Monday, March 1, 2010

Q&A: Overdue Library Makeovers

Q:

Hi Jackie!


I was inspired by your before-and-after that took an ordinary dining room and turned it into a personal library. I want to do something unique with my book collection too. Any suggestions?



A:

Thanks! I'm glad you liked our "bookworm's retreat." Kindles and Nooks are pretty awesome, but there's nothing like a big bookcase full of your favorite works. Having a Kindle sitting alone on an empty shelf doesn't exactly have the same effect.


If your library is overdue for a makeover, check out these ideas...


A new bookshelf


I know, duh, this is an obvious one. But when you go bookshelf shopping, you don't have to settle for just another box o' horizontal boards. Here are a few unique shelves:




This bookshelf from Munkii mixes a modern outline with a faux antique silhouette




The StairCASE from Danny Kuo offers lots more vertical storage - plus a way to get up there!




Umbra's popular "conceal" bookshelf makes your books float in the middle of your wall




Add color to the back of the bookshelf


If you're working with shelves with no backing, like the wall-mounted shelves in our "bookworm's retreat" or like IKEA's EXPEDIT, adding color that peeks through from behind your books is easy -- just paint the wall behind it! If you're working with a piece of furniture with a backing, you can always paint, wallpaper, or mount non-traditional covering like wrapping paper or fabric to the back panel of the shelf.





From Apartment Therapy: New York




IKEA also offers BILLY bookcases with built-in patterns




Rearrange your books


Unless you're hardcore about keeping your Dewey Decimal System intact, you can rethink the way you shelve your books. Experiment with stacking them horizontally instead of just vertically, or arrange them by cover color instead of title. It also leads to some interesting shelf-mates. Did you know that the Kama Sutra is just one shade darker than Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban...?




Flickr user chotda's "bookshelf spectrum" is literally a reading rainbow...




While on Apartment Therapy: Los Angeles, they chose to keep things pearly white.



There are as many ways to shake things up as there are "Choose Your Own Adventure" book endings. (DAMN I loved those books!) Even if it's for your collection of trashy romance novels, having a cool and unusual way of displaying them can make your library less stuffy and more fun.



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