What do you do if you have limited space in your home, but a large selection of books? How can you make your interior appear streamlined and spacious, without downsizing your beloved collection?
Books really give a room character. Being surrounded by your favourite books can be a source of optimism and delight, memories and emotions. And that’s even before taking them off the shelf!
But in a small space they can make a room feel heavy and cluttered. And filling a compact room wall to wall with uniform bookshelves can overwhelm it.
Get creative with shelving
One trick is to get more creative with the space in your home. Consider unused areas where you might never have thought to add shelves.
Can you place a shelf above a door or window? How about along the length of wall in your hallway or above your sofa? Are there any empty recesses where you could add a few shelves?
Built-in shelves
Take a look at this room. Designed by Castro Design Studio, it contains so many ideas for innovative storage solutions.
Alcoves have been created to incorporate lots of built-in shelving above, below and on either side of the windows. Rather than taking space away from the room, this design actually gives the room a feeling of depth. And if you just add a few cushions, you’ll also have a beautiful window seat.
The shelves over the doorway make use of an area that would otherwise be wasted. And taking the adjustable shelving almost up to the ceiling makes full use of the height of the wall space.
The mix of fixed and adjustable shelf options also helps the room from feeling too uniform. It adds interest and flexibility.
Another clever element of this design is painting the shelves white – the same colour as the walls and ceiling. So they appear to recede, rather than dominate the room.
Also notice the contemporary coving around the room. Not only does it add decorative interest, but it also conceals the transition where the bookshelves end and the ceiling begins. This make the room appear larger and more spacious.
Sometimes, working with the constraints of a small space, can actually lead to a more interesting interior. So get inspired and see what innovative storage ideas you can come up with.
What elements do you like about the room design above?
Do you store your books in any creative ways?
Please tell me in the comments below …
The shelf really looks unique and it really minimize the space in your house.