Home library types

 A little bit of theory :)

When people begin to entertain the idea of creating an in-home library it is important to plan ahead depending on the type of a library is actually desired. Library design must suit the function! There are three major types, as far as I can tell.

1. Display library.

If you have an existing collection of rare books and first editions this is probably the type of library you are thinking of. It is a much more difficult task to start a display library if you do not already possess some considerable bibliophile treasures. In many cases, books in a display library are not meant to ever be read or consulted. These books are nothing but investment, and to protect this investment you need to consider adequate security measures, as well as storage facilities with temperature and humidity control. You cannot replace your display library should anything happen to it!

2. Decorative library

If you want to show off books that do not hold any intrinsic value, but are simply beautifully crafted, your task is somewhat less burdensome. No need to worry too much about proper storage and security. Still, try to treat your books as well as you can. But it is important to make the distinction between decorative and display libraries, in my opinion. There are some resources on home library books used in decorating, by the way.

3. Working house library
The most useful kind of home library, in my humble opinion. Usually, people who need to consult books on a regular basis turn their entire living spaces into libraries. As a friend of mine put it, "I live in a giant bookcase."

4. Mixed libraries

You can certainly mix the three main library types. Just be sure to separate the books, using separate bookcases for various types of books. You can also have, for instance, a display library next to the dining room and a working library upstairs etc.

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

Waterfall bookcase is a great way to break up the monotone look of library walls with a graduated shelves that are reminiscent of cascading waterfalls. On a functional level, waterfall bookcases are a great way to arrange books by size, while making sure that smaller books do not end up lost on uniformly deep shelves. Besides, this helps fight the urge to have more than one row of books on each shelf - a plague of many home libraries!



In modern design, ladder bookcases are most reminiscent of traditional waterfall bookcases so prominent in Regency and Victorian libraries. I would not be surprised if some people used the term waterfall bookcase loosely, thus including ladder bookcases, but the latter (pun intended) also have the effect of preserving the openness of a modern living room, they do not dominate the space and allow the color and detail of their surroundings to remain visually prominent.

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

Home library meets restaurant design

As long as you believe that a well designed home library is one of the most beautiful sights in the world, why not consider marrying this look with something entirely different in terms of function and style? Here are some pictures of a restaurant conveniently located above one of the locations of a Russian bookstore chain. The restaurant is called "Biblioteca", which is Italian for "library." The menu, quite appropriately, features Italian dishes. Books and literary references are used as the main design theme, and the color scheme reflects the colors traditionally associated with bookcases and leather-bound books.
























See also:

Restaurant Design Ideas
Italian Restaurant Names

3d home design software - the leading packages

Years ago I took some time to learn a 3d animation software package called 3ds Max. Given enough time and computer power I can generate nice looking 3d objects and animations. So, I decided to make a few conceptual plans for a home library in 3d. Time is at a premium right now, but, naturally, there are some products on the market that specifically deal with this, making it easy even for someone less knowledgeable than myself to come up with a nice (and architecturally believable) floorplan and a 3d rendering. The tough part turned out to be choosing the right package. After some time I narrowed down the search to two products: Better Homes and Gardens Home Designer Suite 8.0 and Punch! Home and Landscape Design Suite. They are both priced at around $99 and have some crucial features that I am looking for. I want to be able to export my floorplans in DXF format, so that I can render them in 3ds Max, adding better lighting controls and other effects. Note that there is a cheaper version of Home Designer, but it does not have this feature. Also, I want to have access to large libraries of 3d objects. Both packages have such libraries and you can access even more libraries online. Plus, you can import objects from a number of formats.

Well, both suites began to look very much the same to me after a while. If only the manufacturers made it easier for me by lowering the prices, so I could own both :) The most annoying thing is that neither software has made demo versions of their programs available. And Punch! does not even have sample renderings or screen shots. I was able to find out, however, that Home Designer Suite is made by Chief Architect, the same company that also makes a professional home design and drafting software packages. You can get a demo version of their Chief Architect X2, even though the process involves submitting a request form. A whole bunch of crucial features are disabled, but you can get a sense of what to expect in their home user market version.

Also, after perusing some scarce reviews I got a sense that Home Designer Suite is slightly more intuitive and provides better looking results. It is also clear that they have a better customer service (as they should, because they also sell $2,000 packages to architects). At this stage I am very much inclined to buy their program, as opposed to Punch! Let's see what happens.

Update: it seems that only 2-d floor plans can be actually exported as DXF from Home Designer Suite...

Bookends in house library design - dragons, horse heads etc.

If you want your home library to have a certain thematic look, do not neglect such a simple design element as bookends. With some luck, you should be able to find just the right pieces of brass, metal or wood to perfectly accentuate your book collection. Among the bookends that I own personally own are some Renaissance looking ships, antique colonnades and elephants. I hope to post the pictures some time soon. You can easily find other creatures and objects, including fish bowls, chess pieces, medieval knights and sports memorabilia.

For a long time, one particular idea was associated for me with bookends: if you have to put metal horse heads on your bookshelf, you simply don't have enough books. Not having enough books can, of course, be caused by various reasons, but I my opinion none of these reasons were excusable. I was able to overcome this feeling, mainly due to acknowledging the fact that a home library differs from any other kind of library - it must feature certain design elements that turn it into a living space of a special kind. It is interesting then that bookends are somewhat unique, in a sense that they are designed specifically for the needs of home library owners. Why not use them?

One practical advice that you should keep in mind. Because bookends vary in style and material, you should choose at least the material that you are going to use for most of your bookshelves. For example, it is easy to go with brass or cast iron. This way you will always be able to add more bookends, even if it is impossible to find the exact matches for your existing ones.

Bookends on Amazon


See also:
Book accessories

A reading room, separate from your home library?

The idea of having a special room set aside as a reading room only is not so far fetched, as it might seem at first. If you consider the ideal conditions for storing books with the conditions typically seen as most comfortable and pleasant for reading or working with books you will see the striking differences. Books (especially antique and valuable volumes) are best kept in rooms with little natural light and with low humidity. Reading is something that most people enjoy doing with natural light. Personally, I really like open air or at least an open window. It is therefore not such a bad idea to have a small room adjacent to you home library (if your financial situation permits :) ) that is specifically designed as a reading room. This means comfortable furniture, a large window to allow as much natural light as possible, well planned sources of artificial light, a desk and perhaps a small bookcase to store the books that you are working with at the time.

Home library photos: Set #3

In my humble opinion, ladders in a home library are not just a necessity, but an element of design. They symbolize accessibility and, at the same time, relative obscurity of volumes that may be out of reach. Ladders, in this sense, can almost be considered a cataloging element!

























Bookstands are also essential. Not only they make it easier to work with books. They also protect them, and as you can very well see they form a stunning design element in an environment where most of the lines are at an 90 degree angle. A welcome distraction for the eye!

Most typically, you will see reference books placed on bookstands and lecterns. If you care about the condition of the book, it is a good idea to open different pages every once in a while, whether you are using the book or not. But you should most certainly avoid displaying valuable books in this manner.


You may not see it very well, but the floorlamps were designed specifically to be placed in a home library. The shades have imprints of antique book pages on them!

Home library images. Set #2

All these home libraries (except the last one) represent the very high end approach to home libraries. They are not simply a bunch of bookshelves placed in a large room. The rooms were designed with the library in mind. And the results are spectacular!

Home Library design pictures. Set 1.

A very warm and cozy design. I sure hope the cats comes with it! This library would fit most homes, but I cannot imagine filling a large room with bookcases like that. It would look too boring.



Home libraries often have this multilayer look. From the practical point of view, it is easier to get to books like this. Books very naturally follow the matrix design pattern.



This is design is very modern. The stairs are nicely matched by the chair. I would say that this library has more of a leisurely look. It is not well suited for serious studies, but that's just my personal taste.







And speaking of stairways. If you have too many books and don't mind kicking some of them, this is a very functional design. It is particularly good for someone who likes to trample their academic opponents!



What I like here is the presence of what seems to be enclosed bookcases. Useful for storing papers, books that are sensitive to light or books you don't want anyone to see (should you have a reason for that).

See also:

• House library design: Traditional elements and ideas
• Book Accessories
• Living Room + Small Home Library Photos, interior design ideas

Blog Started

This is where I allow myself to write anything I want about books: the ones I have, the ones I want to have, and about the library that I hope to have one day.