10 Design Shelving Ideas for Book Lovers

The World Book Day has been 2 weeks ago, but It’s never too late to give book lovers some inspiration, for their shelving design. We’ve gathered 10 images of the best ways designers have stored books.

HOME CAFE, CHINA, BY PENDA

Starting with a modular system made from steel forms, the partitions of this cafe in Beijing by Penda are populated by wooden boxes designed to store books and display plants.

BARN CONVERSION, BELGIUM, BY STUDIO FARRIS ARCHITECTS

A Jenga-like structure in Studio Farris Architects’ renovation forms a staircase with an integrated workspace. It has overhanging shelves and cupboards for the client’s books.

PEDRO REYES’ HOUSE, MEXICO, BY PEDRO REYES

This one is the wall of the lounge in the sculptor Pedro Reyes’ Mexico City home. As we can see, he has a huge double-height bookcase made from concrete slabs, with a gallery space accessed by cantilevered steps.

SILVIA ALLORI’S HOUSE, ITALY, BY SILVIA ALLORI

Silvia Allori’s self-designed apartment in Florence has holes in the walls, forming a customizable bookshelf. Another bookcase is hidden behind a fold-down panel, that opens to form a desk.

THE PLYWOOD TRIO APARTMENT, SPAIN, BY BUJ+COLÓN ARQUITECTOS

Buj+Colón Arquitectos, when redesigning an apartment in Madrid, added a plywood staircase with built-in cupboards below each tread for the client to store books and magazines.

BLOOM BY RAW EDGES

This London design duo – Raw Edges – has a bookcase with wooden frame, that resembles a weaving loom. It allows books to be slotted over red threads and held at varying heights by sliding stoppers.

LIYUAN LIBRARY, CHINA, BY LI XIAODONG

This small library in Liyuan stores its book collection within its chunky timber framework, including a stepped platform with integrated shelves that double as seating for readers.

BOOKSHELF HOUSE, FRANCE, BY ANDREA MOSCA

The architect Andrea Mosca added stepped bookcases to help divide and characterize this Parisian house for a client.

OSAKA OFFICE, JAPAN, BY NIKKEN SPACE DESIGN

Nikken Sekkei has a self-designed office in Osaka, that features a bleacher-inspired bookcase. This shelving faces floor-to-ceiling windows, overlooking the city skyline, encouraging workers to sit and read.

MUSWELL HILL HOME, UK, BY TAMIR ADDADI ARCHITECTURE

This staircase was introduced in London, by Tamir Addadi Architecture. The books can be displayed within compartments, made from shelving rails, fixed between wooden panels.