A beautiful home library is enough to give any book lover major envy. We dream of an expansive room that houses floor to ceiling rows of books bound in leather where we can curl up for hours. Where has the home library gone?
In my research to create my own and give you ideas on how to create your own as well, I've found that even today while they’re gaining in popularity, they have undergone a more modern change. You don’t necessarily need a designated room for a library anymore and can incorporate it wherever you have a cozy nook. From a sunny kitchen window seat to a home office/library combo to a relaxing corner, you can build a home office just about anywhere. Here are ten of the best tips I've found works best when building one of your own.
1. Choose Your Spot
While a room with doors is ideal, it’s not necessary. You’ll want to pick a spot in your home that’s not loud or heavily trafficked. One with lots of natural light or at least the capability of being well lit. It can be anywhere in your home, from the bedroom to the office to the dining room and anywhere in between! In my case, it was a spare room, when my son moved out - best part was it was the largest room in the house!
2. Storing Your Books
This will depend on how many books you have and if you plan on putting them all in your library. Make sure the spot you’ve chosen has the space for them all. If you have a large collection, floor-to-ceiling book shelves will be your best option. Maybe even built-ins if you have the budget. For smaller collections you can use a freestanding bookcase or even modern, floating shelves. Whichever you go with, make sure that you properly secure your shelves to the walls. I started collecting bookcases when I had decided on the floor plan for this room - some were old bookcases passed down by my grandmother, a couple were ones I've carried from house to house, some were from a State Hospital sale used to keep patients records, and the rest were ordered online to have some uniformity in the middle. I didn't need all bookcases to look the same, I wanted them to hold books.
3. Support Your Floors
Any book lover knows that books can get heavy. The book you took on vacation nearly put your suitcase over the weight limit. The same thinking goes for the floors of your new library. Make sure they can fully support the weight of bookshelves and their load. You wouldn’t want the floor to sag or give way. Consult with a general contractor for help. In my case, I set up the room on the bottom floor which has a concrete foundation under the flooring and sub flooring. Just make sure you disperse the weight evenly and you'll be fine in any room. If the shelves are supported to the walls, as mentioned in last step, that will help with weight.
4. Set the Mood
Each reader is different, and each likes a certain ambiance during reading time. How do you want to feel in your library? And pick a suitable color to create that environment. If you like the enveloping, rich feeling of old-time libraries, deep reds or luxurious browns may be your style. Or maybe you like bright and cheery genres and want your library to be airy and relaxing in a light blue, hint of yellow or off-white? Creating the space of your dreams starts with the colors. I used darker colors, with off white lighting - part recessed, part lamps (and even a lighted globe) - it works for my personality, make sure it works for you!
5. A Place to Sit and Read
After you’ve chosen the color, assess your space. You don’t read standing up, so decide what kind of seating you’d like and for how many. Chairs? Tables? Sofas? Make sure they all fit in comfortably with room for lights—either overhead or floor and table lamps. If you feel tight on space, a window seat with storage for books is a two-in-one! I added comfy chairs, throw rugs, pillows, and antique tables and stands, again fitting my personality, and making me want to sit and read (isn't that what a library is all about?!)
6. Go Up
If you are lacking space and wondering just how to fit all of your books in one spot, utilize the height of your room. Go with floor-to-ceiling shelving and get inventive where to put your books. Like under a window seat or a table with storage shelves. One creative space that looks absolutely stunning is building shelves above the doorway. Just don’t forget a classic library ladder so you can reach those top shelves. I went up with my bookcases, making sure they were secure to the walls, but didn't add a ladder, feeling that limited my space, and wasn't needed because of my height, but that's your choice.
7. Get the Right Shelves
You won’t want your bookshelves to sag, so make sure you buy the proper ones. A 36” long shelf should be at least 1” thick. Go thicker if it’s longer. A good idea is to get adjustable shelves, too, so you can accommodate short paperbacks and tall coffee table books alike without wasting space. In the past, I added blocks to keep shelves from sagging, but finally found bookcases that were more sturdy. In my bookstores, I actually built and refurbished bookcases, but in my house I wanted something that while eclectic was also functional for my needs, which could be in place for years!
8. Maximize Shelf Space
Stacking books two deep is a great way to save space, but it comes with a problem: you can’t read the titles of the deeper books. There’s a DIY fix for that! Collect the empty boxes from wax paper, plastic wrap or tinfoil rolls and, keep the roll inside for support, and wrap them in acid-free paper. Then place them in your bookshelves (cutting them to fit if needed) and stack that second row on top! This was the most unique way to using all available space that I could find, but I decided on layering books by alphabet, and keeping track of all books on LibraryThing. It's the best organizing program out there, it's free, easy to use, has a scanner and light on its app, and I love it. Now you know what you have in your library, with the bonus being that you don't buy duplicates on your next book run to the store!
9. How to Clean Your Books
When you have a large collection, or small, sometimes you get pests trying to make a feast of your literary treasures. At the very least, they attract a lot of dust. Regularly cleaning them will keep pests out and keep you from sneezing while you read. Remove books before cleaning a shelf with a soft cloth and some polish. As you place them back vertically with their spines facing outward for support, wipe them down with a clean microfiber cloth or vacuum them. I use a duster, light cleaning polish and even a vacuum to make sure my books and the room look good. It made me decide to get rid of old library books, because of their condition, the cut barcode pages, and that they tended to look less pristine in the collection, but that's your choice!
10. Organize Your Library
There’s no right way to organize your books. And you can reorganize them as many times as you want. Play with it until you find a system that works for you. Forget the Dewey Decimal system and arrange them by genre, alphabetically or even color! You can place your stack of “to-read” or your favorites at eye level for easy access and your kids’ books lower where they can reach them. We do recommend separating paperbacks from hardcovers and not piling books on top of vertically stacked ones, but other than that, do whatever works for you! Because of the number of bookcases I have, I had decided on genre and interest. Fiction and Non-Fiction take up the largest part of the collection, but I added Signed/First Editions, Recents (for whatever I've picked up in my TBR collection before they become part of the rest of the library), Scholarly (books I'm currently using for my writing, research or classes), History, Politics, Religion, Collectibles, Sports, Crafts and Hobbies, Education, Books about Books, and Paperbacks, but you decide what works for you!
I've included a couple resources below that may help/inspire you create your own library - good luck and book on....
I don't have room for a library, but these are some good hints.
ReplyDeleteLove the image topping this page.
ReplyDeleteGreat library ideas.
My Working in Words blog site has the same background. I love the books.
Visiting from the A-Z Challenge. ((I'm doing five blog sites this time around.)
Here's one:
Nickers and Ink Poetry and Humor