent chair with a space for books in it or have a whole set of them to convert your bijou living room into an out of the world modernist library.
Fireplace with built-in bookcase
A fireplace is perhaps the last place you’d ever want to store your precious reads, but the shelving built-into a pre-fab set can help you utilize the otherwise wasted space very effectively. Since curling up near a fire with a book and a hot cuppa can be the most de-stressing experience ever, having a bookcase built into the fireplace itself can make the space very functional indeed. What makes the idea even better is that a fireplace works great for virtually any room in the house so wherever you choose to set it up, you will have created yourself a niche and inviting space dedicated to leisurely reading.
Room divider bookcases
With open concept floor design gaining popularity on cramped for space and energy efficient homes, room dividers have made a grand comeback on the interior decor scene. And what better way to separate a room into two without cutting one half off from the other than to put in a shelved bookcase in the middle. Perfect for displaying and storing a lot of books within a relatively small floor space, room divider bookcases can be purchased from stores or even custom built to suit your space and depending on their thickness and your particular requirement, you can have them nailed to the floor or ceiling or leave them freestanding and move them around to create different effects and spaces in the houses. What makes these see-through bookcases even more special is the fact that they give you access to the titles from either side so you don’t have to worry about providing a walk able space in front of the bookcase to be able to access your books.
Bookshelf built in a door
With storage spaces at a premium in modern urban homes, people are coming up with the most unusual ways to store and display books without installing a space-hogging unit in their homes. The bookcase-in-a-door concept is one such novel idea that lets you convert any door in your house into an awesome bookcase. Perfect as a DIY project, any door in the house can be remodeled into a bookcase as long as it have sufficient space at the ‘back’ once opened. Since most doors in a house are meant to be opened and shut, you might want to make sure that the shelves you put in the door bookcase come with a protective measure to prevent books from sliding and falling off when the door is swung open or shut. This can easily be done by raising the outer edge of the shelves to enclose the space slightly, by adding a glass/plastic shutter to the case or even by installing a rubberized band along the outer edge of each shelf.
Bookcase built into the floor
When you only have so much space to store stuff in your house, you got to be more innovative than buying the first ‘space saving solution’ you see at your nearest IKEA outlet. The underfloor bookcase idea is just the solution for the space-cramped booklover. Unless you have a problem with not being able to help spilling liquids all around the house or have a pet or young child that can pee anywhere in the house, an underfloor bookcase could be just what the medicine for your book storage woes. In case you don’t want to hide your precious titles under the wooden floor, you can simply provide a protective transparent cover for them so you see and locate the book of your choice anytime you want.
