Many of us who grew up with a love of literature remember watching Disney’s Beauty and the Beast and sighing with longing when the Beast offers Belle her own library. An entire, beautiful room entirely dedicated to reading. It’s a fairy tale come true.
We don’t all live in a castle, but we can still live out the dream of having a library without breaking the bank. Our tips and tricks for designing a home library will help you make your literary dream a reality.
Peruse Your Collection
If you’re looking for tips to design a home library, chances are you already have a decent-sized book collection. And your collection is where you should start. After all, the library’s primary purpose is to house your books, so how many books, as well as their size, will inform your design choices.
Take an inventory and decide how many shelves you will need to hold your collection. Will it be enough to have a single wall of shelves, or will it need to wrap around the entire room? Also, keep the future growth of your collection in mind.
Choose an Aesthetic
When people think of a “home library,” some think of Beauty and the Beast, but others think of a Clue board. There are countless looks you can use to design a home library, and deciding on the mood you want to convey will help. Here are a few common library aesthetics.
Dark Academia
The dark academia aesthetic calls to mind the wealthy libraries of the aristocrats of yesteryear or Ivy League college libraries. They’re usually associated with polished wood, rich, dark jewel tones, antique furniture, and old-fashioned motifs, like vintage maps, ships in bottles, and classical artwork.
Sleek Modern
Modern aesthetics tend to value neutral tones, open floor plans, and bright natural lighting. This is perfect for those who don’t want to make an aesthetic leap from one room to another.
Cheery and Colorful
Books don’t have to be dull and professional. After all, they open doors to fantastical worlds—and some choose to make their libraries reflect it. The foundation of this aesthetic is fun—choose bright colors for the walls and furniture, put in flooring that’s perfect for sitting on, or organize your books on the shelf by spine color.
Light Up the Room
Lighting is important in every space, but especially in home libraries. How else will you be able to see the page? How you light your space will depend on the aesthetic you choose. But you can maximize natural light by favoring light-colored, higher-gloss paints, so keep that in mind when purchasing paint colors online.
Also, you can help let more light into the room by favoring light, airy window trimmings. Wall mirrors will also reflect more light, making the room seem brighter.