How Do I Design a Built-In Bookcase?
Built-in bookshelves give your books the respect they deserve by keeping them off the floor, window sills and any other place where you may stack them. Collecting all your books in one place and arranging them by subject or author means that you can always find what you're looking for and won't buy duplicate books. Design your bookcase to accommodate all the different sizes of books you have as well as any other treasured objects and photos that you want to display. Does this Spark an idea?
Other People Are Reading
Instructions
-
-
1
Draw an outline diagram of the bookcase space. If it's not a rectangular space, include all the different angles and shapes.
-
2
Measure the space in which you want to build the bookcase. Measure the height from the floor to the ceiling, or to where the top of the bookcase will be. Measure the width of the bookcase space. Write the measurements on your diagram to form your plan.
-
-
3
Collect all the items that you want to place in the bookcase. As well as books, include any ornaments or photos as well as vases, candles and other items to display.
-
4
Decide on the depth of the shelves and write this on the plan. Deeper shelves can hold both paperback and coffee-table-type books, but shallower shelves just for paperbacks take up less space.
-
5
Divide your items into groups, one for each shelf. Decide which books and display items go together. For efficient use of the shelf space, group books that are the same height together for placement in the same shelf.
-
6
Draw lines horizontally across your diagram to represent the placement of your shelves. Space shelves far enough apart to hold your tallest books and display items. If you have only a few tall books, consider laying them on their sides instead of standing upright, so you can have more shelves with a smaller distance between them.
-
7
Look for any horizontal lines, such as fireplace mantels and window sills, in the room in which your bookcase will be. Draw in shelves on the plan to continue these horizontal lines, to establish continuity in your room's design.
-
8
Take another look at your bookshelf items and decide whether you want to store some of them out of sight. Draw doors on the shelves in your diagram that you want to turn into cupboards, and consider installing drawers on other shelves. If you're going to hide some items in storage boxes or containers, choose them to match your home's decor.
-
9
Select the material for your built-in bookcase. Match any wood that you already have in the room, and use trim for the top and bottom of the shelving that matches your baseboards or ceiling molding. Decide whether to build a back on the bookcase or have the wall behind it showing through.
-
10
Switch on the lights in the room and check that you have enough light to highlight the bookcase contents for ambiance as well as enough task lighting so that you can see to select items from the bookshelf. If needed, include some small bookcase lights in your plan.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
Use adjustable shelving so that your bookcase design can change when you change or rearrange the contents.
The shelves don't have to be evenly spaced; unevenly spaced shelves add visual interest to the bookcase.
Paint the back of the bookcase, or the wall behind an open bookcase, a contrasting color to highlight the books and display items.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit Jupiterimages/Photos.com/Getty Images
