I’m pretty sure I’ve handled this topic before, because at some point I was contemplating doing a loft conversion in my house in Maidenhead – I wanted to have my office and library up there. I’m glad I didn’t do it in the end, because it would have been very expensive and unlikely to be appreciated by most potential buyers. (Of course, for us book nerds, it would have been the clincher!). In a family of tall people, I’m not sure that low ceilings are terribly practical, but I stayed at a friend’s house in London in August and her guest room in the loft conversion was perfect for my size. So it can be done!
A sort of game den and TV room – this is the type of conversion I saw a lot of when searching for houses to rent in France. This one is the States, I believe. From The Loft Room.
The height and beams of this one look very similar to my loft in the UK, and what a nice office it could have been. From Self-build.co.uk
Smaller nook but nicely combined with a balcony, from resi.com
Another clever use of small spaces and balconies, from Italy, from FAKRO
An escape room where you can listen to music and read in peace, from Edinburgh. John Webster Architecture.
For the truly aspirational in terms of height (and I suspect somewhat enhanced by AI or terrible beige taste). From Pinterest.
This feels like a #FridayFun post, but, for a change, it’s not about escapism and ideal libraries. It’s about a hard-earned library, after 50 years of collecting (I include some books I had as a child) and moving around between countries, with accommodation ranging from tiny rooms to four-bedroom houses – at last count, probably at least 28-29 moves that involved books (so not counting any short-term stays of just a couple of months). After a massive purge before I left the UK (donating to charity and friends, leaving some of my sons’ books with their father), and without counting the books that are still at my parents’ house (and will remain there forevermore), I estimate that I have around 3500 books here, so I was very worried whether they’d all fit into just two walls full of shelves. It turns out they do… and I even have a couple of small shelves left over for any future… ahem, plans!
I had already earmarked this room as the study/library/guestroom. But when my boxes arrived, I started having doubts as to whether I would ever see the light at the end of the tunnel (or have a clear balcony again).
Living like this for a couple of months while I investigated the most suitable (and affordable) shelving options was a bit hellish.
I finally cracked and hurriedly bought some Ikea bookshelves for at least one of the walls, so that I could unpack some of the boxes, under Kasper’s wise supervision.
I managed to get one set of bookcases completed just in time before my first guest arrived at the end of November, although they had to put up with the mess elsewhere in the room.
The wall opposite was a bit trickier and required custom-made shelving, including drawers and cupboards with doors to hide a multitude of folders and other sins. This finally arrived last Thursday and took five hours of an experienced craftsman’s time to assemble.
Once all the shelves and books had been unpacked, a clear balcony now seems like an impossible dream…
It then took three days of shelving, climbing on ladders, readjusting…
I can finally see my printer again (and hopefully use it, too!), but those shelves filled up pretty fast. Some double shelving could not be avoided, but that’s why these are the deeper bookshelves.
The depth also allows for my elephant collection (and a cat) to be displayed. As always, my books are arranged by geography or themes. In the example above: my Berlin books and two of my favourite writers side by side: Virginia Woolf and Shirley Jackson.
Meanwhile, the Ikea shelves are no longer double-shelved and I have a comfy chaiselongue for reading… and please notice the small amounts of space just begging to be filled.
This might look a bit narrow, but there’s actually almost two metres between the sofa and the bookshelves opposite, so even when it opens up as a guestbed, guests should still be able to move through. Kasper is stretching as if to prove it.
So this is the ‘after’ version of the first picture in this post. Aside from the mess on the balcony, I now finally have the room that I dreamt of. It might not be quite as impossibly perfect as the ones I show on Friday Fun, but I’m still pleased with it. And exhausted!
In conclusion, I never want to move again… Maybe I’ll just build a new library at my parents’ house instead!
My shelves may be delivered and built by the time this post comes out – here’s to hoping anyway. So my current obsession with home libraries may be coming to an end, but not before we admire these images below.
I adore those narrow drawers, although I’m not sure what I would put in them, since I’m not a museum. From Pinterest
Interesting way of integrating pipes into the library design… what if you get a leak, though? From Houzz
This is a very industrial look bookshelf, which I never thought I’d like, but it fits well with the stairs (NOT ones I’d choose for myself, though), from Pinterest
An elegant concept, somewhat Frank Llyod Wright inspired, from Home Decor Mate
I no longer have a gallery, alas, but this is what I’d do with one if all the time and money in the world were mine. From Arch Daily.
I’m pretty sure I’ve featured this home built around a library and inner courtyard before, but this is a picture from a different angle, by Gradoli & Sanz architects.
I think my shelves are going to be delivered soon(ish), and I might even be able to find someone to put them together for me, the clumsiest craftsman ever. So in celebration of that, I’ll start the New Year with more lovely pictures of home libraries.
Too many decorations instead of books, but it still looks like a glamorous set of shelves, just right for bruising my legs against the sticking out bits. From Home Deco Hacks.
Classical style never goes out of fashion, from Cozy Wanders.
A dividing wall full of books that still lets in the light, from Home Stratosphere.
Shame that most windows have got radiators underneath them, but this idea of a bookish surround for windows is great. From Pinterest
Doesn’t this look super-inviting? All houses should have a library, from Learn California.
Although I’ve now ordered my bookshelves, I’m still bombarded with advertisements and Pinterest pictures for all types of home libraries. Now that it’s too late to make any changes or dream endlessly of the perfect future library, my strategy is to find fault with everything that I unearth. For example…
Why would you block out the light into your office with these bookshelves? And surely all that direct sunlight can’t be good for the books?
Too AI-enhanced. Why have a secret doorway if it doesn’t lead to another, even more precious library?
Again the window and bookshelves combination, although at least here they have the blinds down. But does one want to live in a permanent blinds-down type of situation?
Too institutional – this is an office or a public library
Too colourless and clinical, bland
Great armchair for reading, but only one bookcase? Come on!!!
In all of my previous homes, furnishing and finding room for books was always done under pressure (time, space and budget), especially when you have little ones whose priorities always seem to be more pressing than yours. Now that I’ve got a flat just for myself for probably the first time in my life (and also a bit more money than I’m used to having), I can in theory take my time to create my perfect study/library.
Except the piles of boxes and books were causing me anxiety attacks, making it impossible for me to concentrate on my work. Plus, I’m expecting guests soon, so I needed to get that room in a habitable state. So I went back the tried-and-tested IKEA route and got myself some Billys for one side of the room.
However, as you can see, this filled up very quickly indeed and half of the books haven’t even been unpacked yet.
So for the opposite wall, I was thinking of a more bespoke option. It will also have to fit around my desk, pictured below.
I want those shelves to be a little deeper (to hold art books and records) and have some with doors (to hold folders, memorabilia, photo albums), as well as some room for decorations (although Kasper may soon put an end to those). I may have to take a third wall, above the door into account as well, since I seem to have a lot more books than I remembered – perhaps they were not so obvious when they were spread over 5 rooms in my old house.
So here are some pictures which inspired me, although none is quite perfect. Let me know what you think! Most of the pictures below are from Pinterest (apologies for not finding the proper credits) or from the websites of various carpentry sites here in Germany which I’ve consulted.
White is not an option for me (now that the Billy shelves are oak veneer), and I’ve got a stepladder that I can use for other purposes, not just a library ladder, but I like the different shapes and sizes of the shelves in this example.
Another set of quirky shelves, with closed ones at the bottom for the messy stuff.
I like the idea of having a bit of a ledge for sitting or for a cat to walk along.
The space behind the sofa might be the space for my desk and the plants make this feel gracious and light (probably not feasible with a cat, though)
More conventional and symmetrical, with perhaps too much closed space, but one can never have too many drawers, right?
I used to dream of backlit shelves, but now I realise the level of electrical engineering required… I do like the interplay of closed and open units though.
I wouldn’t put wood panelling up behind those armchairs, but I do like the very bespoke pattern on those shelves
This is just showing off, to prove just how much they can customise the shelves. I do think the white shelves clash with the beams, but maybe darker shelves would have made the room too dark?
As someone pointed out in the comments of last week’s Friday Fun post, white shelves look very different when they are full of books, so I decided to explore it further, to see if I might consider white shelves instead of too dark a library (which is my initial preference, but which I fear might make the room seem much smaller).
This does look very cool, admittedly, and suits the off-white walls, from TLC Interiors
A more modern approach, leaving room for paintings on top of the bookcases, from Decoholic
The traditional approach, matched with white armchairs, from Pinterest
It doesn’t look quite so good when matched with darker furniture, which is like my desk, so my doubts remain… From Neville Johnson
I like the closed cupboards at the bottom, which can hide a multitude of sins. From Coco Lapine Design
So this is what it might look like when multiple walls are covered with white shelves. From Coco Lapine Design
I still think this is more my style, from Pinterest
I’m creating mood boards in my mind (and on my blog) for that ideal library and guest room that will no doubt fall short of such visionary plans.
It’s the backlit shelves that make all the difference here – and that chaiselongue, of course. From Pinterest
While this looks very inviting, I’m not quite sure what you’re supposed to do with that depth of shelf… unless you have a ready-made nook in the room. From Pinterest
A realistically messy study at last, with a comfy sofa too. From Pinterest
An elegant and feminine solution for those who don’t have a lot of books and don’t work from home all the time. From The Spruce
I know that white shelves make a room feel more spacious, but I can’t quite warm up to them. From 1Kindesign.
Another endearingly messy room, great under-the-eaves suggestion, from 1Kindesign.
Now we’re talking realistic (although the prices are quite high): these shelves can be customised and bought, remains to be seen whether it’s cheaper to hire a local carpenter. From Hozolighting.nl
Will be going hunting for a place to buy in Berlin very soon, and I have no illusions that I’ll ever have a place big enough for my grandiose home library world dominance plans. But there’s no harm in looking for a little inspiration, right?
Those chairs look perfect for reading, from Villa Nuevo, Weber Studio Architects, Houzz.com
Parisian messy chic? Yes, but in a flat in Bedford Street, London, from Tumblr
This Hollywood home had a library for vinyl, from Outpost Estates
And here is another example of a vinyl room, custom built by Neville Johnson
A living room that has gone all library, from The Nordroom
Another living room with a gorgeous pop of colour, from The Nordroom
But I leave the best two for last. First, this historic house with an inner gallery filled with books in Bath, from The Nordroom
Amazing apartment in Palermo, from Rocaille Newsletter
findingtimetowrite 