“Incline your ear, and hear the words of the wise, and apply your heart to my knowledge, for it will be pleasant if you keep them within you,
if all of them are ready on your lips”
Proverbs 22:17-18
I think I have said it so many times, by now most of you know that Butch and I are avid readers and we are passionate about books! Both of us teach small groups at our church, so much of our reading is centered on studying scripture…which is a privilege and a priority for us! We always have a book close-by, and usually one that is waiting on deck! Butch is currently reading a very long and compelling book on the life of Dietrich Bonhoeffer by Eric Metaxas. I am finishing up the fascinating Mitford series by Jan Karon (just a few years late). Our reading runs the gamut…inspirational, historical fiction, travel, biographies, coffee table books…you get the idea!
As an interior decorator, I found many clients that had bookshelves to be filled, but didn’t own any personal books that they had read. I couldn’t begin to imagine that people didn’t read or didn’t even own books. But, one thing is for sure, we have never had that problem…I have more books than I have places for them!
I certainly love shelves with gorgeous collectibles, but what I really love are shelves loaded with collections of “real” books that have been read by those living within the walls! I have gathered examples of spaces that showcase the beauty of books!
Click each photo for the original source.
Follow my Pinterest board Libraries, Desks, and Bookcases
A very chic office with a unique wall color and a large piece of art, but the books give it an approachable feel!
A cozy space to pull those “real” books from shelves to read!
The vivid curtain draws the eye to the shelves lined with books!
Lots of color in this space with some art and a few objects on the shelves, but the books take center stage!
A more formal room with books!
A center table with books ready to peruse, and shelves that are loaded with reading material!
A few collectibles, but mostly books in this beautiful space!
Dark gray bookcases full of “real” books define this space!
A small but warm space filled with a large collection of books!
Black shelves bring attention to the colorful spines of the books!
Stacked books rest beside standing ones!
A living space that is full of books and just invites you to grab one and take a seat!
A beautiful shade of blue brings attention to the books!
I love this casual approach to the book shelves with a handy step stool to reach the higher shelves!
What is your bookcase preference? Do you like only books, a mix of collectibles and books, or just collectibles?
Linking with Pieced Pastimes, Silver Pennies, Life on Lakeshore Drive, Thoughts From Alice, Coastal Charm, Dwellings-Heart of Your Home, Savvy Southern Style, French Country Cottage, Stone Gable, Confessions of a Plate Addict, Worthing Court, Between Naps on the Porch, Cedar Hill Farmhouse, A Stroll Thru Life, The Charm of Home, Imparting Grace, Posed Perfection, Katherines Corner, Rooted In Thyme, Share Your Cup, 21 Rosemary Lane, Cozy Little House, Rattlebridge Farm, Rustic & Refined, Poofing The Pillows, What Meegan Makes, Celebrate & Decorate
Love all these shelves with books Pam – nothing better in my opinion!! I do love collectibles as well but as a family of avid readers (we will all read anything and everything) I have the same problem as you – so many books it is a challenge to find space for them all.
Joy, before I started traveling, I traveled through books and still do!
We love books at our house too. Your inspiration pictures are amazing!
I will admit that years ago, I realized that I’d probably never reread a book and stopped buying them. We use the library constantly. 🙂
Stacey, I have always loved the library…just the smell! Blessings~
We are book lovers and readers in this house! We have books everywhere and have started to our kids collecting their own libraries now! I love books added into the decor with collectables as well as bookshelves packed with books. I have followed your pinterest board – I’m always looking for great library ideas!
Thanks so much and for following my Pinterest board! We have a 7 Week old granddaughter and I have started a book collection for her! Blessings, Pam
I love books and when we bought a new house this past spring, I could hardly wait to set up the room we’ve named our “library”. A full-wall built-in bookshelf now houses some of our best-loved reads! There’s a collection of Childcraft books my parents purchased for me when I was 1, many of the books that had belonged to my mother that came home with me after she passed away 6 years ago, classics the kids have read, a shelf of books we intend for each of them to read before they finish school, books that have been gifts…they all have meaning. I enjoy shelving my books in categories for easy finding, but jut having a wall full of our best friends…it’s wonderful.
Thanks for sharing such a heart-inspiring post. I’m visiting you from Thoughts of Home on Thursday. Nice to meet you!
Karen, my pleasure meeting you! Thank you for your wonderful sentiments on books! My books are like friends, I love,that you have your mother’s books! I have been an avid reader for years! Love the feel of a book! Blessings!
I love books, too! We moved into our house built by Mennonites (who don’t watch TV), and there were NO bookshelves. My books were stored in boxes in the largest closet in the house for months. Finally, my dad came to visit and tutored me in building bookshelves, and I finished it with a mantel in the center. I’ve since collected many other stand-alone bookshelves to scatter throughout the house. I thinned my stash a couple of times by donating to the local Carnegie library. What a mistake! They do seem to bread overnight, though, so I guess we’ll just have to keep adding to the bookcase collection. 🙂
My husband is completely traditional and likes formal, but I’m more whimsical. If I had my wish, I would totally transform my home to accommodate the decor of picture #1. I know. Since my violet and royal purple room as a child that I begged for endlessly until my mother gave in, I’ve never “gotten over” that love. That violet library with fancy chandy speaks to my soul! (But, I do love all the others, too. I could live in any of those rooms!)
Kim, that is so funny! I also had a lavender room as a child and I loved it. I knew you shared my love of books!
I’m a bit of a book-ahollic myself Pam, and I am swooning over these gorgeous libraries! Of course I’m drawn to the colorful ones, the lavender is quite dreamy, but I especially love the colorful ones with the art, and the black shelves are stunning! I do most of my reading on a kindle now, which makes it easy to control clutter, and just keep the coffee table style books out. I have had fun dreaming here today!
Jenna
Jenna, reading on my iPad would de clutter, but I have to hold a real book in my hand. I loved the large art with the dark shelves!
Pam, my family loves books. My 13 year old daughter collects them. She doesn’t like to read books on her KIndle. She says that she would rather read and feel a real book. I’ve told her when she grows up and gets a place of her own, we will have to buy her a beautiful bookcase to fill with her wonderful collection of books.
Shannon, how wonderful that your daughter loves to read and already has a collection of books! Happy Sunday!
Those rooms are perfect examples of making space for books! I don’t have THAT many, but do have a lot of vintage books and decorating books. My mom is a very avid reader so she could easily fill a space with all of hers!
Leer es un placer, pero si ambientamos el lugar de forma que no solo sea una estancia hermosa sino que también sea confortable, entonces el placer se total.
Las estancias que nos presentas hoy son variadas para todos los gustos y muy acogedoras. Me parece muy acogedora la segunda imagen, aunque la primera me encanta por su originalidad.
Si tu correo funciona y te llegan los e-mails, te mandaré algunas fotos de mi casa. Mi casa es normal…pero es acogedora y creo que te gustará ver una casa española…jajaja
Dolores
Reading is a pleasure, but if We set the place so that is not only beautiful but also stay a comfortable one, then all the pleasure.
The rooms you show us today are varied to suit all tastes and very cozy. It seems very cozy the second image, although the first love for its originality.
If your email works and you get the e-mails, I will send you some pictures of my house. My house is normal … but it’s cozy and think you’ll like watching a Spanish home.
Dolores
Mi querida Dolores, gracias por lo mucho! Sus comentarios siempre aclara mi día! Me encantaría ver fotos de su casa, me sentiría como si me gustaría saber más sobre usted y su cultura. No pude encontrar el correo electrónico que ha hablado de. Por favor, actualice mí en la salud de Antonio y de correo electrónico fotos a pamr53@gmail.com. Bendiciones, Pam
My dearest Dolores, thank you so very much! Your comments always brighten my day! I would love to see pictures from your home, I would feel as if I would know more about you and your culture. I could not find the email you spoke of. Please update me on Antonio’s health and email pictures to pamr53@gmail.com. Blessings, Pam
I have always loved boo,s, both for my own pleasure and for what they tell me about the people who read them. As for shelves, I like mixing books with other items.
Linda, I imagine you have quite a collection of books!
I have two large bookcases (actually from an old public library) filled with just favorite books which I know I will reread. Books are a treasure waiting to be discovered and I will never go Kindle.
Ginene
Ginene I can’t read a book on my iPad, it is not the same…love the idea of bookcases from an old library!
I know. I have connected the hours I’ve spent reading the computer screen, while figuring out some glitch or something, with frustration and angst. Screens are meant for pictures and short sentences. I laugh when I think what it would have been like in the 1950s if someone suggested reading books on the television screen. Give me a daybed on a screened-in porch and a book and I would be in Heaven. A tall glass of fresh squeezed lemonade would be nice, too.
I so agree about shelves lined with real books. Your Pinterest page is great. I have books in every room of my home, although I do wish I had a room to be the library with floor to ceiling shelves around the room… of course with good lighting too.
Great post
Thanks so much, Sandy! A library lined with bookshelves floor to ceiling would be awesome!
Oh Pam. I love this post. I have a Pinterest board too! Rooms with books. I have a book blog and a page ‘t under construction dedicated to Decorating with books! I hope you can get a chance to come over and visit me. I’m sad because blogger/google took away my comments option so I don’t know who visits. But there is a tiny icon at the bottom of each post for Google+. You can click it and comment over there.
Or send me an email. Slegan@yahoo.com and let me know you’ve been by!
Thanks for sharing this at Pieced Pastime linky party! I linked too!
I love books and have so many. Now I need the inspirational shelves you showed to have all of my books out and handy. There is nothing like a good book to read,
I agree, books are always out at my home, ready to be picked up and read! Happy Tuesday!
I love the idea of putting books on display. The more you see them, the more likely you are to read them.
I so agree, love seeing them on display!
I’ve gone the gamut of our small bookcase completely filled with books, to more of a mix of books and treasures. A mix is what I prefer. I don’t quite understand the trend to cover your books or having the spines all facing to the back….how do you find what you might want to read? And, of course, we have those bedside tables with books piled high and ready to topple! This was a great post.
We have very little space in our house for bookcases so a lot of my books are in baskets to form vignettes all over the house.
Thanks for sharing with SYC.
Thank you Carol! Happy Sunday!
I have bookshelves in the lounge and in all the bedrooms jammed packed with preloved books covering every genre known to man. I use my kindle more nowadays but still keep those moth eared paperbacks! Also non fiction is better in book form than on the kindle I feel ????
visiting via Katherine’s Corner linky
I love every single room! I have had a dream for years of creating a library room for myself. I grew up reading, first from the old “Bookmobiles” and when I was old enough to go out on my own as a kid, to the local libraries where I read everything from histories, period romances and science fiction to books I probably shouldn’t have read but definitely left an impression, LOL! I’m currently struggling to design a small library/office on zero budget. It is in a 1950s “ranch” house (single story) 3/1 and the room is roughly 9′ x 11′. It has short but long “ranch” style windows on two walls that meet in a corner roughly opposite the entrance door and a double sliding door closet. The structure severely restricts how I can arrange existing furniture pieces I have that I can’t afford and really don’t want to replace, including a large desk, two bookcases and a very large dresser with a tall mirror that provides lots of extra storage which is at a premium in this small house. I see so much inspiration here. Thank you!
Thank you, Jan. Wishing you success as you design your library/office.