36 Bookshelf ideas to make reading a more magical experience.

Showcase your unique personality, style, and your awesome book collection with these bookshelf ideas.

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Bookshelf ideas that’ll make you look forward to reading.

Bookshelves or bookcases help you stay organized. They make your books easily accessible too. When properly organized, a good bookshelf makes you want to actually reach out for a volume and read it.

Aside from holding all your books, well-thought-out bookshelves add charm to any space in the house. It can be a multifunctional addition that you can use to hold small trinkets, art supplies, or meaningful mementos. Discover all the different possibilities (and forms) that bookcases can take on with this list of bookshelf ideas.

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Bookshelf décor ideas.

Whether you want to highlight specific themes or you just want to elevate the look and feel of your space, these bookshelf décor ideas will inspire you.

To make your collection not look like a random pile of books, leave some negative space. Give your books some room to breathe, and if you really want to add trinkets, pick tasteful ones like dainty sculptures or modern frames.

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A living shelf.

Incorporate small indoor plants if you want to literally liven up your bookcase.

Add layers.

Use picture frames of different sizes to populate your shelves. You can also put up custom artwork or framed posters. Bookshelves can be multipurpose, so why not use them to tell a story? For instance, if you have cards or letters that you treasure, frame them and put them on your bookcase.

Make a statement.

Keep one shelf free of books, then add a statement piece like a vibrant art piece or stunning sculpture.

Wall bookshelf ideas.

Need to save floor space and make your room feel less cluttered? Check out these wall bookshelf ideas.

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Surround yourself with Hungarian shelves.

By surround, we mean using up two walls for the shelves. Or you can have a wraparound shelf built to utilize the corners so you can make full use of the space.

Floating shelves.

They look clean and elegant. You can DIY them. Best of all, they don’t take up additional floor space. What’s not to love about floating shelves?

A literal floating bookcase.

We’re not just talking about shelves here but an actual bookcase, albeit a relatively small one. Instead of setting up a bookshelf on the floor, why not mount it to the wall instead? This makes it easier for you to clean the floor too.

DIY bookshelf ideas.

These budget-friendly DIY bookshelf ideas give you plenty of room to implement personalized designs.

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Wallpaper it.

This is one of the easiest ways to jazz up your shelves without spending a fortune on the project. The use of peel-and-stick wallpaper makes decorating your bookcases a breeze. Follow this tutorial from “The Homes I Have Made” to get started.

Here’s a pro tip from Megan of “The Homes I Have Made”: choose wallpaper with small designs or random patterns. According to her, wallpaper with large designs typically requires precise matching and tends to look busy, especially when you’re putting items other than books on the shelves.

Reuse wood scraps.

This is an eco-friendly way to have your own bookshelf. This Old House has a detailed tutorial on how to make a well-built bookshelf. Plus, reusing wood scraps is more cost-effective, as buying wood can set you back by hundreds of dollars.

Customize it.

Sometimes, you’ll have books that are wider or taller than average, like coffee table books. Before doing DIY work on your bookshelf, make sure to sort through your books first. Figure out which ones you need or really want to add to your display. Then, work with a trusted carpenter who can build custom shelves with different heights to accommodate oversized books.

Bedroom bookshelf ideas.

These bedroom bookshelf ideas will help you create a cozy and functional reading nook within your bedroom.

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Use thicker boards or wood for the shelves.

Durable shelves won’t bend or warp with time. And if you stain them, you can breathe new life into plain-looking shelves.

Add decorative baskets.

Place them on the bottom shelf to hold small items or unused blankets and keep your room organized.

Turn it into a memory wall.

Display meaningful things on your bookshelf, aside from books, of course. For example, things like a ceramic mug made by your friend, a signed baseball, or a toy given to you by your grandparents.

Bookshelf lighting ideas.

Create the perfect ambiance and enhance the visibility of your collection with these bookshelf lighting ideas.

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LED strip lights.

These are convenient, highly customizable, and provide ambient glow to your shelves. Stick them on the underside of each shelf to illuminate your books’ spines.

Adjustable spotlights.

Use these lights to highlight specific shelves, titles, or objects.

Dramatic lighting.

Consider using glow-in-the-dark paint to add interesting accents to your shelves. Alternatively, attach LED backlights on your shelves to create a striking effect.

Cool bookshelf ideas.

These cool bookshelf ideas will help you design conversation starters and statement pieces that are both visually appealing and functional.

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A spiral bookcase.

It’s not every day that you see a spiral-shaped bookcase. With this, you not only have a functional bookcase, but you also have a statement piece.

A modular bookshelf.

The beauty of modular shelves is that you can easily rearrange them. And because they’re interchangeable, they work great as puzzle shelves. You’ll need to build puzzle-piece-shaped shelves first, though.

A book carousel.

A rotating bookshelf? Count us in. This makes books easier to access and gives you a unique addition to your home. Just make sure to secure your books to keep them from toppling over, just in case you get bored and want to take your shelf for a literal spin.

How to make the most of these bookshelf ideas.

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1. Determine what the shelf will do.
Is it storage, display, or both? Pick 1 to 2 hero areas for decor and keep the rest practical.
2. Be intentional with negative space.
Don’t overstuff your shelf. Make sure there’s enough breathing room between stacks.
3. Layer your styling.
Combine books with small objects for a more aesthetically pleasing vibe.
4. Add life and light.
Plants and subtle lighting add character and style to any shelf.
5. Keep things neat and tidy.
Use Adobe Express to create shelf labels or come up with matching book sleeves for a curated look and feel.

Creative bookshelf ideas.

These creative bookshelf ideas will inspire you to think outside the box when it comes to storage for your books.

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Convertible shelf.

This is like the Murphy bed of bookshelves. Build a bookcase that doubles as a bench or table.

A staircase that’s also a bookshelf?

Not exactly. You’ll need to design a bookshelf that looks like a staircase or build a bookcase under your stairs to utilize under-stair space.

Unusual shapes.

Embrace quirky and unusual shapes by creating hexagonal or triangular shelves.

Kids bookshelf ideas.

Incorporate playful designs and nurture your child’s love of reading with these kid’s bookshelf ideas.

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Use curtain dividers.

This is a great hack if you want to define certain areas of your child’s room or turn it into a multipurpose space. Curtains also help make their room cozier.

A treehouse bookshelf.

Add a dash of playfulness to any bookshelf by building a bookshelf shaped like a treehouse. You can even add min games and turn it into an activity center.

A book nook.

If you have built-in shelves or a large enough space, design a small and comfy book nook built into one of your shelves.

Unique bookshelf ideas.

Add a touch of individuality to your shelves with these unique bookshelf ideas.

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Reuse old skateboards.

Have old decks you don’t know what to do with? Use them as shelves to hold all your books. Drill holes into the wall to attach the shelf brackets and connect the brackets to the decks. Make sure to use the deck’s underside because the grip tape, which feels like sandpaper, on the deck’s top side can damage your books.

A piano for a bookshelf?

Looking for a shelf with a decent capacity? Consider repurposing an old piano. Note that while this is a time-consuming process, you need to remove all the bolts, metal posts, etc., and you’ll get an aesthetic and functional bookshelf. This guide from Piano Recycling shows you how you can salvage and recycle pianos.

Bookshelf door.

A bookshelf that doubles as a door or vice versa? Count us in. This is a great bookshelf idea if you’re thinking of building a secret room or a reading nook. Instead of a built-in bookshelf, turn it into a door instead.

Homemade bookshelf ideas.

These homemade bookshelf ideas offer hands-on recommendations that encourage sustainability and fuel creativity.

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Hungarian shelves.

They’re easy to make and have a minimalist look to them. Plus, these shelves can hold a lot of books. Make your own Hungarian shelves with this Instructables tutorial.

Old milk crates.

These interlocking boxes are deep enough to hold your books. Source them from local restaurants or dairy companies. Just make sure to reinforce them so that they won’t topple over. This requires drilling into your wall and adding drywall screws. Instructables has a quick guide on how to create DIY wall storage from milk crates.

Wooden wine cases.

Pick up a few wine cases from your local liquor store. You can either stack them on the floor or attach them to the wall, similar to the abovementioned milk crate wall storage.

Small bookshelf ideas.

Small space? No problem. These small bookshelf ideas will help you utilize underused spaces to optimize your storage.

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Go the floor-to-ceiling route.

If you have a small reading nook, why not go all out and utilize the available wall space? Building a floor-to-ceiling bookcase gives you enough space to hold all your books. And you won’t have to deal with the dilemma of adding more floating shelves to the walls to accommodate your collection.

The magic of hidden storage.

Make use of the space under your coffee or side table. Install under-table shelves to help keep small essentials and some books hidden.

Utilize the space above your door.

One of the most underutilized or wasted spaces at home is the one just above any door. Install floating shelves above doors for discreet and space-saving bookshelves.

Cute bookshelf ideas.

Let your personality shine through with these cute bookshelf ideas.

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A pastel ladder shelf.

Paint a wooden ladder, preferably one with wide rungs, in your pastel color of choice. Prop it against a wall, making sure to secure it with brackets and screws.

Wavy shelves.

Create a playful and whimsical atmosphere with a wavy bookshelf. Cut pieces of wood so that the edges look like soft waves. Use thin cylindrical wood pieces to support the shelf, making sure that they’re properly spaced out to hold all your books and trinkets without the shelf bending.

A minimalist glass bookshelf.

This dainty shelf makes any room look airy. Make sure to use thick tempered glass instead of regular glass. Tempered glass is stronger and less likely to shatter.

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Tips for an organized bookshelf.

Follow these tips to keep your bookshelves organized:

Place most books in one area. Instead of having more standalone bookshelves, consider turning one part of your house into a library of sorts. For example, in the living room, you can have one wall (or two) of books.

Pull the books toward you. Keep their spines flush and even. This creates a cleaner look, and it’s easier for you to grab a book than when they’re all pushed to the back of the shelves.

Organizing books. There are several ways to approach this. Sort books by color, by genre, or by author. Another more practical way to sort books is by using the top shelf to hold all your favorite books. The next one will hold the books you like (but not your faves), while the middle shelf can hold the books on your TBR or to-be-read pile. The bottom shelf can hold random books or the books you DNFed, aka the books you didn’t finish.

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Bring your love of reading to life with Adobe Express.

Whether you’re making labels for shelves or organizing book-related events, Adobe Express gives you the tools you need to bring your vision to life. From event flyers and banners to photo collages, there’s no limit to what you can make with Adobe Express. Discover what you can make with Adobe Express today.

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