How To Create The Perfect Home Library And Reading Room

For the avid reader or bibliophile, a perfect home should always come with a perfect library. Collecting your favourite volumes together in one place and creating a space where you can enjoy them is a quiet kind of bliss.  A library doesn’t have to take up a whole room of the house; it can be a curated corner with shelves and a comfortable chair to curl up in. However, a library can be more than simply a few flat-pack shelf units overstuffed with paperbacks.  Designed well, your home library and reading room can be a sanctuary of literary joy. We take a look at the essentials of a bookish escape within your own four walls.

How can you get started designing your home library?

Start by choosing a location

One of the first steps is to decide where you want to store your books. This may depend on the number of them and how big your home is, but often a library can be included as part of an existing snug, study or lounge area.  Lining a hallway or your home’s main thoroughfare with shelving is one way to go but will lack the comfortable relaxation you are aiming for. Make sure the space has enough room for at least one reading chair, perhaps a side table and a standing lamp to read by.  This can even be a converted attic or a cosy nook on the landing, where you can hide from the world. 

Use all of the available space

Homes come in different designs and can differ greatly; a one-size-fits-all approach is unlikely to be the best option. Not all rooms are box-shaped, so the library will need to be bespoke to maximise all the available space.  While the design of your library will be at the mercy of architecture, getting creative can help you make the most of it and provide something that is interesting to the eye.  For example, using the eaves and alcoves of a room or using shelving that wraps around doorways or under stairs.  Books also come in many different sizes, and you will need shelving that accommodates that. You may want to include places where art objects, mementoes and decorative pieces can be displayed alongside your books.  Use all the awkward spaces for those awkwardly sized tomes, the oversized art books or the pocket-sized volumes.  Cupboards can also be included to hold board games or paperwork, personal and precious items. 

Use colour for your shelves

You may want to stick with a traditional woodgrain for your shelving, reminiscent of stacks in grand old European libraries. Dark-stained oaks, ash, or natural pine colours are time-honoured options for a library.  Or, you could go for a modern take and use colour for your shelving, perhaps deep blues and greens, or clean paler tones. Match your shelving to the existing décor in your room, or if the space permits it, use colour as clear demarcation of space. 

Make it more than storage

Creating a place where you can read a book in peace is one of the goals for a home library. To make it more than just storage, add seating and soft furnishings.  Think about the details you might want to include to make it even more homely. Light to read by might come in the form of lamps for the ambience. Small tables can play host to books in progress and steaming coffee mugs.

How can bespoke furniture help you create a home library?

For a library and reading nook that feels truly yours, it needs to be tailored to your home and your needs. That is where Day & Knight’s design team can provide the bespoke furniture and high-quality craftsmanship that your home library or bespoke study deserves.  Measured precisely, each shelf, cupboard and drawer is designed to make the most of every inch of space. Elegant detailing in handles, wood finishes and recessed lighting for shelves can bring a luxurious feel to the furnishings as well as being practical.  If your home library needs to hold more than books and needs to function as an office space or study, a bespoke home office desk can be incorporated. Ergonomically designed it can be adjusted to your needs to make your work or hobby more pleasurable.  The bespoke storage options do not only include shelving, but can be used to hide computer wires, screens and sockets. That way you can have a clutter-free space when you log off to enjoy your downtime.  For library spaces that have a window, plush bespoke seating can be incorporated into the design, giving you a snug, yet light-filled place to read.  If you are considering turning a room or even a corner of a room into a home library, get in touch with Day & Knight to talk through your design ideas.