How to Design a Home Library

When designing a home library, you need three basic elements: space, shelves and books. Custom build a new room or choose an existing spacious room to house your books. You need to work with the space to design the library of your dreams.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Determine your goals in storing and displaying your books. Decide if you want a purely functional library or one that also has some aesthetic value.

2. Search the Internet for architecture and interior design ideas. Many websites and blogs have photo archives of famous and functional personal libraries. Get some inspiration from these sources and also from books.

3. Make sure that the room's floors are strong enough to support the weight of heavy, book-laden shelves and that the room is not located in or around an area that is susceptible to moisture and mold accumulation.

4. Consider using a motif to guide architectural designs. Many designers base their home libraries on the lines and symmetry of Spanish, Victorian and Renaissance architecture.

5. Experiment with different design elements. Don't be afraid to mix and match architectural elements even if you plan to have your home library revolve around one central theme.

6. Decide on shelving. Recessed shelving has an elegant feel and doesn't interfere with a room's space, but a professional will need to install it. Free standing shelves can be adjusted and purchased in many different materials, colors and heights, but they infringe on the room's space. Hanging shelves offer you the freedom of deciding their exact positions, but they need to be purchased in bulk and carefully installed along perfectly even lines across walls.

7. Find ways to maximize the space in your home library. No matter what your chosen architectural elements, great home library design balances space with your personal home library needs. Plan ahead and purchase very high shelves for a growing collection. Tall shelves create more space in a home library design and also give it a professional look.

8. Use preliminary design tools like sketches and color swatches to help you visualize the final result of your home library. Meticulously planning your home library design before creating it can spare you the hassle of having to correct expensive mistakes.

Tips & Warnings

• Remember that your home library should be designed for you. Old notions of what a home library is and should be need to be cast aside when designing a home library that is to function as your personal sanctuary.
• Commission the help of a professional architect or interior designer to help turn your ideas into reality. The help of a professional can simplify the task of designing a home library.
• When choosing a room for your library, a spacious, empty room with bare walls to set shelves against is better than any occupied room.
• While fireplaces can give an extra classic touch, it's best to exercise caution when including them in a home library designs. Fireplaces can pose a threat to your valuable collections.