Here at The Organized Home, we believe in living with less—a smaller wardrobe, fewer toys, less fuss. But there is one thing we are OK with accumulating: books.
I’ve moved seven times since I graduated from college, and with every move, I’ve attempted to shed most of my books. For the most part, I’ve been woefully unsuccessful. Thank goodness. My books have offered me solace and quietude, adventure and excitement—and they’ve made my home mine. (And truth be told, they’re the only part of my home that is neat and orderly all the time.)
As Horace Mann said, “A house without books is like a room without windows.” Here, 10 ways to upgrade your built-in bookshelves.
1. Paint the back of them.
Above: Much of the paint in this historic home is original (the owners have a fondness for the distressed look); when they added floor-to-ceiling shelves in their office, they painted the back of the shelves a hue that looked like it could have been the original color as it appeared then. See A Historic Hudson Valley Farmhouse Receives the Ultimate Makeunder. Photograph by Justine Hand for Remodelista.
Above: These delicate shelves by Workstead were built to accommodate the homeowner’s extensive book collection (another set of shelves mirrors this one to the right of the fireplace). Angled ledges at chair level allow for the display of some of his larger books. See A Bespoke Parlour and Kitchen in Boerum Hill. Photograph by Matthew Williams.
Above: There’s nothing quite like getting lost in a book in a clean, well-lighted place. Here, sunlight streams into this cozy reading spot in a Brooklyn living room, a winner of the 2017 Remodelista Considered Design Awards. See Best Professional Living/Dining Room: Lorraine Bonaventura in Cobble Hill. Photograph by Hulya Kolabas.
7. Double-layer them.
Above: Leave it to a pair of writers to reimagine bookshelves. Novelists Ayelet Waldman and Michael Chabon had two tiers built into the lower shelves to accommodate their overflowing collection. See Serenity Now: A No-Drama Bedroom in Berkeley, CA. Photograph by Aya Brackett.
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