It is every bibliophile’s dream to have their own custom home library. If you were ever left awed by that iconic scene in Beauty and the Beast, you know how incredible an experience walking into a room and being surrounded by books can be. Ready to show off your book collection and have a place of silence and solitude to enjoy a good novel? We’re here to help you design a home library that will impress visitors and give you a cozy place to read.
Be Smart with Shelves
Step one of designing any library is ensuring that all of your books have a place to live. Naturally, this means installing bookshelves, and lots of them. To make the most of the room’s space, we suggest installing floor-to-ceiling shelves. This way you can fit as many books as possible instead of wasting space high up or down low.
Of course, if you’re vertically-challenged, you might need to install a rolling ladder or have a stepstool on-hand so you can fetch that novel you’ve been meaning to read from the top shelf.
Also keep in mind that books come in all shapes and sizes, so you might find it most practical to install adjustable shelves rather than fixed shelves. This way you have more leeway and freedom to determine which books should go where. However, if fixed shelves are preferred, you can still stack too-tall books on their sides. This creates more visual interest while not wasting space or leaving the books in a pile elsewhere.
Install Proper Lighting
We’ve been told that reading in dim light can cause eye damage.. While this has been proven false, bad lighting can cause eye strain that makes them hurt. So if you’re a person who wants to sit in your home library and read for hours non-stop, you’ll want good lighting.
One option you could consider is installing large windows or a skylight to let in lots of natural light. Depending on which way the room faces, this could provide you with the perfect amount of reading light during the day. If natural light isn’t an option, or if you’re someone who prefers to read at night, table and floor lamps are a great alternative. If you really want your library to make a statement, however, you could install an elegant chandelier to fill the room with light.
Generate Ideal Conditions for Your Books
A true bibliophile understands that books are precious. While good books naturally endure some wear and tear from being well-read, if you’re building a home library, you’ll need to consider how to keep your collection in good condition. This is especially important if you have any old or rare books that you’d like to preserve.
For starters, you don’t want the room to be too warm when you’re not using it. It’s good to be warm and cozy while you’re sitting in the library reading, but otherwise keep the room relatively cool, or at least down at room temperature. It’s also vital to keep the room relatively dry, with about 35% humidity. This all means that you should ensure your room is climate-controlled and well-ventilated.
If you’re a book lover planning on remodeling your house, you should ensure that a custom home library is in the plans. When you’re making these plans, be sure to consult with us, and we’ll lead you through the remodeling experience to ensure your dream becomes a reality.
