Living with books: design solution series

Storage is a critical consideration for every object in our homes, none more so than the humble book. Incorporating good design into our homes creates new contexts and new ways to interact with the objects that inhabit the spaces we share. Rather than just performing a utilitarian function, storage (book accommodation in this case) can be playful, inspired and sometimes wacky!

Whether you are building and have scope to integrate some funky book shelves into your new home or even if the structure of your home is already set there are plenty of ways to create some interest, fun and drama with a well chosen book shelf.

As the Roman philosopher Cicero famously coined “A room without books is like a body without a soul” and there are certainly as many different ways to display your books as there are souls. So we have put a few together to whet your appetite:

Built in bookshelves

This low slung cement shelf has an elegant feel.

A simple yet effective in-built unit maintains a clean finish.

This minimal shelving system is beautifully built into the bones of the building, with the books becoming part of the fabric of the walls.

Making clever use of dead space on a stair case.

And here is another example from our Prahran project

A double height built-in feature book case in our Eaglemont project

Playful designs

Bookshelves don’t have to be all serious and stern, here are a few light hearted examples.

Through the clever use of tree branches this book shelf effectively incorporates organic surfaces and lines.

Here is a fun way to display books, a great addition to any kids bedroom to grow the love of reading.

This clever design elevates a once static utilitarian object into a kinetic work of art.

Here is a cheeky little number for those small wall spaces that could use a little brightening up.

These next two examples certainly show that book shelves do not have to be all right angles.

If drilling a 1000 holes for pegs is not your idea of fun, or is beyond your patience level, then try something simpler like this modular bookshelf that allows you to create your own unique book shelf.

Modular storage designs

Dust off your Play Plax building skills and have a go at this one

Colour & contrast

Using a darker colour for the structure really highlights lighter books and objects allowing them to reallyPop’.

The sculptural black pipes on this piece act like a visual 3D drawing against the white washed walls, with the books adding some welcome colour to the restrained palette.

This hefty backlit unit really is a statement piece!

Two examples of how bookshelves can perfectly frame the books as artworks themselves.

Space defining

Beautiful book shelves are a great way to define large spaces into smaller zones.

This elegant glass and black steel shelf can act as a semi-transparent room divider, not only to hold your books and curios, but also to help define living areas in open plan spaces.

This shelving system creates a great tension uniting the floor and ceiling.

Easy installation ideas

For the less technically gifted or needing a quick fix.

Tight on space? This attractive column unit can stand at the end of a wall or in an unused corner of a room.

This quirky shelf system is designed to be installed by a simple screw mechanism, similar to temporary shower curtains, that takes only minutes to put up and looks very striking, certainly a talking point for any room.

Display options

Here are a few different display ideas for your walls.

A cantilevered shallow book shelf can make a great alternative to hammering nails into the wall for displaying beautiful prints, it also has the added advantage of allowing you to play around with moving the images and displaying small 3D objects.

A simple yet elegant design compliments the minimal and earthy feel of this room.

A randomised wall of books helps to create visual interest.

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