24 Beautiful Walls of Books

When my wife and I moved to our present apartment a couple of years ago, our main decision was not where the place the sofa or tv or home office or even the dining room table; it was where to set the books. Having spent in a floor-to-ceiling shelf system, the eventual location sits alongside the front door and becomes a wall of novels contrary to the sofa. While the novels have outgrown this wall and shot over different areas of the house (like any book enthusiast will concur, this always occurs ), there’s something attractive about this huge surface of novels, particularly when compared to smaller bookcases. While this ideabook attests, I’m not alone in liking walls of novels. The following examples show various ways of accommodating large numbers of publications in most areas of the house.

Griffin Enright Architects

Why a wall of novels when you can have two? Whether this room just had a wall covered with novels it would need another, given the powerful symmetry of this space with its central fireplace. 1 thing that our wall of novels shares with this particular one is that the change in spacing from large on the floor to small on the very top, so bigger books are nearer to the floor and therefore easier to deal with.

Michael Fullen Design Group

This more compact distance also offers bookshelves facing each other, however, one side is punctured by a doorway. I like the way relief is brought to the book through double-height openings that are used for artifacts, such as a world.

Chr DAUER Architects

Two walls covered in novels can also throw in a corner. This office space is not only packed with novels but designed so that the work surfaces meld with all the book storage. If going this course in your project, make sure you check the top shelves can be reached over the desk.

HartmanBaldwin Design/Build

This publications in the corner of this library extend past the soffit (seen at left) to the underside of the clerestory windows that also wrap the corner; this necessitates a ladder for reaching the shelves.

Chang + Sylligardos Architects

The corner of this library is access to other chambers, however, the bookshelves on each side are still constant in design, particularly the narrow shelf roughly a third of the way up; I’m guessing it’s used for large books and papers looking to lie flat.

Webber + Studio, Architects

These shelves also utilize a very short shelf roughly half of the way up. Also, like the previous example lighting is integrated over the shelves, projecting out and pointing right down to assist in locating books and for reading them.

Tim Cuppett Architects

Two vertical walls are covered with novels in this room, separated by a large window that brings in plenty of daylight. Note how the shelves are curved in the window, a fine Art Deco touch.

Erdreich Architecture, P.C.

In the very first steps within this house, one is faced with publications, which cover a wall adjacent to the front door. The dark shelves have been emphasized with orange endings that work nicely in the sparse modern space.

Vinci | Hamp Architects

1 end of this massive living space is covered in shelves that are novels interspersed with sculptures; the former have been available to the lightly shaded wall, whereas the former includes a dark backing that helps the objects stand out.

Smith & Vansant Architects PC

This wall of novels was created with an integral railing to get a rolling ladder in addition to lighting for 2 flat openings used for displaying objects. In proportion and execution the shelves are minimum yet tasteful.

Hugh Jefferson Randolph Architects

This is just another wall of novels that incorporates bigger openings for showing objects other than novels. They are flat, vertical, and square, enabling different things to be on display.

Ian Moore Architects

This simple wall of novels with rolling ladder works nicely with the minimum design of the inside. Note how the vacant shelf space seems to trickle down from top right to bottom left, indicating that even room for future publications can be a part of an interim design.

Stern McCafferty

These shelves stand out from the last examples in the exceptionally thin edge profile and evident lack of supports.

Laidlaw Schultz architects

Here are additional shelves with a slim profile and hidden affirms; the latter are, according to the architect, included of”an upturned leg at the trunk which is bolted to the wall… [and] then hidden.”

Tom Hurt Architecture

This wall of novels is freestanding, behaving as a divider between the kitchen and living room.

The gap between these rooms looks like it’s carved out of the wall of novels, as they write a header over the opening.

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I’ve always thought that a hallway is a good place for publications — that is, if you’ve got one and don’t have a library or room in your living space. For me, the bedroom ought to be free of too many novels (a couple of on the nightstand or a small shelf is good, but not a wall), and also near a kitchen may harm novels.

Hallways are good for keeping books, what with long walls and all. On the downsidethey don’t provide much room for sitting to enjoy themlike a library.

Chang + Sylligardos Architects

Hallways can also be mezzanines, so the books become part of the larger house, not tucked away from different chambers.

Smith & Vansant Architects PC

This is just another hallway mezzanine (nice door in the far end!) Where books are put round the windows, making the most of every bit of wall space.

Lisa Borgnes Giramonti

Do not have enough books to cover a wallsocket? You can always use background!

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