This Is How to Store Your Book Collection in Style

Dutch people are true book lovers. On average, we read 15 books a year. So it is very possible that you have built up quite a large collection of books by now. Do you have shelves or boxes full of books but no room to display them beautifully at home? In this blog, you will find fun tips and inspiration for storing your collection!

Choose a place for your book collection

Many book lovers dream of having their own “library,” complete with an old-fashioned ladder along the shelves or an entire wall filled with books. Creating such a library in your own home is no problem with the tips described below. You can also use your books in many other ways as part of your interior decoration. Choose a room where you would like to display your book collection: your living room, conservatory, attic, bedroom, or another space in the house.

Give your collection the space it deserves

Once you have decided where you want to keep your book collection, you first need to create space for it. The thickest book in the world has 4,032 pages and is about 322 mm thick! So with a large collection, you can quickly run into a lack of space in your home.

To make room for your book collection, you can clear out the items that are already in the room. After all, 80% of the things in your cupboard are only used once a year. You can divide your belongings into three piles: a pile of things you can move to other rooms, a pile of things you can throw away permanently, and a pile of things you hardly ever use. This last group can be packed into sturdy boxes and stored in an external storage unit, allowing you to create space for your books at home without having to throw anything away for good. You could also place some books in archive boxes: these are especially sturdy and can easily hold around 20 books.

What can you do with your book collection?

You can display your book collection in many different ways. If you have chosen to keep your books in the living room, it may seem at first glance that there is not much space, since you also have sofas, tables, TV furniture, and more. A fun and space-saving solution is to use areas you would not normally think of. For example, make use of the spaces above or beside doorways. Often, there is still about a metre of free space there. Put up a shelf above the doorway and place two narrow bookcases on either side. This way, you can store many books and make it look stylish too!

The space under the stairs can also be used very well. For example, you can attach a custom-made shelf to the back of each step and create a staircase full of books.

You can even use your books themselves as furniture. For example, place a stack of thick, colourful books next to your bed or sofa and use them as a side table. Or use your bookcase as a room divider. There are many open bookcases for sale (for example at Ikea or Karwei) that allow you to enjoy your books from both sides. Your very most beautiful and valuable books can be displayed with the cover facing forward on shelves for guests to admire. Old, colourful books often have beautiful covers and are perfect for this. You can also place a few of your nicest books or magazines on the coffee table or in your sitting area, and swap them around from time to time. Books with less attractive covers could be put in boxes and stored elsewhere.

On our Pinterest page, you will find even more fun storage ideas for your book collection!