Whether you’re searching for a place to showcase your favourite novels or need extra storage, a sturdy yet stylish bookcase could be the missing piece of furniture your home needs.
Think beyond your home office and get inspired by our ideas and helpful styling tips for making the most of bookcases in different rooms of your home.
Bookcases for your living room
The bookcase is one of the focal points of your living space and should be a feature that both relaxes and inspires. Naturally, the bookcase’s shape, colour, and style will need to complement the space.
French Farmhouse bookcase | @hausfifteen
Whether you’re a fastidious alphabetiser, a colour-coder, or prefer a more relaxed approach, your library tells a story about your household’s tastes and interests. It’s also a great reminder to make the time to revisit that unfinished novel from last summer’s holiday, or finally get around to reading your book club choices. If your home includes children, the lower shelves can be used for their books, toys, or games.
Parquet bookcase | @casaoldcorn
If you’ve become a digital purist or simply aren’t a book person, there are plenty of other ways to fill the space. Stories don’t just live in books, after all. Why not display some lush greenery or fresh flowers, souvenirs from your travels, or photos of loved ones? If you’ve got plenty of trinkets but aren’t sure how to arrange them, take a look at these top tips…
- Stick to a colour palette to reduce that cluttered shelf feeling
- Mix old and new objects you love that tell a story
- Balance different shapes and heights to add interest and depth
Bookcases for the bedroom
Newton bookcase | Newton bedside table | @littlehouseinlondon
As one of the most private spaces in your home, your bedroom is the ideal place to create a relaxed display of your belongings. Before filling every inch of the shelves, consider how your bed fits in with your bookcase. Will it be the first thing you want to see when you wake up, or would it be better placed behind you, or to one side? Would it benefit from some ambient lighting, some succulents, or lavender plants to help you sleep? If you’re an avid reader, keep your favourite books close at hand on your bedside table.
French Farmhouse bookcase | @rocking_the_cotswolds
For those with children, adding a bookcase is a must. Not only is it an ideal storage space for kids’ books and toys, but it can also house sleep-training clocks, piggy banks, family or school photos, certificates, and awards.
Bookcases for the kitchen/dining room
Original Rustic bookcase | @no.50_licolnshirehome
There’s something special about cooking a recipe from a physical book. Not to mention the sheer pleasure of scribbling ideas in the margins or tucking Post-it notes in pages to mark up dishes for the future. Alongside providing inspiration, a well-stacked shelf of cookery books is simply lovely to look at. Even the most modest kitchen or dining space presents an opportunity to nudge a bookshelf between appliances and fixtures. Done well, it can provide valuable storage and space-saving opportunities.
In addition to stacking your crockery, you can hang pans, utensils and gadgets from the shelf edge, fasten reminder boards or calendars on the side, and house your favourite spices and condiments.
How to use a bookcase as a room divider
Some creative thinking can help you make a success of a bookcase even in the most challenging spaces. Use yours as a room divider for an office space, to separate a dining and living room, to provide children who share a room with more privacy, or simply to give different members of your household space to enjoy their own activities. Open shelving, like the Maine bookcase, is perfect for creating a subtle divide without fully enclosing the space.
Have we missed anything? If you’ve found a creative way to use a bookcase in your home, we’d love to know. Share your tips and photos with us over on Instagram using #OakFurnitureland #GrowYourHome, and don’t forget to follow us for more how-to guides and decor inspiration.
