Home Library Designs
Whether you own a collection of rare books and first editions, a set of prized encyclopedias, fiction or non-fictions books, novels, or classics, books are a treasure to behold. Home libraries represent the latest in modern interior decorating, and serve as a treasure chest of your prized possessions. Moreover, home libraries are work areas, spaces for academic pursuits, and oases for contemplation and retreat. Today's home libraries are designed to suit a range of styles: cozy and comfortable, sophisticated and elegant, modern and abstract.
Home Library Lighting
Lighting sets the tone for your home library and creates the desired ambience. For a quiet, intimate feeling, position table lamps, desk lamps, and lantern-style lamps around the room. For overhead, consider an elegant antique or modern-style chandelier. For a more modern ambience, select from the wide array of contemporary lighting options, available in all shapes, sizes, and colors, or you can opt for fluorescents to cut down on electric bills. For natural sunlight, consider adding a modern skylight, or include large windows with curtains or slats to shield sunrays at peak hours.
For well-lit bookshelves, you can fix lights to the uprights of the shelving units themselves, or fix spotlights to the ceiling that will shine down and showcase your books.
Home Library Furniture
Reading chairs are a home library essential! For ultimate comfort, office chairs at a good height, with armrests and with a high back for resting the head, and position reading chairs near windows or other light sources. Foot rests that match your home library décor are a great library accessory. If you are sofa lovers, a soft but firm sofa or love seat is a welcome addition. For a classic look, leather is a winner, or you can choose upholstered chairs in rich fabrics.
Home libraries typically include desks or tables with upright chairs, and to complete the package, add accessories such as grandfather or mantle clocks, wall clocks, rugs or carpets to keep feet warm in the winter, library stepladders to reach high-up books, magazine/newspaper racks, and real or artificial plants.
Home Library Bookcases
There are many ways to showcase your books, depending on the layout of the library, the number and size of books, and your home library style.
You can maximize space by locating book shelves around the perimeter of the library, or if space allows, divide bookcases into separate 'zoning areas' to feature different types of books. Lining the walls with books from floor to ceiling has a particularly unique effect, as the books appear to be part of your room structure! Since books come in varying heights and sizes, be sure that your bookshelves include shelves with extra deep and tall space.
Oversized Book Solutions
To solve the problem of oversized books which may not fit on your bookshelves and that can overshadow smaller books on the same shelf, combine function with fashion by investing in a book tower or a waterfall bookcase. Featuring graduated shelves that have a wide base and ascend in a tower formation, or that have the appearance of cascading waterfalls, book towers and waterfall bookcases are stylish means to a very useful end!