It sounds obvious, but book lovers tend to accumulate books. Once you own a book, it’s hard to part with it, even after you’ve read it. Over time, those books end up taking up a lot of space. On the other hand, books are beautiful. Creative book storage ideas help make efficient use of space in your home or storage space and potentially double as gorgeous decorative elements. Check out these 12 creative book storage ideas to get your design inspiration flowing.
1. Turn an unused fireplace into a book nook
Many of us have non-functioning fireplaces in our homes. If that’s you, that’s empty space that’s begging for some design love! Stack books in any way your creativity deems fit, whether a small, minimalist stack or filling that fireplace to the brim. Often this looks best with the page-side facing outward, rather than the books’ spines facing outward. It’s not the most practical book storage idea for finding books and getting them out, but it looks beautiful and screams “book lover” to your guests.
2. DIY a bookshelf bed baseboard
You can use any small bookshelf that’s roughly the height and width of your bed to serve as a stylish literary baseboard. This strategy stylishly uses the often-unused space directly at the foot of your bed, giving bookworms easy access to their reading material. For added convenience, you can use a shelf with integrated drawers to stow some clothes.
3. Store books long-term in a self-storage unit
A lot of book lovers end up with self-storage units for many reasons. Perhaps you’re collecting and selling books and need a reliable place to store them before you ship them out. Maybe you simply want to set them aside to pass down to children or loved ones. Or perhaps you must set them aside temporarily during the moving process or for a longer time before you move into a larger place. Whatever your reason is, a self-storage unit is an excellent option for book storage. High-quality storage units like the ones BuxBear provides are much better than stowing books in an attic, basement, or garage. In a storage unit, books are less susceptible to damage from humidity and temperature changes and pests, dust, and sunlight.
4. Cube shelves never go out of style
It’s easy to get creative with cube shelves, too. You can mix and match boxes’ contents, for example, storing books in some and other items in others to give the shelf some visual variety. One popular interior design trend is storing books of the same color in each cube, creating a beautiful look. After all, it’s always lovely when your storage can double as art. Many cube storage systems can also be configured however you like them so that you can detach and re-arrange the shelves at will.
5. Simple and effective plastic storage bins
Plastic storage bins get the job done for long-term storage of books, especially in a self-storage unit. They’re inexpensive, easy to find, and durable. Bins with lids can protect books from humidity, dust, and pests, preserving them for many years. When storing books in plastic containers, we recommend stacking them vertically, as if you were holding them on a shelf, and don’t stack books on top of one another. Avoid the temptation to fill a bin with books stored upright, then toss additional books on top of that “layer” horizontally—this can damage the spines of the books on the bottom. Instead, simply look for bins that are a little shallower. When plastic storage bins are full of books, they are usually heavy, so be careful stacking them. Not all plastic storage bins are created equally, and some can’t handle bearing much weight. Either buy extra-durable containers or store lighter loads on top of heavier loads.
6. Build your very own closet library
Closet libraries are a clever home design hack that’s particularly popular for book-loving households where space is at a premium. The key to a gorgeous closet library is to use a door with a built-in window so the library shelves are visible from outside the closet. Not only does it look beautiful, but it creates the illusion of greater space. Trust us: Your house guests will rave about how much they love your closet library every time.
7. Use ladder-style leaning shelves for a sleek, minimalist look
Ladder-style shelves are better for displaying small numbers of books than for heavy-duty storage of large collections. They instantly add a bit of style to any room, and you can use some levels for books and other levels for other items. Ladder shelves lean right up against the wall, making it easy to move around.
8. Design a storage unit library
One of our favorite creative book storage ideas we’d like to see more of is customizing self-storage units to work as miniature libraries! You can take the closet library concept and extend it to a self-storage unit for a heavy-duty private book stash. Since storing books outside of your home is usually for long-term storage, not easy, immediate access, the goal here is practicality over stylish design. To that end, you can use heavy-duty garage shelving and fill as much vertical space from the ground level to the ceiling of the storage unit. This maximizes book storage space but also looks fantastic. When you need to pull books out of storage, you don’t have to dig through containers—you can browse the stacks, just like on a bookshelf at home.
9. Plant a “tree bookshelf”
We love the way tree bookshelves look, and you will, too. Smaller varieties can be placed on top of desks, dressers, or cabinets, but taller types that sit on the floor are available, too. As with cube shelves, people like to get creative with organizing books on tree shelves, like grouping books by color or topic.
10. Install floating shelves pretty much anywhere
No matter what your space looks like, chances are good that you’ve got some small unused nooks and crannies. The wonderful thing about floating shelves is that you can install them quickly and easily almost anywhere. Think outside the box, and take stock of where your home has various cubbies or small walls. Those places just might be perfect spots to install some floating shelves for books.
11. Use baskets for low-maintenance book storage
Wicker, wood, and rope baskets all look chic and natural, holding books beautifully. On the one hand, a few beloved books stacked in an attractive basket make an effortless decoration that can be easily moved and adjusted. On the other, baskets also make a practical and tidy book storage idea for children’s rooms since kids can easily access (and clean up!) their books without having to reach high on tall shelves.
12. Put your bookshelves in the corner
It’s a wonder we don’t see corner shelves in homes more often. By their very nature, the corners of rooms usually comprise space that’s difficult to use. Corner shelves solve this problem by spicing up a room and utilizing space that would otherwise go to waste.
Book-lovers, get your space organized!
These creative book storage ideas are just the beginning, and hopefully, they will give you some ideas for how you can organize and beautify your own space. Book storage solutions can be both practical and stylish, and that’s the sort of design inspiration we love!