“I have always imagined that paradise would be a kind of library.” – Borges
For bookworms around the world, myself included, those words seem about right and it would be pretty nice to have a sizable collection of books in this life as well. While few people have the room or the resources to equip their personal space with a drool-inducing, wonderland of books, most of us can make do with our few bookshelves and stacks of books to add loads of character to our personal spaces.
Generally, we tend to appreciate books for the knowledge and information that they hold within their pages, but there is something to be said for judging them by their covers– when it comes to sprucing up your home anyway. They provide color, texture, style and an undeniable aesthetic when they’re used virtually anywhere around the house.
Here are some interesting ways to use books around your house:
Old book covers as artwork.
Book table!
Books behind artwork.
Amazing book-filled staircase.
boooks!
Books on display!
Interesting bookshelf.
Having books around the house can not only make your space look good it can also make it more personal. After all, who hasn’t looked around at the books at a friend’s or acquaintances home to see what kind of things they read? Putting your favorite reads on display shows off your tastes and can also be nice to see on a daily basis.
Want, want, want
I have to confess that I often buy old books more because they look pretty rather than because I really want to read what they’re about. If old books aren’t really your thing (they can smell a bit “booky” at times) you can invest in the beautiful classics series by Penguin or look into some more modern books with fantastic covers. You’ll find a great list on these sites of covers that will add some design flair to your home and some of them are good reads too! Judging the Book: 50 Most Captivating Covers of All Time and 86 Beautiful Book Covers.
A good coffee table book never hurt either. I’ve compiled a list of some great ones here (at my real job) and here are some photos of them being displayed nicely.
I’m ready to go read a book!
3 Comments
I adore this post! I have tons of books that are overcrowding my bookshelves and I’m running out of room. I thought about using them as displays (some are quite pretty), but thought people would think I was crazy. I’m glad to know, I’m not. Thanks for all the great ideas. BTW, I would kill for that full-wall bookshelf you posted. So cool!
Thanks, you made my day! 🙂
Dude, if people think you are crazy for have books sitting around then they probably don’t read a lot of books! I ran out of space for books a long time ago and now they’re tucked in just about everywhere.
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