DIY Home Library Design Ideas

Many bookworms dream of having a beautiful home library where they can proudly show off their collection. While you may not be able to turn your library into a massive room with floor-to-ceiling shelves and rolling ladders, you can still design your home library to be a comfortable place to curl up with a book. Having a home library does not necessarily mean that the entire room needs to be devoted to books; you can do much more with it. If you are looking for home library design ideas as your next DIY project, we have put this list together to give you some inspiration to help you carve out a library anywhere in your home.

Upgrade a Corridor

If you are having trouble finding space for your home library, you can upgrade a corridor in your home to house your library. You can add a bookshelf to the end of a hallway or stairs landing, giving something that you walk through daily a unique element you can enjoy. Paint your bookshelf in a striking color that will stand out and grab attention to ensure your collection is always seen and appreciated.

If there is enough space at the end of the hallway or on the landing, you can even make that a little reading nook; just add some cushions next to the shelf to curl up on when reading.

Create a Secret Library

If you want to get really creative with your home library design, you can take a room you do not use much and make it a secret. Turn the door to the room into its bookshelf that you push on to open, revealing a room full of books and a comfortable place to sit. This design idea can give your home library a magical feeling.

Use Mirrors

If you want to give your home library the illusion that it is multi-level with floor-to-ceiling shelves, you can put a mirror on the ceiling. This will make it look like your library just goes on forever, and it gives it a magical feeling that you can only get when in a huge library.

If you want to make the room look bigger along the walls instead of the ceiling, add a mirror to one of the walls to extend the room and make it seem huge.

Floating Library Shelves

If you have some hardback copies of books that are sturdy, instead of adding shelves, you can turn the books themselves into shelves. You just attach the bottom of a book to an L bracket for hanging a shelf, then stack a few books on top of that one. Every five or so books, put in another bracket. You will make it look like your books are just stacked on top of each other, but it is much more secure than that.

Fireside Library

Curling up next to the fire with a good book is a great feeling, so having your library in a room with a fireplace is a great idea. If you do not have a fireplace, you can add an electric heater that looks like a fireplace. Choose a big wall and build some bookshelves, with a fireplace in the middle of it. To give the fireplace an authentic look, install a faux stone fireplace surround. That will give you a classic look and feel, but it is more affordable, and you can DIY this design idea in a few hours.

Use Your Open Space

If you have a small house, you might not have enough space to dedicate an entire room to your library, but there are other options. You can add some shelves to the rooms of your home, along the top of the doors. Since there is no room for furniture along the tops of doors and that high up on walls, it should not get in the way of your other belongings, and it is a unique feature to look up and see books lining the top of the wall. It is also much easier to expand your display this way as your book collection grows. You can also put the shelves on top of windows or even frame windows with the books to your view an upgrade. Another way to implement a design idea like this is to put a bookshelf next to a door and extend the shelves to go over the door.

Double Up

Do you have a dining room or spare bedroom that does not get used often? That can easily be the home of your library too. Why not use the space to house the things you love in a space that you otherwise might not spend much time in? Add a comfy chair or a chaise lounge to that area, and you can have a little reading area too.

Create a Book Nook

If you have a coat or storage closet that you are not using much, you can turn it into a little book nook. Add some shelves to the closet and put in a bench seat with a comfy cushion to curl up on. If you want to be able to hide your nook when it is not in use, keep the door to the closet or add a sliding door. This is a great way to utilize space you are not currently using.

Add Artwork

You do not have to choose between putting up bookshelves and hanging up your artwork. It is easy enough to hang up art on your bookshelves. That way, you can still access and see your books but enjoy your art at the same time.

Enjoy the Tub

Do you love reading in the tub? Add some of your favorites to it. While this sounds risky, if your bathtub is a tub only and does not double as a shower, you can add a bookshelf to the inner wall and give it some glass doors to protect the books. Install some extra lighting and add a little end table that you can put a drink and your current book on, and you are all set!