Designing with Bookcases — Classic, Fun, and Functional!
Written by Phyllis
Thursday, 12 January 2012 01:00
Storage is always at a premium whether you live in an apartment or a home. Many of our clients come to the table with a large collection of books that need to be stored and some treasured tombs require showcasing.
There are many ways to add interest to your home, and a bookcase can make a HUGE statement! A bookcase can be custom built wall to wall or serve as a free floating partition, separating two spaces without actually adding a wall. This Grange bookcase system below is great for storage and makes an elegant statement! I especially love the blue back panels with their elegant wainscot detail. The rolling ladder is also a key design element, allowing the homeowner to access books on the higher shelves and also adds a cool design detail. Function and form all at once!
Grange Wall Unit
Bookcases don’t necessarily have to be large to make a large impact. Enter the funky Malagana bookcase below! This one can be used as a standalone sculptural piece or in groups of three. They can be used against a wall or used in the middle of the room as a fun wall partition.
Malagana Bookcase
Your bookcase can have a little bit of funk but be elegant at the same time. See the custom bookshelves below. Turning the shelves on a diagonal allows you to display the books in a very interesting and evocative way! This system provides great visual texture and a soothing rhythm and repetition.
Custom Diamond Bookshelves
Below is a more traditional take on the standard built-in bookcase. Not only does it provide storage for your treasured books, but the cabinetry also showcases artwork, accessories and artifacts. Dressing these bookshelves with grommeted curtains on a very slim pole is an interesting way to soften the rectilinear details of the cabinetry.
Study Bookshelves
There are endless possibilities for this very functional element. Send us your clever solutions and you may see them in a future blog post!
Click here to tell us which bookcase is your favorite!
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My favorite is the Grange, but with real books. Very classy.
I love the grange bookcases as well. Real books are preferable. I recall a project where we had to purchase “books by the foot” as the client did not have a collection. That was a first!
Great article with tons of inspiration for custom bookcases. And I love the addition of the rolling ladder! See more about the diamond bookcases by designers of Sketch and Build http://www.custommade.com/bookcase-oak/by/SketchNBuild
Thank you Marcie!