Bedside "Book" Table

You don't need any plans for this sort of bedside table. Just a stack of over-sized books and... a couple of belts. If you tighten the belts the table will be structurally sound. Perhaps keeping the buckles on the side rather than on the top would work better. There are obviously other ways to keep the books together, but it is more important to consider the various choices you have in customizing this table. You can use books that reflect your taste (as well as distaste for certain books!). You can even go with a particular time period. Of course, I don't advise any misuse of incunabulae, but some nice leather bound antique books could look absolutely stunning in this capacity. Also, depending on the style of your home library this bedside table can find its place there, just blending in...

Bookcase plans

Due to high interest amongst that the visitors of this blog have in woodworking, I decided to put together a list of some freely available bookcase plans that can be found on the Internet. There are many places out there where plans can be purchased and that's fine. But why not explore the free ones? Perhaps with some slight modifications you can build your dream bookcase!

Barrister bookcase plans

How to build a bookcase

How to build a Bookcase: Step-by-Step Woodworking Plans

Bookcase Plans - Make Your Own Bookcase Design

The Tall Bookcase

Build your own bookcases

Short Bookcase


See also:

Ladder bookcase & Waterfall bookcase - design, decor and function.

Home decorating with books: for your library and the living room

This may be a touchy subject, but there are people who are not at all enamored with the process of reading, but still enjoy the looks of books. One of the most curious approaches I have seen is something that a California company (Book Decor) does with old leather-bound books. They sell them by the foot! In many cases these are books in foreign languages, so you can be absolutely sure that under no circumstances a momentary weakness or lapse of judgment will allow you to be caught cuddling up in an armchair with one of these books.

It is also conceivable that someone, still a great lover of books, understands the value of books in home decoration. There are a few books available on this subject (no "Home library for dummies, sorry!):

Marble busts and some principles of home library design

Many depictions of traditional libraries prominently feature marble busts of writers, philosophers and various historic figures. I would like to stress the importance of such elements in home library design. Here is why.

One of the most basic principles of design that I try to follow is the need for balance between various shapes within the same space. To my personal taste, a room that consists largely of the same types of shapes or surfaces (for instance round tables, round stools, round place mats - and all that in an oval room to boot) cannot be seen as a well designed space. Now, libraries by their very nature make the prevalence of squares and rectangles unavoidable. Books are notoriously angular and bookcases are usually nothing but fractal rectangles of sorts (here is an example of rather unusual bookcases, however). This design handicap is well understood by all, so not much is needed to rectify the situation. One can employ crown moldings, wood carvings, furniture with rounded angles etc. Of course, some individual accents are an excellent choice. Marble busts work great for this purpose. Not only they provide visually appealing curves and various shapes. The very color of the stone stands out, because only occasionally book covers and spines are white! That's why I would recommend marble (plaster or alabaster are OK) busts as opposed to bronze. Not to mention the fact that busts and sculptures add a certain human dimension to any space.

The choice of marble busts these days is quite wide. You shouldn't have to hire an artist to make one unless you want to immortalize your own likeness. Here is a quick sampler of personalities that have inspired home library owners for generations, depending on their intellectual sympathies:

Philosophy: Plato, Aristotle, Pythagoras, Voltaire
Literature: Homer, Shakespeare,
Music: Beethoven, Mozart
History: Pericles, Lincoln, Herodotus

Dan Brown's Home Library

The Today Show's interview with Dan Brown features his home library, complete with what he calls "Fortress of Gratitude" where numerous editions of "Da Vinci Code" etc. One would expect Dan Brown to have a home library, right. He is after all a writer. Sort of. For our purposes, it is quite interesting to see a home library designed for a guy who can really afford it. Nice wooden built-ins on two levels, soft lighting, but adequate for reading in a couple of locations (if I assume correctly). A surprising touch is a huge baroque fireplace. Now, I feel bad for having a fireplace in the room next to a room where any number of books are stored. However, it appears that only candles are ever burned in that fireplace. So, I guess that's ok, to create extra coziness without causing heat damage to books. A nice piece of photography, for what it is. I would definitely maximize the video screen. And I would love to see high-res images of this place!

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