What Are The Essentials Of A Beautiful Home Library?

People living in Europe spend over €90 billion on books, newspapers, and stationery every year, representing around €200 per person. It’s an impressive feat, considering the fact that most media lament the decline in reading as a hobby as ubiquitous connectivity and the lure of the Internet takes over the minds and hearts of younger generations. For those for whom reading is an escape, a means of calming from the stresses of everyday life, and a way to discover untold secrets of the past, nothing is quite as conducive to the experience as a beautiful library.

Book collection in a house from Cincșor, Brașov County, Romania. Image source: www.unsplash.com

The years 2020 and 2021 are proving to require more home time than ever before, leading to a corresponding boom in DIY projects and renovations; after all, there is no place like home, and the more appealing it is, the better. If a redesigned or new library appeals, the following tips may help you bring life to a true haven of tranquillity – one in which the hours just slip by while you flick through your favourite fictional and non-fictional works.

The Influence Of Colour


Your choice of colour for aspects such as paint, flooring, and furniture has a big impact on how appealing your reading nook is, as reported in a 2014 study published in SAGE Journals. The authors report that “a colour can change our mood from sad to happy, from confusion to intelligence, from fear to confidence. It can actually be used to ‘level out’ emotions or to create different moods.” Your choice of colour very much depends on the mood you wish to prevail. If you are designing a traditional study, browns, beiges, dark greys, blacks, and natural wooden and leather features will work well. Specific colours have been found to induce marked sensations. Green, for instance, is emotionally calming; blue encourages intellectual activity; yellow, meanwhile, is ideal for lifting the mood and creating cheerful interiors.

Key Fixtures


If a home builder is involved in your project, then you have the luxury of selecting customised furniture that can be catered to your collection of books. Current trends include in-built floor-to-ceiling shelves, which enable homeowners to maximise space and leave the centre of the library for a living zone (with a Chesterfield or modern designer sofa, central coffee table, carpets etc.). Also popular are contrasting materials (e.g. hardwood bookshelves affixed to industrial looking brick, concrete or metal walls), two-storey libraries (with the top level on a mezzanine floor), and split shelves, with a central designer feature such as a fireplace, artwork, or Italian-style modern lighting feature, capturing the spotlight.

The Tiny Details Matter


Setting up a cosy library involves the selection of appealing decorative touches as much as it does the choice of a practical and visually impactful layout. In addition to beautiful bookshelves, your library can be given a big boost in ambience via touches such as a blend of modern and traditional furniture, colourful cushions, and one or two designer décor items (such as sculptures, statement candles, or pendant lighting in key areas such as your study desk). Your choice of upholstery also matters: choose neutral tones for a nature-inspired library, browns for a masculine ‘den’-type space, and bright, colourful touches for a lively, youthful escape.

Technology may have taken up much of our free time, but books continue to entice, and those with well-loved or prized collections of books undoubtedly dream of displaying them in an ideal library. Aspects such as colour, customised furniture, and appealing décor can help create the space you desire. To keep things exciting, blend colours, influences and styles, and above all, express your passions and preferences in every corner of the room.

By Charollette Danzig

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