Home libraries are places in which to escape, to become lost in the pages of adventure, romance, deep study or self-reflection. Whilst screens have their place in our modern lives, there’s nothing quite like cracking open a new paperback or revisiting an old favourite. The relaxation of flipping through those familiar smelling pages is a completely different form of reading than being bombarded with blue light. These special moments deserve a special place, so we’ve gathered together 51 home library designs that will have you lost in a love of books for hours – take a pot of tea and a pack of biscuits to keep you going!

Architect: Turkel Design  

Laid-back for lounging, this cosy, wood encased home library design cocoons a comfortable LC4 chaise lounge chair designed by Charlotte Perriand, Le Corbusier & Pierre Jeanneret for Cassina. As the only seat in this large home library, the solo furniture piece states that this is a place for solitude, peace and escape.

Designer: Paul Cremoux Studio  

Climb the stairway to book heaven with a stairwell home library. This one provides colour and character to an open plan living room. See more living rooms for book lovers here.

Architect: A_FORM studio  

Moving on up. A raised platform floor elevates this unique home library toward a spectacularly huge round window, which bathes the reading area in natural light. Bookshelves stack at the back of the raised floor, whilst drawers utilise the void underneath.

Architect: Despacho Arquitectos HV  

Serene and green. This nature loving bookworm’s home has the perfect mix of human imagination across the pages and Mother Nature’s own creation thriving in the courtyard.

Architect: Gianni Botsford  

Speaking of human imagination, this inspiring writer’s home has a library that is designed specifically for getting the creative juices flowing, whether through literature or a moment of contemplative music.

Visualizer: Alexey Gulesha  

Struggling to find enough wall space for a full home library installation? Fear not, bespoke bookshelves can be shaped to fit around any corner, nook or cranny. This set surrounds the edges of a partition between a lounge and kitchen, rounds the corner into a short hallway, and fills out the TV wall to boot.

Designer: OOOOX  

Make the most of high ceilings. Why stop short when you can max out a generous wall height? Either take the shelves all the way to the top for extra storage, or simply extend the casing for a sleek aesthetic like this light-filled library.

Source: Flos  

Set the mood inside your home library with atmospheric lighting. This low hanging pendant is a Nebula by Flos.

Designer: Commune Design  

Pull in some pattern. Sure, it’s nice to look at the rise and fall of colourful book spines across the stacks, but a hero furniture piece almost has a gravitational pull in making you want to sit for a while. This Eames lounge chair designed by Charles and Ray Eames for Herman Miller is pretty irresistible.

Via: Arkadia  

Light, bright and filled with brilliance, this wonderful glass wall study features academic book stacks all the way up into the sloping roof line

Designer: Ilai  

Layer upon layer of book lover’s paradise, this multilevel library is accessed by librarian ladder, a spiral staircase and a wraparound mezzanine.

Visualizer: An Nam Thiết Kế, DClaw 12, Ngoc Do & Nguyễn Thành  

Frame a spectacular library view with a built-in bench along the window sill line and custom-fit bookcases up and over the remaining reveal.

Designer: Bigsense Design Studio   Photographer: YHLAA  

Take a slice of living space as a home library by installing a small partition wall. A half-height partition maintains the wider spatial flow and allows light share.

Juxtapose straight edged bookshelves within a curvaceous outline. You can do this as a free standing silhouette, or under an undulating ceiling. This curvaceous example is complemented by a round table and an oversized globe pendant light.

Designer: Hudson Interior Designs  

Got the bookshelves but lacking style? Colour ordering your book collection could be the answer to your dreary days. Add some colourful poufs to your seating area to extend the joyful palette.

Designer: Nook Architects  

Carve out a corner. Even the smallest niche can be fashioned into a beautiful reading nook.

Via: duslerdenizi  

This sunny window seat reading nook incorporates the green garden view with vibrant green scatter cushions.

Visualizer: Duc Nguyen  

Calming blue colour palettes feel dreamy. White bookstacks fall back for a clean aesthetic.

Designer: Galeazzo Design  

We discover our love of books as children, so why not dip back into those days with a playful scheme? Choose novelty bookcases, paint colourful walls, and dangle your legs from a hanging chair.

Visualizer: Press Render  

The stuff book lover’s dreams are made of. A dust hater’s nightmare.

Architect: Oostkaai & Studio Ambacht   

Modern and minimalist, a floating chaise and floating bookshelves make a simple and refreshing reading space. Industrial elements add dark, textural interest.

Visualizer: Jason Diniz  

Take it to the treetops with an attic reading room. A swing arm wall lamp easily tackles the challenges around low, sloping ceilings.

Designer: Fertility Design  

Glass doors allow your library to be a feature of your main living space whilst buffering unwanted noise.

Visualizer: 2B Group  

In reality, many of us don’t find time to pick up a book until we hit the sheets, so the bedroom is a perfectly practical place to locate your library. See more inspiration for bedrooms libraries.

Visualizer: Uglyanitsa Alexander  

If your library is as much about study as it is about relaxation, be sure to fashion a desk in amongst the stacks to make cross referencing more comfortable and efficient.

Visualizer: Vasiliy Nagaev  

Home libraries bring extreme warmth to double height room voids. Choose oak for a golden warmth, or let your colourful collection of book covers do all the talking.

Designer: Modo Designs  

Rotating bookcases can open up, or seal off, a home library in an instant. See more of this curvilinear house here.

Visualizer: RNDR Studio  

Glass balustrades leave stairwell bookcases uninterrupted and viewable in all their glory.

Designer: Total Concept  

Make use of that dead space under the stairs with an L-shaped bookcase, a cosy armchair and a good lamp.

Designer: Egue & Seta  

You don’t need to install an expensive mezzanine to fashion an extra floor under high ceilings, a simple hammock floor/loft net provides an ideal spot for stretching out with a good book. A librarian ladder will give you a boost up there.

Photographer: Ricardo Labougle   Via: Galerie  

Classic meets contemporary in this handsome home library, where modern wingback chairs set out a relaxing spot by a roaring fire.

Source: Ancient Surfaces  

Create medieval castle vibes with a secret door in the bookcase.

Visualizer: Sergey Baskakov  

Use classic columns to bolster a magnificent mezzanine. A modern lounge area with a contemporary sofa will bring the scheme into the modern realm.

Designer: Studio Four  

A built-in bookcase can help make sense of small room openings and unusual layouts.

Source: Ikea  

Mix, match and be modular. Adjoin flat-pack bookcases with an overhead shelf and sectional seats to create a cost effective window reading nook.

Designer: Vibe Design Group  

Clerestory windows will let a good amount of light into your library without the glare.

Visualizer: Andrew Chiniakov  

Even a tiny home can squeeze in a dedicated book nook.

Visualizer: Hưng Nguyeexn  

Alcoves and niches provide opportunity for building a streamlined library. Frame out the recess with wide decorative moulding to create a high-end custom-made look. Position a pair of beautiful lounge chairs and a stylish floor lamp in front to complete the ensemble.

Designer: Fabian Tan  

Where wall space is lacking, look to the floor. This bench seat design adds not one but two tiers of bookshelves to a compact window nook. The higher bookshelf is set back from the lower to create a comfortable step up to the elevated bench.

Visualizer: Paolo Longoni  

Black bookcases build dark drama behind colourful tomes. A gallery of monochrome prints accentuate the shadowy decor.

Visualizer: Jason Diniz  

In this dark library design, a centre section of decorative items is isolated under bright LED light.

Visualizer: MoJIoKo  

Industrial style surroundings create cool contrast against the warmth of wooden bookcases and clustered literary works.

Designer: Woods Bagot  

Spotlight a reading nook built in among the bookshelves with a blast of bright, unorthodox colour under a glossy finish and recessed spotlights.

Designer: Equipo de arquitectura  

Feel like you’re reading under swaying tree branches with a home library that has its own skylight.

Visualizer: Griffin Enright Architects  

Hundreds of books, a toasty fireplace, a comfortable lounge chair and the company of Mother Nature? Yes, please.

Architect: Casa14 Arquitetura  

Further increase wall space within a large home library by arranging bookcases into a room divider. In this luxury home, a set of upper and lower bookcases are split apart to let light filter through from the garden.

Visualizer: Lluis Cuenca  

Japanese styling and Shoji doors will bring a calming sense of zen to your home library.

Visualizer: Sergey Makhno Architects  

Curve bookcases around a courtyard. See more of this luxury underground bunker here.

Designer: Meta-Project  

Fully-fitted furniture will give your home library a special, individual aesthetic that feels cosily tailor-made to you. Seating and stacks should flow as one seamless piece, like this serene and silky smooth wood grain volume.

Visualizer: Svetlana Nezus  

Crisp white bookshelves boost the colourful nature of a home library. Employ bright spotlights to amplify the brilliant effect.

Visualizer: Javier Valero  

Book lover on a budget? OSB chipboard offers a remarkably cheap option for creating custom furniture, like this fused bedroom and study area with a small storage staircase, and a mini library set into the desk.

Recommended Reading:
32 Comfortable Reading Chairs To Help You Get Lost In Your Literary World
50 Of The Best Reading Nooks We Have Ever Come Across

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Posted By HD Staff