Everyone dreams of owning a library like that from the animated movie “Beauty and the Beast.” It is known that a library gives a house a sense of sophistication and intelligence that few other touches can. It shows that the owners value knowledge and treasure wisdom enough to stockpile and organize it within their home. This can have a powerful effect on the way visitors perceive you, raising your status and respect to new heights.
Unfortunately, most people don’t believe they have the resources or even add a library to their home. However, a library is an effortless design with only three necessary elements: books, shelves, and space. Once you have them, any room, even part of a room, can be transformed into a repository of knowledge and wisdom. In this way, creating a library is simply the strategic implementation of these three elements into the existing design of your home.
Space
A library should ideally have its room. This prevents the space from becoming confused and losing focus. However, not everyone can devote as much space to such an undertaking. However, it is possible to create a room that is both a library and serves other necessary purposes. In some cases, as in a computer room, non-literary materials such as DVDs, CDs, or cassettes can be integrated with books to create a homogeneous space. The computer can be placed in a small corner as if it were a reference document. In this way, you allow the room to maintain its identity as a library. Another example is a games room, where board games are stacked and filed next to the books, and where the game table can be used as a reading surface.
Even in rooms that cannot be passed off as pure libraries, such as a bedroom or laundry room, it is still possible to decorate with books. This involves covering the walls of the shelf space with books and using books as the room’s wall decoration, rather than wallpaper or paint. This can take an otherwise ordinary or boring space and turn it into a refined and elegant destination. If done in a bedroom, it will bring the respect and sophistication of a library into the home while taking up much less space.
If you have an entire room for your library, the ideal space will have few windows or other elements on the walls. Such structures are difficult to place on shelves and can complicate the decor of the area. Space doesn’t have to be huge, although a large room creates an impressive display when books are stacked up to the ceiling. It would help if you also considered that you want a quiet, clean space with a hard floor to support the shelving, free of moisture and mold.
Shelving
There are three types of shelving that you can use to create your library. Built-in shelving has the most finished look but is also expensive and requires architectural installation. The most economical and least permanent options are freestanding and suspended shelving.
Freestanding bookcases can be as elegant as you are willing to pay for. If you buy them all at the same time, you should be able to get matching sets, which will give the room a more finished look. The only problem with these units is that they have predefined shapes and sizes, which don’t always fit into the spaces you use. Also, they rarely rise to the ceiling, leaving valuable storage space unused in your library.
Hanging shelves are the least expensive option and offer the most flexibility in your designs. Unfortunately, the freedom they provide can also lend itself to chaos if they are not installed precisely. To maintain the appearance of professionalism, these units must be suspended in precise, straight lines and linear columns.
Books
Books are the content that will fill out your library’s form. The type of literature you choose depends entirely on your tastes, although you should know that those to whom you show the library will probably read a sample of the titles in your collection and make a judgment about you based on that. For this reason, rare and expensive volumes should be displayed prominently, in positions of honor, while less essential books are relegated to the shelves.
Second-hand bookstores are an excellent place to find cheap books that can fill your library. You can get many books at discounted prices, and they often sell large lots in bulk, at an even more significant discount. You can also check yard sales and online stores for special offers on literature for your space.
Library Accessories
There are many items you can use to decorate your library. Many of them can help solidify the mood you are trying to create and make the room a more personal creation. Some items, such as a living room, chairs, or even a plush rug, are custom-made to be placed and poured over your favorite book. Others, such as globes, antique maps, and historical objects, can be impressive displays that add grandeur and power to the room’s decor.
Unlike most rooms where the walls control the mood, the walls are covered with books in a bookcase. That’s why you need to focus on small, large, shelf type objects such as statues and freestanding displays.
A library is not so difficult to set up in your home, even if you don’t have much space. The main things you need to consider are books, shelves, and freedom. As far as the atmosphere is concerned, you have the choice to give your library a look you want. What you choose will dictate how the room will be used and enjoyed.
