Ideas of alternate ways to store and display the books you collect and read.
Sometimes there isn’t room for bookshelves where you want books. I know. I want books in convenient locations, like in the kitchen, at the dining room table, in the bathroom, in a small bedroom, and the list goes on. Here are ideas for displaying and storing books.
- Wooden crates tipped on the side provide a great way to hold and confine a collection of books. Think of it as a mini-shelf. Crates are especially nice for a small collection of cookbooks that you wish to keep handy.
- Ladders are a fun way to display books. If the rungs are wide, small books can be displayed lying on their sides. If the rungs are very narrow, books can be opened and hung down over the rungs.
- Stacks of books make nice side-tables (if this method is acceptable to spouse, children, and pets).
- Bread boxes are nice for storing and hiding smaller books (most paperbacks will fit in a breadbox). I use a breadbox on the dining room table to hide current reading material.
- Baskets contain a stack of books nicely in a casual fashion.
- Chairs are great to use as bookshelves, especially angular wooden chairs. Stand the books up along the seat so that the arms contain them. Use the floor between the legs of the chair as a second shelf.
- I recently saw an idea in a home decorating magazine where a vintage cupboard was tipped on its side and used as a bookshelf. I am now lusting after vintage cupboards and wondering where I can find one.
The ways to hide, display, and organize books are limited only by your imagination. Use these ideas to launch your own ideas.
